Sacred texts Thelema
Liber 31by Fr. Achad (Charles Stansfield Jones) BEING A PART OF THE DIARY OF FRATER O.I.V.V.I.O. CONCERNING THE FOOL PARZIVAL AND HOW HE DISCOVERED THE MYSTERY OF THE ONE THAT IS NOT. WRITTEN DOWN IN THE FOURTENTH YEAR OF THIS AEON WHEN THE SUN WAS IN THE SIGN OF LIBRA BY FRATER ARCTAEON. LIBER THIRTY-ONE Frater Achad Not* delivered by 777 unto 666 for His high consideration this Third day os the 11th month of the year 1918 E.V. * This manuscript was NOT delivered on date originally intended but held until about September 3, 1919 when it was mailed to Therion from Detroit. He was then in New York. Receipt was acknowledged in letter received September 8, 1919. On September 9, 1919 a further P.C. was received from Therion which read: " \ = 418."Thou knowest not." Your key opens Palace. CCXX has unfolded like a flower. All solved, even II.76 & III.47. Did you know ^ = 3.141593? And oh! lots more!" (srd.) AL'AIN the Priest....666 Achad, March 13.1948) "But first thou must suffer, thou must suffer many things" (Even so be it Lord Adonai). The Voice goes on: "Thou must suffer the pains of Death and of Hell and of the Grave (3 times repeated) And after these things are come to pass will I come unto thee to comfort Thee (Twice repeated. The Words `Come to pass' added the second time). "And there shall be no more sea, neither shall there be any more fear, but I alone will inform thee in all things, even unto the end which is not. For many have said unto thee strange and diverse words, but mine shall be the One Word which Is and Was and Shall be. Amen." Note: This was recorded in diary on 3rd Day of October 1912 after Noon Prayer to Adonai. I have just `discovered' the prophesy this 31st day of October 1918 E.V. 777. THE DIARY OF O.I.V.V.I.O. Sun in 1 Deg Libra AN XIV. SUN-DAY Sept 22nd 1918 E.V. It seems as if Sunday is the one day of all the week on which I am impressed to write a few fragments of what passes through my mind. On Sept 1st I obtained a clear understanding regarding the Will and the Law. On Sept 8th, nothing special I think, but on Sept 15th I wrote "Stepping out of the Old Aeon into the New" and today I had a mind to write, at Therion's request, a pamphlet on how All is Change. But first there are some important considerations to be recorded and I feel that now is the time to place them on record. That which I am about to write concerneth the Supernal Triad. It is just Nine Months since the last Great Initiation was granted unto me, O.I.V.V.I.O., and as hardly a word of the experience then undergone has been recorded. In fact, this is also true to some extent of the Initiation of June 21st, 1916, the record of which I am only now trying to put into writing. It is not in this place that I intend to make a full statement of all that occured, but it is of the greatest importance that the inmost and essential features be written down, despite the terrible difficulty of the task. Briefly, then, I want to state my position, which I feel is Known yet not known. When I proclaimed my intention of claimimg the Grade of 8-3 or Master of the Temple, on June 21st 1916 in the City of North Vancouver, British Columbia, I did so because I thought that the Master Therion needed NEMO to fill that Office in order that He might fully attain His 9-2. The details of the Initiation which followed are recorded in another place, but here I would state that, having `died' and, as it were, Reincarnated immediately in the same body, and having given up all, even the Master Therion, I was led of the Spirit during a stay at Grantham's Landing, so that it appeared to me that on June 22nd 1916 I was NEMO 8-3; but on June 23rd at 12 Noon the realization of the Curse of the Magus came to me quite unexpectedly, so that I could do naught else than consider my Grade to be 9-2. Then followed a terrible struggle, for I realized how I had failed so far of Complete Attainment because of a certain Glamour of the Path. Then it was that I decided to give up all, even the least little thing, and I made certain pledges which were afterwards faithfully kept, so that I gave up my business position and got down to spending my last cent of money. Having made these pledges, it seemed quite certain that I was upon the Path of Aleph, which uniteth Chockmah with the Crown, and therefore beyond the Glamour of the Great Magician. I hoped that Therion had at this time Attained unto 10=1 and I was ready even then, if need be, to hold the Grade of 9=2, and to aacept the Curse thereof, but if that were not the case, I could only consider that somehow I has passed the Great Magician on the Path. At 9 p.m. that night, I was just a clearly convinced that I had attained the Grade of 10=1, and I remained in the Great Illumination until for following day. Then after leaving Soror R. I went away with the feeling of complete enlightenment, but certain considerations came to me so that I decided to reverse the Grade and take that of a simple 1=10 or Neoÿhyte, thus as it were, plunging down the Middle Pillar of the Tree of Life and uniting Kether and Malkuth in my own Being. (Note V.I.O. = 86 a Number asserting this identity, thus foreshadowing this Attainment, as all His other Mottoes seem to do. And OHPION has said, One cannot get away from the fulfillment of Mottoes). Having done this, I felt myself to be One with the Buddhas of Compassion, and returned to Soror R. as elsewhere recorded. Shortly after we got back to Vancouver, the meaning of all my Mottoes was revealed to me, and their connection with the whole of my Magical career. I discovered how V.I.O.O.I.V. in full (as Unus in Omnibus Omnia in Uno) added to 777 though I had never known this before, owing to a mistake in the spelling made by F. when he first put in into Latin for me. This was my original Probationer's Motto. On becoming a Neophyte I had Chosen Achad = Unity, while my O.T.O. Name, which I afterwards used for the Second Order as 5=6 was Parzival, which contains the mystery of 8.80.418. which was one of the things which led to the thought that I might be the `child' mentioned in Liber Legis, afterwards proved in such a marvelous manner, of which see accounts in the Diary of Nemo, and that of a Magus. Then correspondence began between myself and Therion, and He admitted my 8=3 Grade, but would not consider the possibility of the Path of Aleph, 10=1 etc. explaining my taking 1=10 again as my being `Cast out into Malkuth', although, as a matter of fact, I made no claim except to Neophyte. He also realized that this must be the `child' prophesied unto him in Liber Legis, and claimed me as His Son. About this time I changed the order of my Motto to O.I.V.V.I.O. which, note, is another sort of reversal, and this mystery of things reversing or reflecting, or being taken out of their usual dimension and replaced in another order, seems to be part of the Key of Things in Themselves as will be shown later, although I understood it not at the time. Nothing much happened to me, except that I was granted Light on certain Mystery in the Letters A.A., until December 16th 1917 E.V. (18 months later). Then on Dec. 21st I realized that the Initiation was again going on with great force, but this time the character was very different, and seemed to have to do with the Mystery of the Elements, Planets, and Paths, whereas the former one dealt with the Sephiroth more particularly. I must remark that this Initiation had an actual effect on the Elements, causing storms etc., and that these had to be balanced and equilibrated, which was done. All the time this was going on. The one sentence which continually recurred, was "The Air is His Balance." This seemed to be the Key note which saved me from destruction many times. Later, it appeared that I united the Paths of Aleph and Shin, Aethyr and Fire, as a final Equilibra- tion, and the Tree was completely changed again, so that it had to be re- formulated, and eventually resolved into a Single Sphere. Later, came the drawing of all to a Single Point of Light (Hadith) in the Centre of Breast. And I was taken back to the Beginning of Things and discovered how in Truth there was No Beginning and No End. In particular I must mention how I was taken back to the beginning of Words, and I Parzival (the Fool or Zero) was the WORD and even that was disintegrated so that the final Mystery Was AL = GOD and then that too disappeared in LA = NOT. THEN came the Flash of a New Creation and again the Flash - the solution of the Mystery of CHANGE and also of the SELFLESSNESS which is SELF. I was also given a certain Magical gesture, not now clear to me, which seemed to cause this Annhilation and Reconstruction to be brought about. (Note. Oct. 19th. While typing these notes, another mystery becomes clear to me. In connection with Parzival and the fulfilment of that Motto also. The mind was actually running backwards at this time, as will be shown later on, and though possibly not quite perfectly til after the first Flash. Parzival, REVERSED and split into sections, would give AL or LA, followed by ZIV or VIZ which numeration is 106 = ATTAINED followed by PAR or RAP = CROWN, and ASHES, and these ideas (innate in the Word) exactly correspond with what actually occurred.) Now let me say no more of this matter, but pass on. In March 1918 I sold all that I had in order to join Therion in New York. Quite recently I was impressed to resign from the O.T.O. and to withdraw my help in that direction, and having done so, I felt a wonderful calm, and a realization of entering into the Tao. It was only then that I began to seriously consider if I had passes him on the Path and Attained 10=1. Also the question arose as to whether He might not think so also. Yesterday, I had a long talk with Him, because He had raised the point that in going back over past lives he had discovered that each new life was an added veil of the True Self or Star and therefore the Star was to be found by going back to the Beginning. This seemed a new idea to Him, but I could not help thinking of my experience and how I had actually done this, and got there and become One with the Final Mystery in December 1917. And yesterday, when I talked with him, he seemed on his guard, so that when I asked him about the Mystery of Change, he referred me to the fact - as he says - that in my Grade of 8=3 I should constantly apply myself to the Mystery of Sorrow. Then I suddenly asked him what he thought of the Number 31, and where it should be placed on the Tree of Life. He said This Number has to do with the identity of Nothing with the Trinity, and if anything refers to the Ain, or perhaps to Kether, but certainly to no lower Sephira. Then I thanked him, and said no more. To-day I decided to write these notes and also to consider of this Number 31 and of the Word which comes therefrom, whether It be the True Key of the Grade 10=1, the Mystery of which IS that Selflessness IS Self, in the same way that in 9=2 Change IS Stablilty, and in 8=3 Sorrow IS Joy. Now I seem to be able to comprehend all these Mysteries, by means of That which I obtained in my Initiation to my Grade. But listen unto the Final Mystery which has been granted unto me O.I.V.V.I.O. The Great Magician denies me saying I am NOT (I.A.) or NEMO 8=3 and in this He fulfilleth His Office of cutting off the Understanding from the Crown which is GOD (AL). In this very thing He is the Incarnation of the Mystery of Change. AL (Kether) is reflected into Chochmah as LA and the Magus looketh upon the Crown along the Path of Aleph which is Zero and perceiveth IT Not. The Magister Templi Understands, for the Word of Chochmah LA is truly reflected into Binah as AL and therefore the Magus appeareth to Him as GOD, whereas the Crown (the true AL) is reflected through the Path of Beth as LA and He seeth Nothing in that direction be- cause of the Lies of the Great Illusion of Maya the magician, but He striveth by Daleth to the Magus, Who is the Great Deceiver. Thus it is that Above the Abyss a thing is only true insofar as it IS its own oÿposite. This is the final and complete Understanding of this Mystery of the Grades given to me NOW (2.38 P.M.) for never before have I seen things thus. And now I see how the Mystery of 93 is complete and perfect for Kether is 31 and Chochmah is 31 and Binah is 31 which is 93 the Numeration of Thelema, Aiwaz, The Word of the Neoÿhyte, Agapae, etc. And this is the Mystery of the Three Persons in One God of which it is written. And this is the Mystery concealed in the Word ALLAH for it hath for sound AL-LA which is GOD (Kether) and the Mystery of which is that SELF (God) is also SELFLESSNESS which is LA (Not) and for numeration 31 The Three is One which IS None, and the reverse of this Number is 13 which is UNITY and LOVE. Now this Unity becometh Two in order that it may be expressed, and therefore is the Word of Chochmah AL-LA of which Mahomet spake both truly and falsely, for He too, being a Magus 9=2 must utter Truth, in order that the falsehood thereof should enslave the soul. He said, "ALLA (Allah) is God and Mahomet is His Prophet" and even though he cried continually "He is God, there is no other God than He" yet in certain sense he postulated Duality in the Unity. And of this it is also written in Liber 65 "And Adonai thus spake unto V.V.V.V.V. saying, "There must ever be division in the Word. For the colours are many but the Light in One." And this meaneth that Kether, the Light is One and Chochmah the word is two, also it is Grey, and a mixture of colours. Now note: "Be not content with the image I who am the Image of an Image say this." For V.V.V.V.V. was 8=3 (Binah) and Adonai (Kether) said be not content with the image (Chochmah) the reflection of Kether. I who am the Image of an Image (the Reality) say this. Then in Verse 9 "One mounteth unto the Crown" etc. Notice the reversal here as if to give a hint of the Truth how that 10=1 IS 1=10. Also note how V.I.O.O.I.V. performed this descending from 10=1 to 1=10, from 31 to 13 (The numeration of his Neoÿhyte's Motto) and also was caused to reverse his first motto to O.I.V.V.I.O., all unconscious, at the time, in his lower mind of the Mystery of this Grade. Note how the Fool (Aleph) hath said in his heart There is No-God (LA;AL) and how this puzzles the Magus who receiveth the Ray from the Crown through this path. And how He in turn confoundeth the Understanding (Binah) from the Path of Beth. Now regarding The Book of the Law, how it is written, "the child of his bowels he shall behold them" (viz: the mysteries hidden therein). It would seem that he is beginning to behold them. For firstly the mystery of 93 is clear and this Mystery of the Aeon, proclaimed in the Word of the Beast OPHION. Now it said in Ch.I, v 46: "Nothing is a secret key of this law; sixty-one the Jews call it, I call it eight, eighty, four-hundred and eighteen." Now Parzival is 8.80.418, and as The Fool or Aleph is both Zero and One. 61 is the Word Ain = Nothing and equivalent to NOT. If 61 is one half and 1 (Aleph) the other, we get 62 which is twice 31 and LA: AL in which ALL (Note three letters LAL) disappear in the Final Mystery of Kether. Also we have considered the threefold aspect as 93, and this may have to do with AAA and LLL, Light, Life, Love and Liberty of His Law. All this seems to be reversed in the case of NEMO in the City of the Pyramids. For Light He has Darkness, for Life, Death, and Love with its Dual Mystery seems to be the only Path open to Him, and this is really a deception ending in the curse of 9=2. There is also a mystery in the words of Ra-Hoor-Khuit "There is division hither homeward, there is a word not known." This attracted my attention when I seemed at odds with Therion. The Word not known, seems to have come to me. It seems to me that this is the opening up to me of the Grade of Ipsissimus and that as such I am the Crowned Child whom thou knewest not, O Therion. It is just 27 months since June 21, 1916, or 3 x 9; it was 18 months from June 21 to Dec 21, 1917, or 2 by 9. Then I got the Word in its dual aspect, now I get It in Its three-fold in One aspect. Note 31 multiplication = 3, by addition 4 (Tetragrammaton) by division .3, which suggests that the Division of God produced 333. September 24th 1918 E.V. - AN XIV Sol in Libra. The record of the reflections in the mind of O.I.V.V.I.O. I know not what I am, and since AHIH is above and beyond knowledge, what matter. There must ever be division in the Word, also One must descend into the plane o f Reason, in order to be understood on that plane; therefore must I now limit myself in order to be able to write at all. It does seem that AN XIV, Sol in 1 Deg Libra marks another stage of the Great Initiation, for that time much that had hitherto remained locked in my Being descended into my Understanding and became sufficiently clear to record, but, be it understood, the actual experience of which I write, which is summed up in the Word of my Grade, took place in December 1917. I do not, even now, rashly wish to assume that I Attained unto the Grade of Ipsissimus, for I realize that anything I write regarding the Qabalistic Proof thereof, can only show that I Understand the formula of the Grade, and Understanding is referred to 8=3, and appertains to the Grade of Master of the Temple, which Office is admitted unto me by _ÿHION 9=2. Also, I understand that it may be that One may in a way Attain unofficially without of necessity holding office in any particular Grade. I make no claim to 9=2 for OPHION claims that and I have no wish to dispute his right to it, anymore than he apparently wishes to dispute my right to 8=3, but with 10=1 it is different. There is NO-One living in the flesh, as far as I know, Who claims the Grade, and Whosoever does so it is a matter which concerneth God alone. It has been written, by the highest living authority I know of, that the Key of the Mystery of this Grade is that therein Selflessness is Self, and what little I am able to comprehend of this, the Final Mystery, I shall here record, for it may be that this writing shall be of help and guidance to Whosoever shall next enter into that Great Crown, whose lesser self shall become completely at One with the Godhead. It would seem to me that no living being, clothed with the body of flesh, could claim fully to have attained that Grade, other than in the words of Jesus the Christ "I and my Father are One," for, in the words of Lao Tze The Name that can be named is not the True Name, and of Ko, "I do not know its Name, but I make an effort and call it the Tao." Also Ko says, of the Possessor of the Tao, "Although he is styled the possessor of the Tao, in reality he does not think that he has become possessed of anything. It is as accomplished the transformation of all living things, that he is styled the Possessor of the Tao." "He who is able to understand this may transmit to others the Sacred Tao." Who shall claim that he is able to accomplish the transformation of all living things? Except it be understood that all things exist only by virtue of their being in the mind of the Seer, and if the complete transformation of the mind be accomplished, so that the Mystery of the Path of the Godhead is seen therein, and becometh plain, even unto his Understanding, who shall say that he has not accomplished this? First, then, regarding the experience of that Being we call O.I.V.V.I.O. There arose is his consciousness, a state unlike the normal and which, be description might appear very like madness (Path of Aleph IS Madness), since Reason was destroyed and transcended. The Air became His Balance. The structure of his mind, which hitherto had been built up on Qabalistic lines, was changed and the House of God, was, as it were, destroyed by the Lightning Flash. (opening of the Eye of Shiva.) At this time he walked, talked, and performed all physical actions in a normal way, but all that took place, wherever he went, whatever he said or heard, tasted or smelt had value according to his mental state. That is to say, he perceived the actions of all around him in a different light from usual, so that although peoÿle may have been acting quite normally, and although he may have appeared to them as a normal being, or nearly so, Life in all forms became a Great Drama of Initiation, and as he continued to work out the great Qabalistic problems of the Universe, he found all that he saw or did, woven into that Picture in his Mind. Then came a time when everything had to be balanced and equilibrated, for it is written "Equilibrium is the Basis of the Work" and he found that although at that time all around (within) him was a Chaos, yet certain formulas of Power were His so that gradually, and with great toil he accomplished this, establishing the Elements and the Planets in their proper places (Upon New Aeon Lines) and finally Uniting Aleph with Shin, so that all disappeared. Then, it seemed, he was insructed in the Building of a New Universe and this was not a simple scheme, but took place at two or more different points (in space) at once so that he, as it were, added a square there and a sphere here. It was as if the beginning of a Temple was builded (four- square) and at the same time certain Mysteries of Babalon were present to his consciousness, also in another place Was the Kether of a New Tree formulated and then the Supernal Triad, with a Sphere Pendant , which afterwards became Complete in Itself and comprehended All in One. Yet all this while was the Being of O.I.V.V.I.O. being rebuilded from the Feet Up, so that His Feet were of burnished Brass etc. and his body was Filled with Fire. And all these things were seperate, yet one, and all this while the body of O.I.V.V.I.O. was seated on the Stele of Revealing in the Smoke Room of an ordinary steamer plying between Vancouver and Victoria, yet such had been his experiences, that he could no longer tell if it were above or below water, whether those around him were the living or of the dead. And again, there was, as it were, a Great reflection of the Stele in the Sky and this again was produced from a small Stele under Ice (as it were in locked glass) below him. And yet, in all this The Air was His Balance, and he went on calmly working out the details of the reformula- tion of all things on the New Lines of this Aeon, copying the Stele, and forming it first of one element, and then of another, and bringing all to a fluid, then to a gas, and finally to fire and Aethyr as before said. And when all had become a concentric System, this seemed to terminate one part of the Initiation. (Note. I have enlarged this entry in copying from diary.) We must now consider him as going about with his mind transformed into a Solar Consciousness. This lasted all day during which he underwent many adventures, and seemed to perform much Magick; but on that evening the process continued, under extraordinary circumstances, to be recorded elsewhere, but be it said that he was in a place which appeared to him like unto a Temple of Initiation especially prepared in every detail for the Ceremony, and around him were the Officers exactly carrying out their Appointed parts. Yet was he unwittingly in prison surrounded by the scum of the earth. Of which mystery He has written: When, having become free, thou findest thyself in prison, yet knowest
it not. Then, it may be, thou hast comprehended wherein Sorrow is Joy, and Change is Stability, and Selflessness is Self. But, to continue. During this final section the Solar Sphere of his Consciousness became more and more concentrated until it appeared as a single point of Light of intense brilliance, yet without him, now here, now there, yet ever nearer and nearer to the Centre of the New Universe. The process of exact balancing of all things (exterior things, not only things within him) appeared to have got down to a very small radius. And those about him, who appeared as the past Buddhas, helped in this final process. For let us imagine that the Universal Centre was to be changed to that one spot. That little room was the Centre of a New Universe and for thousands of years had those Ancient Brethren toiled and striven to equilibrate things perfectly in readiness for this moment. And now all was prepared, and it needed only this One, Parzival, to complete Their number, and He was Zero, and his Office was Silence, even as the God Harpocrates. The slightest slip, and the Equilibrium would be upset and the Earth fall into the Sun. Success, and the Earth itself became a Sun, by the fact of a perfectly equilibrated Solar Consciousness having been established there- in, at this new Centre. Those around him seemed to take up different positions in the room so as to keep the balance by the weight of their bodies, and finally O.I.V.V.I.O. was to take his seat in the exact Centre of the Room, and then if all were well, Success. If not? Nearer and nearer they came to the Centre. At last, O.I.V.V.I.O., His whole Being aflame with the ecstacy of the God-head, yet calm and composed to outward appearance, took his seat. And all was well. Next, it seemed even minute actions must be equilibrated. Those around, who had each performed a certain task through-out the Centuries, performed it for the last Time, perfectly. Frater O.I.V.V.I.O. sat Still, for His Office was Silence and Stillness. Again, all was well. But speech remained. Each had His own Word to utter perfectly and in proper Order, and in this they tried over and over again. Gradually even this was perfected and one by one they dropped out and remained in tense expectance of the End. And Frater O.I.V.V.I.O. remained there, still and silent, till at last all seemed perfect even on the mental plane, for suddenly the English language seemed to rush back to the beginning, and reversed as Hebrew which is written the other way, and this was a great mystery. Then came the equilibrating of ideas, and they rushed backwards and formulated them- selves in the person of ADAM who appeared in the room opposite to O.I.V.V.I.O. Then the first man, and the last gazed at each other, as it were, in a final struggle. And the minute Point of Light grew ever brighter and more dazzling, and appeared concentrated upon this figure of Adam, first on the shoulder and then, moving a little, until finally settled in one eye. At this point, Frater O.I.V.V.I.O. gazed, and then all rushed back again, through the animal creation, each animal dissolving into its earlier type, until at last, as the prototype, appeared the common fly, only very large, perhaps six inches long. Then things stpped, for a moment, as Frater O.I.V.V.I.O. gazed at this; then it became the Winged beetle, then the scarabe, and Egyptian ideas crowded up. Then, Only the Point of Light. Gradually he was able to bring this point nearer and nearer, until finally it neared his breast. It touched his breast. It was in his breast, and .....Suddenly A NEW CREATION. He had reached the BEGINNING and out of the old elements he had witnesses on his return to the Source, was formed a new design, the same material, but in a different Order. Wonder of Wonders. Who shall express this Mystery in Words. And this happened again and again. English, Hebrew, Greek, Egyptian, Man, beast and bird, were rearranged and RE-Created in new relationship to each other. And so He understood the Mystery of Change, and how the World is Created again and again, forever new, yet forever the same. And the last Word he realized, which when repeated, in a certain way, seemed to bring about these changes again and again, as it were, alternating between Nothingness and Creation, was AL, and there was a certain gesture, not unlike the sign of the Cross, which was connected with this miracle. Now all this, and more, has remained sealed up in my mind so that I could not express the smallest part of it in writing until now--though there are those who I have told it to in part--and it was not until I began to question of this Most Holy Word that all this became clear to me. Therefore, let me now discourse for a moment, in the light of perspective, on this Holy Name. There was no self THEN, and yet all was SELF when I Parzival pronounced this Word and the Universe was destroyed, and reformed. And at that time it did seem that He accomplished the transformation of all living things, and as having done such He may be styled Possessor of the Tao, and now he does not know that he has become possessed of anything. As it is written: Of all this the Ipsissimus knoweth nothing. Immediately I cease telling of actual experience the Path becomes hard again, but I will try. The Qabalists say that in the Beginning was NOT, and they called it Ain. They also say the veils of the Negative depend back from Kether. Now LA is NOT, and I think this Word in its True aspect is the Supreme Mystery of the Godhead. NOT (LA) concentrated upon itself till it became a Point of Light and flashed forth as AL-GOD, Kether then is the perfectly equilibrated juncture of the Not and God, which in this Word are ONE. This caused the Lightning-flash which formulated the Tree of Life, and the numeration of the Paths of which is 777. And the numeration of this Word is 31 and it contains the Mystery of the 3 in 1. (See Book 777 Col XXXVI Line 1, which confirms this.) Now see Book 777 LXXXIV Lines 1,2,3, which attributes (although I knew nothing of this at the time) to Briah the Creative World of the Divine Name AL in the First Three Sephiroth. Now consider how 31 by 3 is 93. The numeration of Thelema etc. also of 1=10 Grade, as before mentioned. Now it seems (and here I shall repeat parts of what I have previously said in order to express the matter more fully) that Kether in Its aspect as Not and God, is reflected into Chochmah, and this passes along the Path of Aleph or Folly. And the Fool hath said in his heart There is NO-GOD (LA-AL) so that the Magus becometh the Word, and as it were, the creator of the Universe for in Him is Folly reflected as Wisdom. And Kether is reflected into Binah as LA, so that NEMO sitteth in Darkness in the City of the Pyramids by the Great Sea. And this is transmitted to Binah by the Path of the Great Magician--Beth--who is the Father of Lies. Notice that the Flaming Sword does not touch that Path, for the Wisdom of the Magus became at the lowest depth, the cunning of the Serpent, and He crawled up the Tree again by the paths, and being Dual he created opposite paths, thus producing Balance, and at the same time fixing the Tree and Creation, therefore it is that the Light appears NOT to NEMO. Whereas there is a real current from Kether to the Magus and from the Magus to Nemo. And the Word reflecteth from Chochmah into Binah as AL, which is partly false and partly True. Then the Light of the Supernal reflecteth, or rather crosses the Abyss as a spark, into Chesed Jupiter, the Father, and here again see 777 Col V Line 4 which attributes the God name of this sphere in Assiah as AL. Therefore is it written that this is the Sphere all manner of men call The First (See Konx OM Pax). Note also that this Word is attributed to the Path of Mem, which is the Hanged Man, or Redeemer, who shall re-establish the true order of things, and in this symbol he is shown with his head downwards, or reversed. And Mem = Water, suggests the Great Sea, and the reflection of the True Name therein. Note also how simple all this is, and how the highest Word is also one of the most common, for it is tacked on to every Angel and Archangel, to imply their connection with the true God. Also note St. John, how he says "In the Beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was GOD" (AL). Note also how the 31st Path is called Perpetual Intelligence and how this Path has always been pointed to as having to do with the ultimate mystery. It may be that the numeration was intended to point the way from the beginning of the Journey. Another thing which strikes me, is that Aleph is the OX and the only letter which seems to have a meaning definitely connected with it is Lamed the OX-goad. Here again seems to be a hint of the secret to the discerning one. September 25th 1918 E.V. Last night, before sleeping, I discovered, or rather remembered for I had noticed the fact in December last, that AL is the silent-sound of the indrawn breath through the nose with mouth closed, and LA that of the outgoing breath. This is a further proof of the Nature of the Holy Word which is Before the spoken Word. Note the similarity with that of Neophyte. Also it means this, that one cannot help repeating the Most Sacred Name of God whenever one is Silent; so that every man and women has been doing this from birth. September 26th 1918 E.V. I have been making further considerations of this Holy Mystery of the Silent Breath and it is very wonderful to think how whenever one breathes silently, one is pronouncing that True and Ineffable Name. Every living creature, is then by reason of their Nature worshipping the True God, whatever their opinion may be. Also note that neither Wisdom nor Understanding is essential to this. It IS and as long as we live we must perform this operation at least during sleep. And it is written: "He giveth Himself unto His Beloved in sleep." Septemver 30th 1918 E.V. I have to-day finished a design for a Symbol to express as well as I can the results of my Initiation of Dec 21 1917 as explained in my further Enlightenment of Sep 22 1918. It is intended to represent Kether with the Supernal Triad radiating therefrom. This forms AL and LA, also A.A. and IAO and O.I.V. Also the Centre of Circle is Hadith and the Circle Nuit. The Circle can be taken to represent LA etc. The Angle is 120 degrees or One third of a Circle. The Shape bounded at top by Circle and below by Our Lady Nuit for her pantacle etc. Have ordered it to be made in White Gold on One inch base. Monday to Tuesday October 7th and 8th Have been working on the theory that the Holy Word revealed to O.I.V.V.I.O. in its inmost aspect is also the Key of the Mysteries of the Book of the Law. Let us consider in what ways this may be so. My experience showed me that Hadith was Kether, and Nuit appears to be very similar to The Veil of the Negative which the Qabalists speak of. 777 seems to confirm this, for Hadit is attributed to Line One and Nuit to 0; also same idea is symbolized in that which was granted to me when I made the Pantacle of Nuit. I think the idea we should try to formulate, is very much that of the Qabalists, though the real meaning, is, I am convinced, a matter of experience. First was Nothing, and this may be called LA while it is considered as expanding into Limitless Space (Ain Soph) and becoming Limitless Light, perhaps. The Beginning of things was caused by a simple change of conception, as it were a "looking inwards" instead of outwards, and a corresponding change from LA to AL. I think the difference in the way the English and Hebrew Alphabets are written, is a good symbol of this, the direction is different, so that the two letters might stand for either LA or AL according to the manner in which we look upon them. The great value of this Word lies in the fact that the self-same symbol contains the ideas of Nothing and Something, without any change in itself, and this seems to be the one Symbol that gets over the difficult transi- tion from NOT to ONE. Of course it was not even a Word in the beginning, but the Silent Breath, Expansion and Contraction, and the true theory of the Universe is that it was created by the First Breath of the Tao, or Nuit. We find this confirmed in Liber Legis Ch. 1 Verse 28. "None breathed the light faint and faery of the stars and two." Here we have the idea of the first breath of Not (LA) the Limitless Light, which concentrates upon Kether which is ONE or Hadith, or AL and gives the first faint idea of duality which shows forth in the Word later-but which being composed of the ideas Nothing and One is really One. Now Hadit is really unextended, and can only be imagined as the Minute Point of Light at that Point where LA changes into AL, for he is the Secret Centre. In order to get a somewhat clearer idea we must consider Nuit as dual, viz: LALA, when AL shows up as that Centre. In this case it is strange and worth noting that we have a word with the sound Laylah or Night, and I don't think the spelling matters for see Ch. III, "spelling is defunct." It is the sound that matters. I cannot help thinking ALLA in the same way produced and was concealed in Allah. we are told in Ch. I, V.9 to worship the Khabs (the house of Hadit) and behold my (Nuit's) light shed over you, because Khabs is the Central Point of Light, and we thus perform an act similar to that which made Creation manifest, rather than Not. Ch. I v 21. With the God and the Adorer I am nothing, they do not see me. They are upon the earth. I am Heaven and there is no other God than me and my lord Hadit. Now if Hadit = AL = God, then with Him is Nuit (LA) nothing. Also this is so with the Adorer unless he concentrates on Hadit as the Centre as instructed. Yet is also true that "there is no other God than me and my lord Hadit" for looked at one way the God is Nuit and the other Hadit. Ch. I. v 22. Clearly tells us that Nuit has a secret name. This I take to be LA (or possibly LALA). Also it is written in this verse "Bind nothing" and besides its obvious sense, this may be an expression of the binding of Nothing by concentration on a point. This Word binds nothing, as it causes the transition from Nothing to God. Ch. I v 29.30 It will be seen that there really is no division. Ch. I v 35. Note "threefold" Book of Law. [A] Ch. I v. 40. Note "Three grades." (Since making this note, I have had an opportunity of looking at the Equinox for a moment, and discovered that in Vol. 7, Comment. The Tarot Keys of the three Grades add to 31, which I consider a further proof. I may remark that I have been placed where I have no books but the V.S.L. for reference, and am therefore writing all these notes entirely from memory of my experience, which seems to make certain things clearer from day to day, as I apply my attention to different aspects of the work.) Ch. I, v 45. The Perfect and the Perfect are one Perfect and not two, nay are none. Here I think Nuit and Hadit are referred to as the Perfect, for this is claimed by Hadit, see Ch II, v 15. If Nuit be considered as LA and Hadit as AL, this is at once clear for they are One and yet None. Ch. I, v 46. Nothing is a secret key of this Law, sixty one the Jews call it. I call it eight, eighty, fourhundred and eighteen. (I made a partial explanation of this in diary, but since I got a clearer and fuller one on Oct 21, I insert same here in its proper place.) To-day I have made another attempt at the Qabalistic explanation of the verse. It is getting clearer. At the time of Initiation, it will be remembered O.I.V.V.I.O. identifies himself entirely with Parzival through- out. [B] For he says he found the Word, and the Word was Parzival. (There is of course a very definite connection between Parzival and Abrahadabra, the Word of the Aeon, through 418. And it is said that Abrahadabra shall be His child and that strangely) And Parzival having Eight letters, and Initial value 80 and total numeration of 418 is therefore connected with this verse. It was through this Name that he came upon the Mystery of AL and LA which is finally summed up in A, (as will be shown later.) Let us take this verse again; Nothing (LA) is a secret key of this Law. 61 (Ain) the Jews called it, I call it 80.80.418 (Parzival, The Fool, Aleph, One). Therefore 61 plus 1 = 62. But they have (also) the half 31 = AL (and they have Not (LA) the other half) and twice 31 is 62. Therefore ALLA = 62 which is 6 plus 2 = 8 = Cheth = 418 = Parzival = Fool = Aleph = One (or None) and thus all disappears in One. Also since ALLA becomes A, ALL has disappeared. Again it is written The Fool hath said in his heart There is NO-GOD = LA AL which again indicates the secret and I think LA AL in this form is the secret name or word of Ra HOOR Khuit. See Ch. III, v 49. I am a secret fourfold word, the blasphemy against all the gods of men. Also, whereas Nuit and Hadit are ever united the division becomes manifest in R.H.K. For he says in Ch. III, v 2. There is division hither homeward, there is a word not known. (Can there be any connection here with "She shall be known and I never?) Spelling is defunct, all is not aught. Not: AUGHT, may indicate the nature of the All LA, Not AL aught. Verse 48. Note the OX or Aleph and the Fool or O, seems to indicate the explanation given above, also points to the idea that the key is something which itself combines these ideas. Ch. I, v 51. Mentions the 4 Gates, and this is the mystery of the path of Aleph again, and the fourfold name R.H.K. One can enter these in turn or at once, if he understands the trick of combinations. Ch. I. v 52. "If this be not aright, if ye confound the space marks saying: They are one, or saying, They are many" etc. There should be no space-marks, except on the plane of reason. When the experience of this mystery is granted, it will be seen how there are none, for the whole thing is a continuous process, even as Nuit is continuous. Ch. I, v 55. He has beheld some of them I think, as is proved by this writing. Ch. I, v 56. Indicates that there are two halves of the equation, even as there are two aspects of this Word. Ch. I, v 57. ?House of God = Beth-EL = Path of Beth? Ch. II, v 2. "I, Hadit am the complement of Nuit my bride". This indicates they are really One or None, and I think the Word clears this up. Verse 7. "Come unto me" is a foolish word; for it is I that go". "Come unto me" is the call of Nuit. When Hadit (AL) considers Nuit (LA) or "lifts up his head" He becomes Not therefore He goes. Ch II, v 14. "Now let there be a veiling of this shrine; now let the light devour men and eat them up with blindness" Verse 15. "For I am perfect being Not and my number is nine by the fools, but with the just I am eight and one in eight which is vital, for I am none indeed." Hadit here clearly says he is Not, or BEING-NOT (a combination of Nuit and Hadit as the Perfect and Perfect, which, be it remembered are One, nay None.) We have considered His particular aspect as AL rather than LA, but the previous verse indicates a blind. He is the shrine veiled by Not, for AL is the manifestation of LA, and LA is the hiding of AL (See first verse of Chapters I and II). He is Eight with the just because they consider the balance of things and so consider him as AL-LA which again gives 62 = 8 = Cheth = 418 = Fool = Aleph = None as explained before in answer to the riddle of Nuit. This shows he is One (Aleph) in eight, and also None, quite clearly. Now comes the striking indication of an underlying formula in this Book, which can be read in two ways, and the very same Word is used to express this, only in the English instead of the Hebrew, which of course throws one off the scent of the mystery. Ch. II, v 19. "Is a God to live in a dog? No. But the highest are of us." Now in English, God is Dog if reversed, but the Hebrew for God is AL which reversed gives LA which is Not. One can hardly get away from the hint of the true nature of the Key, once it is pointed out, especially since it is followed by the negative No. (another translation of LA) and a statement that the highest or those who comprehend this mystery. "are of us". Ch. II, v 23. I am alone; there is no God where I am. I am AL-ONE, there is LA-AL where I am, viz: He is both one with Nuit and Ra-Hoor-Khuit. Ch. II, v 26. I am the secret serpent (Wisdom of the Word) coiled about to spring. If I lift up my head I and my Nuit are one. If I droop down my head and shoot forth venom, there is rapture of the earth, and I and the earth are one. Gives another proof of the peculiar dual aspect of the Word. It will be noticed that Nuit has said that the God and the Adorer are upon the Earth. As God, Hadit is one with the Earth, as NOT, he is one with Nuit. Also Hadit is called Her secret centre and the world, her heart and her tongue, the House or Home of Hadit, makes the spoken Word possible. Verse 27. There is great danger in reasoning over this Mystery, it must be realized. Verse 32. All their words are skew-wise, viz: they do not partake of the true peculiar nature of the True Word which is equally balanced and can be read either backwards or forwards. Verse 33. "Damned for a dog", the reverse of God in its wrong aspect. Verse 76. I don't make this out yet, but it seems to indicate that it will not come till later, after the Prophet's time. Anyway AL appears twice among the letters. Ch. III, v 2. This was commented upon before. This whole chapter appears to me to be quite a different character to the former ones. R-H-K is the Word as the offspring of Hadit and Nuit. Verse 35. The half of the word of Heru-ra-ha probably indicates some mystery in this division as indicated in Verse 2. I think thus far he has been LA, for in Verse 35 we have him worshipped as AL or God. (Unity- uttermost-might of breath) Verse 47. Note according to this theory the importance of the letters and their positions to one another. Also the statement that one shall discover the key of it all. (By the way, V. 39 makes a statement "In it is the word secret and not only in the English". I think this may mean that the Word AL does not appear at all, and NOT only appears in the English instead of Hebrew) [C] I think Verse 48 terminates the AL section, and Verse 49 mentions the Fourfold word, which I have taken to be LA AL. Verse 71 may indicate AL as Chochmah and LA as Binah and the solution of the Mystery in Kether Hadit. Verse 74 may indicate that the splendour in His name hidden and glorious is the two centre letters A.A. The Silver Star. Note, according to Blavatsky AL is the Sun or Phallus. Friday, 11th October 1918 E.V. I spent last evening with Therion; during our conversation, he said that he thought Nuit and Hadit were best expressed as Matter and Motion. He also said that all things must be considered as Zero or Two, as if One were arrived at "there was no getting away from it." I pointed out that there must be some formula combining Zero and One, or the Tree of Life could never have been conceived of and formulated. He admitted this but said that so far he had failed to find such. When I got to bed, I could not sleep, and a number of other things connected with this mystery came to me. One was, the significant fact that when A.C. first got into touch with the Brothers of A.A. (See Vision and Voice, I have not any books here, so cannot quote), the Pass word was "There is No-God." This seems to confirm this Word, as the central secret of A.ù.A.ù. Who also gave out the New Law. I also notice that NU reversed is UN or One. Likewise with the addition of IT Nuit is Unit. Then I remembered that in Equinox V (I think) AL is clearly defined as the Ox and the Goad, also as MATTER and MOTION, and I cannot see how A.C. could have missed this connection with Nuit and Hadit, since it is undoubtedly the true formula of his present conception of Their nature. Then I noticed another very important thing. I was wondering why A and L should be chosen, or rather why L, the 12th letter of the Hebrew alphabet should follow A, the first. But this is not actually the case for AL is the first sound in the pronunciation of Aleph the First letter of the Hebrew alphabet (as it is also of Alpha) and the addition of Pe shows the mouth as necessary to the spoken word, though in Kether, it was but a silent breath through the nose. (Notice Kether is called "Long of nose", also the Image is on a Face seen in profile, viz: only one aspect of the word can be comsidered at a time in the reasoning mind). It is strange also how L is pronounced LA-med, this showing the duality as soon as it is taken into consideration as a seperate letter. Thus is AL, in very truth the first possible sound, and notice that when one pronounces it aloud, the tongue is raised and placed against the teeth, but as soon as it is released, LA is automatically pronounced by a slightly indrawn breath. In the Silent breath of the Beginning this is reversed, AL is the underlying sound of the indrawn breath and LA that of the outgoing. Now notice how Hadit is spoken of as the tongue of Nuit and how when His head is raised etc. and lowered etc. Note also how in pronouncing the first letter Aleph, one's tongue must meet the teeth, and the tooth is Shin, the 31st path; also see how these paths were welded in the Initiation of O.I.V.V.I.O. Note. LA LA may stand for NOT NOT, or "something"; it also suggests 0 = 0 or 0 to the o degree. ALLA suggests 1 to the o degree LAAL suggests 0 to the 1st degree Nothing under its three forms. I also found, which seems to be of the greatest importance that the essence of Thelema is summed up in this Word. A is the pentagram, the Star of Will and L is Libra, Justice or the Law, while 31 backwards is 13 which is Love and Unity. [D] October 16th Another discovery. During the Initiation of Dec. 1917 the mind of O.I.V.V.I.O. must have actually reversed and run backwards (See Liber Thisharb) so that on reaching the beginning of the ideas underlying the Hebrew Alphabet he naturally arrived at the first letter ALP in its reverse order. He came therefore to P which accounts for the Flash (destroying the House of God or Beth EL) then in due sequence to LA or nothing. This again reversed, as stated, and he got AL followed by another flash P. Observe how all this is summed up in the One letter ALP which is One and None. Further, the process as described, produces the two A's thus indicating the inmost meaning of A.A. But now if we begin to take into consideration 2 letters, we find in the return process BA = To come or Go, which again reverses as AB, The Father. Analysing the complete process we get Th.I.P.B.L.A.A.L.B.I.Th. Th = The Tau Cross mentioned by O.I.V.V.I.O. as the sign
accompanying the process. Also, The Universe. Another discovery re PARZIVAL, (as already mentioned) that this Word reversed was what led me to the discovery of the Mystery of AL and finally to that of Aleph in which all is summed up. I also noticed to-day that the Three Grades of the Order may be summed up in the Letter Beth. For Beth is the Magician or the Lover, Yod is the Hermit and Th the Universe or Man of Earth. Again AL suggests, by shape, the Square and Compass very accurately, as used by Masons to Symbolise God. Now I feel that there is no more to be said on this matter at this time, therefore I may return to the Contemplation of this Mystery in Silence. STATEMENT OF THE AUTHOR I, CHARLES STANSFIELD JONES, (Frater Achad, etc.) of "Tall Timbers", Deep Cove, British Columbia, Canada, being the author of the accompanying manuscript entitled "Liber Thirty-One" (a part of my private magical diary, originally transcribed and typed with one carbon copy in November 1918, the single copy having been delivered to Aleister Crowley by mail early in September 1919 and since lost or destroyed) do now make the following statement: On March 4, 1948, I received from Gerald J. Yorke, Esq., of 5, Montaque Square, London, W.1., England, a letter which contained the following: "As you probably know A.C. had died. I am sorting his papers prior to their dispatch to America. Your Liber 31 has not survived amongst these papers, though there is a reference to it on page 127 of The Equinox of the Gods. Would you care to send me a coÿy, which on my death will go to the British Museum with my other Crowleyana. I think it important that one copy of your treatise 31 should exist in this country, as if it does so exist it will be available for anyone sufficiently interested in Liber Al to wish to see it." In response to this request, and for the purpose stated by Mr. Yorke, I have had prepared from the single original manuscript in my possession one further typescript and four carbon copies. The typescript which accompan- ies this statement has been personally checked by me and is a true copy (only one extra note having been added on the first page in reference to original date of delivery of ms.) Of the four extra carbon copies it is my intention to deliver one to Miss Grace R. Hallam of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and one to Dr. J.P. Kowal of 5821 Chene Street, Detroit 11, Michigan, U.S.A. so that there may be a record in these countries as well as in England. One of the remaining two copies will be attached to the original manuscript in my files, and the other kept in case of later publication or other need. Further copies are not be be made without my written permission. FOOTNOTES [A] Oct. 31st. "LAW" is LA (Nuit-Hadit) completed by W = {Vau Vau}, the Son RHK is His dual aspect as Horus-Harpocrates. Also Vau is the Hierophant "Hoor in His secret name and splendour is the Lord initiating." [B] Oct 31st 1918 E.V. Just before sleeping I had an impression that if I added up the total letters in my Mottoes they would = 31. I did so mentally and found UNUS IN OMNIBUS (= 13 = Achad) OMNIA IN UNO (= 10.ù.1 = 10) PARZIVAL = 8. 13 = 10 = 8 = 31. This is extraordinary becuase it was a kind of revelation. [C] I think this is one of the reasons why the Original in the writing of the Beast must always be included with any translation into other tongues. For there are mysteries in the English that would not work out if translated. [D] Ruler of {Libra} is {Venus} = Love. Love is the law, love under will. < |