Thelema Lodge
Ordo Templi Orientis
P.O.Box 2303
Berkeley, CA 94702 USA
May 1990 e.v. at Thelema Lodge
Announcements from
Lodge Members and Officers
| In the sanctum of the Cavern | |
| By a phantom altar, burning | |
| With desires mad and unhuman | |
| Know we but the fiery yearning | |
| Of our hearts that to each other | |
| Cling in fear and wracked devotion; | |
| In the red alembic bubbles | |
| Venom of a lethal potion. | |
| This to feed those who would part us | |
| This to those who cackle "Witch" | |
| This to clergyman and Bishop | |
| Bought with gold by robber rich. | |
| This to barons in their manors | |
| This to hangmen and the cell | |
| This to henchmen of the kingdom | |
| May the silent ghouls feed well. | |
| This to those who inquisition | |
| This to those who damn the free | |
| This to murderers patrician | |
| May they die in agony. | |
| This to merchant, prince and burgher | |
| This to Pope and gilded lord | |
| This to merceners who fatten | |
| On the profits of the sword. | |
| This be secret, dark, and eldritch | |
| This be weapon, charged with worth | |
| This to lift the curse of Mammon | |
| From the peoples of the Urth. | |
"... Each stage in the process was like the joy of a young eagle soaring from height to height in ever increasing sunlight as dawn breaks, foaming, over the purple hem of the garment of ocean, and, when the many coloured rays of rose and gold and green gathered themselves together and melted into the orbed glory of the sun, with a rapture that shook the soul with unimaginable ecstasy, that sphere of rushing light was recognized as a common-place idea, accepted unquestioningly and treated with drab indifference because it had so long been assimilated as a natural and necessary part of the order of Nature. At first I was shocked and disgusted to discover that a series of brilliant researches should culminate in a commonplace. But I soon understood that what I had done was to live over again the triumphant career of conquering humanity; that I had experienced in my own person the succession of winged victories that had been sealed by a treaty of peace whose clauses might be summed up in some such trite expression as "Beauty depends upon form".(See also Confessions p. 810 and ff; Liber Aleph generally in many of the passages citing the term "Star(s)"; and many passages in Vision and Voice.)It would be quite impracticable to go fully into the subject of this vision of the Star-Sponge, if only because its ramifications are omniform. It must suffice to reiterate that it has been the basis of most of my work for the last five years, and to remind the reader that the essential form of it is 'Nothingness with twinkles.'" --- From Crowley's new comment to Liber AL, Ch. I, v. 59.
" SEQUITUR DE HAC RE."
"I believe generally, on Ground both of Theory and Experience, so little as I have, that a Man must first be Initiate, and established in Our Law, before he may use this Method. For in it is an Implication of our Secret Enlightenment, concerning the Universe, how its Nature is utterly Perfection." --- from Liber Aleph, p. 181
"4. The fifty gates of Binah have been variously explained. They do not appear to be of any great importance; it is only their number which is significant. The reference is to Nun = 50 = Scorpio Atu XIII -- Death."--- from "Cry of 14 Aethyr", Vision & Voice, page 82, fn 4.
D
diagram of the ten Sephiroth in seven palaces
in this conjunction. That diagram (Equinox Vol I, No. 2, "Temple of Solomon the King", p.
272, Dia. 27) shows the distribution of the ten Sephiroth into seven palaces, and is a
representation of the exact moment of the opening of the fiftieth gate --- the crossing of
the Abyss. At that moment Malkut and Yesod merge and the upper three Sephiroth appear as
one, as Binah. Crowley was aware of this from direct experience, and noted seeing the
Supernals as one Sephira on first crossing the Abyss. Unlike his experience with the "Star
Sponge" vision, he apparently did not identify this with a pre-existing body of knowledge,
the tradition of the Fifty Gates of Understanding. Very Probably this oversight can be
blamed on the old Golden Dawn representations of these 7 palaces and the Beast of Revelations
in a Christian negative view. See Equinox Vol. I, No. 2, p. 275, Dia. 33 and p. 283, Dia.
51, where the Beast is associated with the palaces. Most of the speculation concerning it
has dealt with things like the seven hills of Rome, Christian heresies concerning "Satan",
Antichrist and the like. This Beast is a relic of gnostic and prechristian mysticism of
unknown antiquity. Revelations is itself a forgery, with the visions copied from
prechristian Merkabah sources. The Beast with 10 horns and 7 heads is a variant of the
serpent on the 32 paths of the Tree of Life and an alternative to the diagram of the seven
palaces.
| from Westcott's Sepher Yetzirah, 1911ev, 3rd Ed.
"The Fifty Gates of Intelligence." "Attached to some editions of the Sepher Yetzirah is found this scheme of Kabalistic classification of knowledge emanating from the Second Sephira Binah, Understanding, and descending by stages through the angels, heavens, humanity, animal and vegetable and mineral kingdoms to Hyle and the chaos. The Kabalists said that one must enter and pass up through the Gates to attain to the Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom; and that even Moses only passed through the forty-ninth Gate, and never entered the fiftieth. See the Oedipus AEgyptiacus of Athanasius Kircher, vol ii, p. 319." | from Iathanasii Kircheri OEdipi Aegyptiaci Tomi Secundi,
Vol. B(separate pagination from IIA), 1653ev
pp. 319-321. More information is found on pp. 316-318,
the entire section VI is titled "De quinquaginta portis
Intelligentiae". Kircher's Hebrew type setter tends
to misspell, and the Hebrew type renders some letters
too like to others. | |
| "First Order: Elementary." "1. Chaos, Hyle, the first matter. 2. Formless, void, lifeless. 3. The Abyss. 4. Origin of the Elements. 5. Earth (no seed germs). 6. Water. 7. Air. 8. Fire. 9. Differentiation of qualities. 10. Mixture and combination." | "Prima Classis. Elementorum primordiae. : " "Porta 1 & infima: Materia prima, Hyle, Chaos . | |
| "Second Order: Decad of Evolution." "11. Minerals differentiate. 12. Vegetable principles appear. 13. Seeds germinate in moisture. 14. Herbs and Trees. 15. Fructification in vegetable life. 16. Origin of low forms of animal life. 17. Insects and Reptiles appear. 18. Fishes, vertebrate life in the 19. Birds, vertebrate life in the air. 20. Quadrupeds, vertebrate earth |
"Classis Secunda. Mistorum Decas." "Porta 11 Mineralium, terra discooperta, apparitio. | |
| "Third Order: Decad of Humanity." "21. Appearance of Man. 22. Material human body. 23. Human soul conferred. 24. Mystery of Adam and Eve. 25. Complete Man as the Microcosm. 26. Gift of five human faces acting 27. Gift of five powers to the Soul. 28. Adam Kadmon, the Heavenly 29. Angelic beings. 30. Man in the image of God." | "Classis Tertia. Humanae Naturae Decas. : , , Mundus minor.""Porta 21 , Hominis productio, , Limus terrae damascenae , Spiraculum vitae anima, siue , Adami & Euae mysterium. , Homo omnia, microcosmus. , Quinque potentiae , Quinque potentiae , Homo Coelum. , Homo Angelus. , Homo Dei | |
| "Fourth Order: World of Spheres." "31. The Moon. 32. Mercury. 33. Venus. 34. Sol. 35. Mars. 36. Jupiter. 37. Saturn. 38. The Firmament. 39. The Primum Mobile. 40. The Empyrean Heaven." |
"Classis Quarta. Continet Coelorum Ordines, & vocantur ab Hebrais , id est, Mundus sphoerarum: qua sunt""Porta 31 , Coelum Lunae. , Coelum Mercurii. , Coelum Veneris. , Coelum Solis. (Hebrew corrected) , Coelum Martis. , Coelum Iouis. , Coelum Saturni. , Coelum firmamenti. , Coelum mobile. , Coelum Empyreum." | |
|
"Fifth Order: The Angelic World." "41. Ishim --- Sons of Fire. 42. Auphanim --- Cherabim. 43. Aralim --- Thrones. 44. Chashmalim --- Dominions. 45. Seraphim --- Virtues. 46. Malakim --- Powers. 47. Elohim --- Principalities. 48. Beni Elohim --- Angels. 49. Cherubim --- Archangels." |
"Classis Quinta. Nouem Angelorum Ordines continet, et vocatur , id est, Mundus Angelicus, ut sequitur""Porta 41 , Animalia sancta, Seraphini. , Ophanim, id est, Rotae, Cherubini. , Angeli magni fortes, Throni. , Haschemalim, id est, Dominationes. , Seraphim, id est, Virtutes. , Malachim, id est, Potestates. , Elohim, id est, Principatus. , Ben Elohim, id est, Archangeli. , Cherubin, id est, Angeli." | |
|
"Sixth Order: the Archetype." "50. God. Ain Suph. He Whom no mortal eye hath seen, and Who has been known to Jesus the Messiah alone." |
"Classis Sexta. , Deus immensus. , Mundus supramundanus & Archetypus.""Porta 50 Deus Optimus Maximus, quem mortalis homo non vidit, nec vllo mentis scrutinio penetrauit, estque quinquagesima porta, ad quam Moyses non pertigit." | |
| "Note. --- The Angels of the Fifth or Angelic World are arranged in very different order by various Kabalistic Rabbis." | --- The selection concludes with an assertion that only Jesus Christ penetrated the fiftieth gate; evidently an interpolation by Kircher. This was drawn up into the text of the gate by Westcott, obscuring the original. |

| 5/1/90 | Thelema Lodge Meeting 8 PM | Thelema Ldg | ||
| 5/2/90 | Enochian Chess Night, Feast at Sunset: B.Y.O.B. Star Ruby Seminar 9:30 PM w/Dave | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 5/5/90 | Beltaine-by-the Sea | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 5/6/90 | Gnostic Mass at Sunset | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 5/8/90 | Enochiana with Dave 7:30 PM Sigillum Dei Aemeth part VI CALL! MAY BE CANCELED | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 5/10/90 | "Signs, Grips, & Words" 8 PM Minerval to Vth. | ABRAHADABRA | ||
| 5/12/90 | Minerval & IIIrd Deg. initiations | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 5/13/90 | Gnostic Mass at Sunset | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 5/15/90 | Enochiana with Dave 7:30 PM Sigillum Dei Aemeth part VII CALL! MAY BE CANCELED | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 5/16/90 | Qabalah #10: 8 PM with Bill (end of series) | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 5/17/90 | Lodge of Perfection | LoP | ||
| 5/20/90 | Gnostic Mass at Sunset | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 5/22/90 | "An Overview of Enneagram Literature at the Lodge" with Michael 7:30 PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 5/24/90 | "Signs, Grips, & Words", # II, 8 PM | ABRAHADABRA | ||
| 5/26/90 | Ist & IInd Degree initiations | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 5/27/90 | Gemini Birthday party 4:18 PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
| 5/27/90 | Gnostic Mass at Sunset | Thelema Ldg. |
Thelema Lodge
Ordo Templi Orientis
P.O. Box 2303
Berkeley, CA 94702 USA
Phone: (510) 652-3171 (for events info and contact to Lodge)
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