Note to update: the addresses and phone numbers in these issues of the Thelema Lodge Calendars are obsolete since the closing of the Lodge. They are here for historic purposes only and should not be visited or called.
Thelema Lodge
Ordo Templi Orientis
P.O.Box 2303
Berkeley, CA 94702 USA
June 1992 e.v. at Thelema Lodge
Announcements from
Lodge Members and Officers
Here is a little-known letter from Grady McMurtry, Frater Hymenaeus Alpha (Grand Master of
O.T.O. after the Death of Frater to 7/12/85 e.v.). This letter to Aleister Crowley
discusses briefly Grady's documents of authorization to assume control of OTO in case of
emergency and various logistical problems of the day. One name of a living person has been
eclipsed for privacy.
1661 Sacramento St., Apt. 3 San Francisco, 9, Calif. 12 May 1946 | ||
Dear Aleister,
The Word of the Equinox has arrived along with the authorization to "take over" in case of emergency. Let us hope that it may not be necessary for me to use it. Yes, I mentioned to Karl when I came back from Europe that I thought that some one should go over (to) help you straighten yourself out when you are ready to come over here. At that time I saw no reason why I shouldn't be the one who did the traveling but there is no reason why Jack or Jane couldn't do the same. Regardless of who is to go I think it advisable that we start planning on it right away. My position at present is this, Foxie - that's my wife - is expecting to give birth to a new McMurtry in October. We had not planned him or her until after I finished school but things like that happen in the best of families. There are several points on the bright side, of course. For one thing it seems about time for some Thelemite to start having a family. Except for ..., who was outcast by Agape, no one down south has seen fit to do same. In the second place I have reason to believe that this child is the outcome of a ninth degree operation. If so we may have super-man on our hands one of these days. But all of this leads to a certain complication. In order to pay for Junior's arrival and support ourselves in the meantime I will have to go to work this summer and next fall or, if I come over to England, someone else will have to foot the bill. Then there is the matter of timing. have you set a definite date when you plan to leave the U.K.? And the matter of passports. I checked with the passport people here in San Francisco and they said that I would have to show cause why I wanted to go to England. Either I must be on business or, if I am to render assistance to another person, then I will have to have a doctor's certificate that such assistance is necessary. Papers, papers, papers! It is just like the Army, there they think that the world would stop turning if it didn't have paper to roll on. Perhaps you had better refer it all to Karl. Then if he thinks Jane, for instance, could do the job just as well as I could then he could see about getting her the certificate, the passport, etc. and so on. Here is a copy of "Space Tides", my latest effort in the line of poetry. Had hoped to make it longer but I had to cut it short as I wanted to enter it in a poetry contest over at the University. Then I found a copy of the poem that won last year's prize and decided that I didn't have a chance. "How beautiful the sun is on the sea for the over the hill there is a flag-pole and a young lady sits under the pear tree" kind of stuff. We had a writer by the name of Rexroth as guest speaker at the writer's conference over at Cal last Friday. I was quite interested in what he had to say about the cliques and groups among present day Scotch and English poets. It seems that the only people who are writing "modern" poetry in England today are either Comunists or Anarchists. Maybe it takes an Anarchist to understand modern poetry.
|
The plans to get Crowley over to California came to nothing. As Crowley became
increasingly ill in 1946 e.v., Agape Lodge members attempted to prepare a house on farm land
in Southern California. Finally, someone thought to describe the hot, dry climate to
Crowley; and he wrote back to the effect that it would kill him in days. Germer tried to go
to England to be with Crowley; but, as noted in the last issue, a passport proved
unobtainable.
There is a pestilence abroad upon the land | |
There is a plague; it is the plague of War | |
And it leaves a foulness upon the air. | |
It is the sickly sweet corruption of | |
the unattended dead | |
The dusky smell of charcoal in | |
the cannon rubbled streets | |
And there are those who live in this pestilence | |
And those who go forward to die in it. | |
And they have known strange things, these men, | |
Things filthy, and foul, and corrupt. | |
And they have known beautiful things, these men, | |
Things clean, and corageous, and magnificant. | |
And they have strange memories: | |
The acid taste of champagne in | |
a metal canteen cup | |
The lonely graves of soldiers by | |
the ever teeming roads | |
The tragedy of gliders wrapped | |
around the stumps of trees | |
And bullet riddled parachutes | |
that flutter in the breeze | |
Dead tankers in burned chariots | |
who look like slaughtered sheep | |
Dead Germans, and dead cattle, and | |
the guns that shatter sleep. | |
This is the pestilence, this is the plague, | |
And this is Normandie, in June. | |
[Previously published in O.T.O. Newsletter II:12 (September 1978 e.v.), in Ecclesia Gnostica I:4 (1985 e.v.), and in The Grady Project #2 (December 1987 e.v.).]
by Baphomet (Aleister Crowley)
Beloved Daughter and Sister,
Let it be thy Will and the will of all them that tend upon the sick, to comfort and to
fortify them with these words following.
I.
It is written in the Book of the Law: Every man and every woman is a Star. It is Our Lady of the Stars that speaketh to thee, O thou that art a star, a member of the Body of Nuit! Listen, for thine ears become dulled to the mean noises of the earth; the infinite silence of the Stars woos thee with subtle musick. Behold her bending down above thee, a flame of blue, all-touching, all-penetrant, her lovely hands upon the black earth, and her lithe body arched for love, and her soft feet not hurting the little flowers, and think that all thy grossness shall presently fall from thee as thou leapest to her embrace, caught up into her love as a dewdrop into the kisses of the sunrise. Is not the ecstasy of Nuit the consciousness of the continuity of existence, the omnipresence of her body? All that hath hurt thee was that thou knewest it not, and as that fadeth from thee thou shalt know as never yet how all is one. Again she saith: I give unimaginable joys upon earth, certainty, not faith, while in life, upon death. This thou hast known. Time that eateth his children hath not power on them that would not be children of Time. To them that think themselves immortal, that dwell alway in eternity, conscious of Nuit, throned upon the chariot of the sun, there is no death that men call death. In all the universe darkness is only to be found in the shadow of a gross and opaque planet, as it were for a moment; the universe itself is a flood of light eternal. So also death is but through accident; thou hast hidden thyself in the shadow of thy gross body, and taking it for reality, thou hast trembled. But the orb revolveth anon; the shadow passeth away from thee. There is the dissolution, and the eternal ecstasy in the kisses of Nu! For inasmuch as thou hast made the Law of Freedom thine, as thou hast lived in Light and Liberty and Love, thou hast become a Free-man of the City of the Stars.
Listen again to thine own voice within thee. Is not Hadit the flame that burns in every heart of man, and in the core of every star? Is not he Life, and the giver of Life? And is not therefore the knowledge of Him the knowledge of Death? For it hath been shown unto thee in many other places how Death and Love be twins. Now art thou the hunter, and Death rideth beside thee with his horse and spear as thou chasest thy will through the forests of Eternity, whose trees are the hair of Nuit thy mistress! Thrill with the joy of life and death! Know, hunter mighty and swift, the quarry turns to bay! Thou hast but to make one sharp thrust, and thou hast won. The Virgin of Eternity lies supine at thy mercy, and thou art Pan! Thy death shall be the seal of the promise of our agelong love. Hast thou not striven to the inmost in thee? Death is the crown of all. Harden! Hold up thyself! Lift thine head! breathe not so deep ---- Die!
Or art thou still entangled with the thorny plaits of wild briar rose that thou hast woven in thy magick dance on earth? Art not thine eyes strong enough to bear the starlight? Must thou linger yet awhile in the valley? Must thou dally with the shadows in the dusk? Then if it be Thy Will, thou hast no right but to do Thy Will! Love still these phantoms of the earth; thou hast made thyself a King; if it please thee to play with toys of matter, were they not made to serve thy pleasure? Then follow in thy mind the wondrous word of the Stele of Revealing itself. Return if thou wilt from the abode of the Stars; dwell with mortality, and feast thereon. For thou art this day Lord of Heaven and of Earth.
"The dead man Ankh-f-na-Khonsu | |
Saith with his voice of truth and calm: | |
O thou that hast a single arm! | |
O thou that glitterest in the moon! | |
I weave thee in the spinning charm | |
I lure thee with the billowy tune. | |
The dead man Ankh-f-na-Khonsu | |
Hath parted from the darkling crowds | |
Hath joined the dwellers of the light | |
Opening Duant, the star-abodes, | |
Their keys receiving. | |
The dead man Ankh-f-na-Khonsu | |
Hath made his passage into night | |
His pleasure on the earth to do | |
Among the living." |
------------------------------------------------
Love is the law, love under will.
The Benediction of the All-Begetter, All-Devourer be upon thee
Baphomet X° O.T.O.
The View From Tipheret (Part I)
by Bill Heidrick
[Adapted from Appendix A of The Road to the Sun: A Record of Self Initiation to Tipheret, an unpublished MS, Copyright © by Bill Heidrick]
In what follows, the terms "Mezla" and "shadows" have no relation to a quite different usage in the works of Kenneth Grant.
To touch Tipheret is to reach the center of the Tree of Life. The Tree
then assumes new functions. Climbing above is possible; so is descending
below. Tipheret is not only the center of the Tree, it is the heart, the one
best part.
To limit oneself to the heights alone or to the depths alone is
pointless. The center is the lawful place of man. The reaches above Tipheret
are a vast and dimly perceived future. The passages below Tipheret are an
equally vast and nearly equally dimly perceived past. Tipheret is a great lock
upon a mighty river. The name of the lock is "Now". The river above the lock
is called "Future", below "Past". Through Tipheret passes all consciousness.
Tipheret regulates the flow of consciousness.
The space between the highest three Sephiroth of the Tree of Life and the
lower seven is called the Great Abyss. The three Sephiroth above this gap
represent very abstract and spiritual states of mind that are hard to "bring
down to Earth," to link to the seven Sephiroth below. When one has come near
to some consciousness of Tipheret, this Great Abyss remains. Its character
changes after Tipheret is reached. Before, the Abyss represents a division
between the immortal Mind of God and the created levels of mortal
consciousness. At Tipheret, the mind of God looms closer. Voices are heard
and visions experienced (Yesod function attendant on Tipheret). These
communicate imperfectly between the mind at Tipheret and the first three
Sephiroth. There is a vagueness, increasing rather than decreasing as
attainment proceeds. The mind at Tipheret seeks understanding through reason
and in time rises to Geburah. The supercelestial messages are still not fully
understood. Purpose is clearer at Geburah and actions in the lower worlds are
easily directed. Yet there is a haunting dimness, as of a figure half hidden
by the glare of the Sun through morning mist. The mind of the one below the
Abyss hungers for the parting of the mists and the clearing of the glare.
This hunger builds as a yearning for union with God; and Chesed, the Sephira
of the higher emotions is reached. At Chesed desire grows until the mind
leaps across the gap of worlds, the Great Abyss, and enters direct
consciousness of the highest Sephiroth. In abandoning the lower seven
Sephiroth, consciousness in them is diminished and partly lost. The body and
the lower mental functions continue in a semblance of independence while the
higher functions watch without comprehension of the lower. There is a failure
in this, a failure that can be remedied by multiple reincarnation into one
body or into successive bodies. This process constitutes spiritual death and
rebirth. There is yet another way to repair this failure, this loss of
connection between the lower and higher minds. I refer the reader to 32Emanations, the Path of Initiation (A booklet I published in the early '70s) in the
matter of path 27, The Tower. The problem is basically the same. When the
lower seven are perfectly developed by great care and long effort, the Abyss
ceases to exist and the passage to the Highest is easy. The Tree of Life than
changes its form. More about this in later installments of this essay.
We shall now investigate the shadows of the Tree. The Tree is one thing,
its shadows are others. The Tree of life is a map of creation and of
consciousness. It shows states of mind, and it leads cognition from one state
to another. When the Tree is seen from one of its own Sephiroth, and
understood by the consciousness that attends that Sephira, it is perceived
partially. Each Sephira includes within itself all Sephiroth lower on the
Tree than itself, and each projects itself into the higher Sephiroth. Each
Sephira provides a distinct perception of the Tree of Life as a whole. Each
Sephira colors, as it were, the whole Tree with a distinctive mental tint.
The ten views of the Tree of Life that are natural to the ten Sephiroth are
"shadows" of the Tree. In Malkut, the tenth Sephira, the Tree is the physical
world. All its attributes and all its symbolism relate directly to the
senses. Books have been written which expound this view. They insist that
all criteria surrounding the Tree of Life be based on physical measurements,
astronomical phenomena and the like. Such books often greatly alter the form
of the Tree of Life Diagram to make it fit particular physical data. In
Yesod, myths and stories define the Tree. In Hod, rational philosophy
develops the Tree. In Netzach, love of beauty and pattern overreach the
strictly rational, and the Tree is portrayed through artistry and poetic
imagery. In Tipheret, no less than a harmonious life can express
understanding of the Tree of Life. Geburah views the Tree through teaching
and aiding all life. Chesed depicts the Tree as salvation.
No matter what the Sephirotic view of the Tree, all the Sephiroth
participate. There are no absolutely pure conceptions of the Tree. All
understandings are "shadows." The depth of the understanding is revealed in
the intensity and characteristics of the "shadow." Consider this newsletter.
It has physical existence and refers to physical events. These events may be
described with the terminology of Qabalah and some understanding of the Tree
of Life may be conveyed. This much is Malkut. Accounts of dreams can also be
related to the Tree and, by their nature, are a part of the "shadow" of Yesod.
Hod's "shadow" is seen in philosophical and analytical discussions. Netzach
is found in that which strives with emotional response and describes physical
drives. Tipheret is shown in autobiographical works, in so far as the
author's life tends to harmony, and in accounts of social existence with
others. Geburah is found in recommendations for improvement and in the
mysterious power that produces remarkable experiences. Chesed is found in the
works of aspiration toward the highest.
Of all the "shadows" of the Sephiroth that touch this essay, that of
Tipheret is the strongest - yet all are present. Even those shadows that are
found in Binah, Chokmah and Keter are found in this work. All these things
are found in all books and works of all Mankind in varying proportion.
But what of the shadow in Tipheret? This "shadow" in Tipheret is one's
own conception of life and of purpose in life. This conception may take any
form. It may be formalized into a pattern like the traditional diagram of the
Tree of Life or like a manner of life outlined by church, society and state.
It may be a hit or miss thing developed without plan and accepted when it
settles down to consistency. This conception may be limited in aspiration or
it may be without limit. Whatever else it may be, it is the Tipheret level
understanding of existence - to a student of Qabalah, a Tipheret tinted shadow
of the entire Tree. When this shadow brings joy and pleasure, it is projected
downward into the Netzach shadow. When it is analyzed, it is projected into
the Hod shadow. When it is dramatized and fantasized it is in the shadow of
Yesod. When the Tipheret shadow that is the total conception of one's own
life effects the physical world, the "shadow of Tipheret" penetrates and rules the shadow of Malkut. All these shadows dance and move within each other.
They have no separate existence. Tipheret is meaningless without Malkut.
Malkut is dead without Tipheret. Hod is sterile without Netzach. Netzach
cannot be a vehicle for Beauty without Tipheret. All are in all. All depend
on all. There is only one Tree; all seeming separate parts and views are
shadows of that Tree. For the word "Tree", take any word that includes all
things in one thing.
When the shadow of Tipheret is studied analytically and synthetically,
projection into three other Sephirotic shadows occurs. The simple mechanical
relationships of life are viewed in Hod. The underlying principles of the
life experience are elaborated in Geburah after they are rationally isolated
from Tipheret. Binah receives particular examples of the application of pure
reason. In like manner, the reactions and developments of emotions project
the shadow of Tipheret into three other Sephiroth. The life experience
produces simple wonderment and isolated emotional display in Netzach. Chesed
draws a unitary longing from these same experiences. Chokmah receives
particular tongues of the Universal Flame of Passion that are proper to its
own exalted place. Projection of the Tipheret shadow of the Tree also occurs
in a balanced fashion into three other Sephiroth. This projection is an
elevation or degradation of the life experience accordingly as it ascends or
descends on the Tree. No moral connotation is intended by the words
"elevation" and "degradation", only elevation as approach to unity and
degradation as multiplication of forms with concealment of unity. The
experience that is the shadow of the Tree in Tipheret falls down into Yesod
when it becomes puzzling, imperfectly visualized, or imperfectly accepted.
The projection into Malkut is accomplished through Yesod. Yesod is the link
between the perfected consciousness of living in Tipheret and the physical
processes of life in Malkut. In Malkut the life experience becomes actualized
in physical living. The weak link between the inward consciousness of
Tipheret and the outward life of Malkut is Yesod. One conception of the Tree
suggests a solution to this problem, at a price. More will be said about this
in later installments of this essay. Projection of Tipheret upward into Keter
is nothing more or less than a final perception of the life experience as an
absolute unity. When this occurs perfectly, the Tree vanishes into the
Absolute Oneness of Keter. Much the same sort of vanishing occurs when the
Tree is perfectly projected into the Absolute Multiplication of Malkut.
Merkabah Qabalah recognizes ephemeral and partial states of this kind in
conjunction with crossing the Abyss, notably under the method called "50 Gates
of Understanding" in which the top three Sephiroth become one and the lower-
most two are similarly subsumed in each other at the moment of opening of the
50th Gate. Those gates are not combinations of letters, by the way, but of
the lower seven Sephiroth with each other.
There are many mental and physical activities that involve all the lower
seven Sephiroth. Among these are speculations on the form and meaning of the
Tree itself. No matter what the basic approach, whether from Malkut, Geburah
or wherever, all the Sephirotic shadows take some part. The examples which
will follow Part I of this essay are devoted to a study of alternate forms of
the Tree of Life diagram. In the sense of their being studies of a system of
salvation, they belong to Chesed. As constructions for guidance in life, they
belong to Geburah. As efforts produced in life, they belong to Tipheret.
Their emotional impact, the delight of understanding them, belongs to Netzach.
The rational application of these examples and their more concrete explanation
comes from Hod. The direct guidance they have over physical conduct pertains
to Yesod. Their physical existence in this publication and their actual
effect in the physical world belongs to Malkut. Because they are mainly
rational structures, Geburah is their chief place.
To understand that which follows, a bit of foreknowledge is necessary on
the part of the reader. Some of this may be obtained by reading my earlier
booklet, 32 Emanations, the Path of Initiation. The summaries toward the end of
that are especially useful. Alternately, the reader may wish to refer to books by other authors on the subject of the Paths of the Tree of Life. The
next few paragraphs introduce the Tree to those who may not have seen it
before. Those who have considerable experience with these matters will find
some of this a bit overly familiar, but it may help the neophyte.
The Tree of Life diagram is a development from a far more complex and
ancient system of mysticism called the Qabalah (also spelled: Cabala, QBL(H),
Kabbalah, Qabbalah and in various other ways. The word in Hebrew is , and
before 1,000 e.v. it was called: Chokmah Nestorah, Raz and Sod). The original
use of the Tree of Life diagram appears to be for organization of methods of
interpreting sacred literature. Our familiar Tree of Life diagram appears in
16th century illustrations with the assignment of letters to the paths used
later by the Order of the Golden Dawn. The present form of this diagram is
not absolutely known to be more than half a thousand years old. Whatever its
age, it embodies a philosophy similar in many ways to Gnosticism and
Neoplatonism. The diagram is a graphic depiction of the mental universe. In
the form used here as "traditional," it is composed of thirty-two parts, with
an additional part sometimes postulated. Ten (or eleven) of these parts are
called Sephiroth, a Hebrew word meaning, among other things, "Numbers". These
Sephiroth represent states of human consciousness ranging from unity with God
(number 1, called Keter) to immersion in the physical world (number 10, called
Malkut). The Sephiroth can also be viewed as stages in creation, as levels of
interpretation ranging from the Abstract to the Concrete, and in other ways.
Circles are commonly used to represent the Sephiroth on the diagram. Twenty-
two lines or paths connect the circles. These paths are transitional mental
states created by moving between the more firmly established Sephiroth. There
are many details about the Tree of Life diagram that will not be taken up
here.
Throughout this essay, the same set of correspondences to the thirty-two
parts of the Tree will be used. There are many other correspondences that
provide insight; see A. Crowley's Liber 777. The numbers used here in the
diagrams and the left-most column of the tables agree with key numbers used in
Liber 777. For simplicity, only Hebrew names and planetary correspondences
will be used in this essay for the ten (or eleven) Sephiroth. The twenty-two
lesser paths out of Mezla will be linked to Hebrew letters, alchemical symbols, astrological symbols, and Tarot cards. Explanations given with the
examples will frequently use Tarot correspondences so that the reader may
relate each idea to a picture. All descriptions of such Tarot cards in this
presentation refer to the BOTA or Case deck. Its illustrations are simple and
pleasing. The Author does not believe it possible for the average person to
get much out of the remaining installments of this essay without recourse to
such a Tarot deck in the process of reading this material. The "Rider" or
Waite deck will do nearly as well. Crowley's Thoth deck is too complex for
this exercise on first reading. Use of the Thoth deck is recommended for
enhancement of Thelemic interpretation, but that should come after basic study
with simpler symbols.
The correspondences in the tables below are used by the Order of the Golden
Dawn, BOTA and many other groups. Paul Foster Case and Aleister Crowley use
this system, although Crowley made a modification on paths fifteen and twenty-
eight after publishing Liber 777. Other systems exist and are useful. This
system is used to render this treatment consistent with itself and with the
writings of those mentioned. The attribution of the Hebrew letters in this
fashion to the twenty-two paths was published by Athanasius Kircher in the
middle of the seventeenth century in Oedipus Aegyptiacus, Tom II, folding plate
between pages 288 and 289. Kircher's astrological correspondences are at
variance with these.
CORRESPONDENCES TO THE THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF THE TREE OF LIFE.
comprising the Ten (Eleven) Sephiroth and the Twenty-Two lesser Paths:
The Sephiroth:
Number on Diagram: | Hebrew Name: | English Translation: | Astrology Correspondence: | One | Keter | Crown | The beginning of whirlings | Two | Chokmah | Wisdom | The Zodiac | --- | Da'at | Knowledge | Asteroids or Transuranics | Four | Chesed | Mercy | Jupiter | Five | Geburah | Severity | Mars | Six | Tipheret | Beauty | Sun | Seven | Netzach | Victory by Endurance | Venus | Eight | Hod | Glory | Mercury | Nine | Yesod | Foundation | Moon | Ten | Malkut | Kingdom | Earth |
The Paths:
Number on Diagram: | Corresponding Hebrew Letter: | Alchemical- Astrological: | Corresponding Tarot Card title in BOTA Deck: | Eleven | Aleph, | Air (Uranus ) | The Fool | Twelve | Bet, | Mercury | The Magician | Thirteen | Gimel, | Moon | The High Priestess | Fourteen | Dalet, | Venus | The Empress | Fifteen | Heh, | Aries | The Emperor * | Sixteen | Vau, | Taurus | The Hierophant | Seventeen | Zain, | Gemini | The Lovers | Eighteen | Chet, | Cancer | The Chariot | Ninteen | Tet, | Leo | Strength | Twenty | Yod, | Virgo | The Hermit | Twenty-One | Koph, | Jupiter | The Wheel of Fortune | Twenty-Two | Lamed, | Libra | Justice | Twenty-Three | Mem, | Water (Neptune ) | The Hanged Man | Twenty-Four | Nun, | Scorpio | Death | Twenty-Five | Samekh, | Sagittarius | Temperance | Twenty-Six | Ayin, | Capricorn | The Devil | Twenty-Seven | Peh, | Mars | The Tower | Twenty-Eight | Tzaddi, | Aquarius | The Star ** | Twenty-Nine | Qof, | Pisces | The Moon | Thirty | Resh, | Sun | The Sun | Thirty-One | Shin, | Fire (Pluto P) | Judgment | Thirty-Two | Taw, | Saturn (Earth ) | The World |
* Crowley sometimes used the Star in this place in the Thoth Deck
** Crowley sometimes used the Emperor in this place in the Thoth Deck
(Part II will go over the Traditional Tree of Life in detail. Following parts will cover specialized developments of
this diagram: The Tree of Two Pentagrams, The Tree of the Hexagram and
Pentagram, The Tree of the Two Hexagrams, The Tree of the Two Cubes and
suggestions of other progressive developments.)
GP of NY asked "What is the purpose, the intended result of the ceremony (of
Minerval initiation)?"
Initiation is a rite of passage. The word signifies "to begin or
commence". The Minerval initiation corresponds to conception in the womb.
It's purpose is to introduce the candidate to OTO and OTO to the candidate,
without final commitment to continue with OTO. As a witnessed physical event,
it establishes a reference in time. As a mystical experience it sets the mind
of the candidate on a path of further growth. It tends to accelerate "karma"
- typically the Minerval will find that neglected or unfinished business in
life suddenly requires attention or completion.
(Much more could of course be written)
PW of WS asked about pre-Sanscrit Angelic Languages - with an emphasis on
chant and musical application:
Much depends on how you consider Angelic languages. "Angels" are derived
from Old Persian mythology. Many if not most old languages are considered as
taught by the gods or other spirits. Sanscrit texts survive from at least
1,000 B.C. For more information on Sanscrit and related languages, see
W.B.Lockwood's Indo-European Philology, Hutchinson & Co., London, 1969. Allowing
for a generous interpretation of "Angelic Languages" to include all ancient
human languages, and also allowing speculation in regard to antiquity, look to
Basque and Finnish in Europe as languages rich in songs that contain elements
older than Sanscrit. Chinese, New World and Polynesian languages are older than Sanscrit. These contain many singing traditions. How about Nahuatl?
Try Brinton's Library of Aboriginal American Literature, particularly his Rig
Veda Americanus or Sacred Aztec & Toltec Songs, published in 1890 e.v. - the
principal public ceremonies of the Aztecs and Toltecs, with phonetic
transcriptions and translations of the songs and chants. Obtain recordings of
modern survivals of that language group in Mexico, still speaking and singing
Nahuatl.
Thelema Lodge Events Calendar for June 1992 e.v.
6/3/92 | Illuminati Tournament 7:30 PM (call for information) | Thelema Ldg. | ||
6/3/92 | Basic Astrology with Grace, 8:00PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
6/7/92 | Lodge Council & LOP 3:33 PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
6/7/92 | Gnostic Mass 8 PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
6/8/92 | Thelema Lodge meeting 8 PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
6/10/92 | Basic Astrology with Grace, 8:00PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
6/11/92 | Book of Thoth Study Circle (7:30PM) | Thelema Ldg. | ||
6/13/92 | Thelema Lodge initiations Call to attend | Thelema Ldg. | ||
6/14/92 | Gnostic Mass 8 PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
6/17/92 | Class on the Sephiroth & the Tree of Life with Bill, 8:00 PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
6/20/92 | Summer Solstice 7:15 PM (Pot Luck Dinner) | Thelema Ldg. | ||
6/21/92 | Gnostic Mass 8 PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
6/21/92 | Mass workshop (call to attend) | Thelema Ldg. | ||
6/24/92 | Basic Astrology with Grace, 8:00PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
6/25/92 | Book of Thoth Study Circle (7:30PM) | Thelema Ldg. | ||
6/28/92 | Lodge Clean-up begins 1:11 PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
6/28/92 | Cancer Birthday party 4:18 PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
6/28/92 | Gnostic Mass 8 PM | Thelema Ldg. |
The viewpoints and opinions expressed herein are the responsibility of the contributing authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of OTO or its officers.
Note to update: the addresses and phone numbers in these issues of the Thelema Lodge Calendars are obsolete since the closing of the Lodge. They are here for historic purposes only and should not be visited or called.