Aleister Crowley Read Online Free PDF Page B

Aur
, or “limitless light,” an indescribable dimension, the divine energies burst into being.
From highest to lowest we have
Kether
(Crown),
Chokmah
(Wisdom),
Binah
(Understanding),
Chesed
(Mercy),
Geburah
(Strength),
Tiphareth
(Beauty),
Netzach
(Victory),
Hod
(Splendour),
Yesod
(Foundation), and
Malkuth
(Kingdom).
    With the Golden Dawn system, one begins as a Neophyte 0 0 = 0, which is not yet on the magical ladder, then moves to Zealator 1 0   = 10. Next comes Theoricus 2 0 = 9, Practicus 3 0 = 8, and Philosophus 4 0 = 7, which form the grades of the first, or Outer, Order, to which technically the name Golden Dawn applies. The Second Order, that of the Ruby Rose and Gold Cross, a more Rosicrucian-influenced level, includes the degrees of Adeptus Minor 5 0 = 6, Adeptus Major 6 0 = 5, and Adeptus Exemptus 7 0 = 4. In the first order, initiates performed ceremonies and rituals and studied the philosophy of magic, but it was only in the Second Order that actual magic was practiced. No Second Order could exist without direct contact with the Secret Chiefs, which is why Mather’s alleged link with them was so important. The next three grades, Magister Templi (Master of the Temple) 8 0 = 3, Magus 9 0 = 2, and Ipsissimus (roughly, one’s “most selfness”) 10 0 = 1are separated from the others by what Crowley calls “the Abyss.” These three grades correspond to Binah, Chokmah, and Kether on the Tree of Life, which are known as the “Supernals.” Although not as far removed as the
Ain Soph Aur
itself, their existence is nevertheless quite beyond any ordinary human conception and can only be understood by crossing the Abyss. The Abyss is a chasm in existence in which our binary, dualistic conceptions dissolve and we either pass through it and enter that mystical realm beyond good and evil where “all is one” that the antinomian aspirant seeks, or plummet into madness. It was in this Third Order that the Secret Chiefs resided. No one in the Golden Dawn had reached this level; Mathers himself got only as far as an Adeptus Exemptus 7 0 = 4. This, of course, did not deter Crowley.
    Most Golden Dawn initiates hoped to attain the Knowledge and Conversation of their Holy Guardian Angel, a mystical meeting with their Higher Self associated with the
sephiroth
Tiphareth and the grade Adeptus Minor 5 0 = 6. This was reached through performing the difficult Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, a medieval ritual Mathers had come upon in the Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal and which he had translated into English. This work would have a profound influence on Crowley, and more than one biographer has suggested that his downfall began with his attempt to perform it. But even his Holy Guardian Angel was only a milestone on Crowley’s magical ascent. Everything we know about him tells us he was heading for the Abyss.
    Crowley rose through the ranks very quickly. Most of what he was required to learn as a Neophyte he already knew. The next hurdles, of Zealator, Theoricus, and Practicus, were no trouble, and by May 1899 he had reached the rank of Philosophus. The next grade, Adeptus Minor 5 0 = 6, required a probationary period, and so Crowley had to cool his magical heels for a spell. By this time he had met the only member of the Golden Dawn for whom he retained any respect. After one ceremony he became aware of a powerful magical force, which seemed to emanate from a member he had yet to meet. Frater Iehi Aour
(“Let There Be Light”), otherwise known as Allan Bennett, had a reputation as a magician second only to Mathers. He approached Crowley and to Crowley’s surprise said, “Little Brother, you have been meddling with the Goetia!” Bennett must have had a keen intuition.
Goetia
means “howling” but it is also the term used for magic that deals with dark, unenlightened forces. Crowley denied this. Bennett then said, “In that case the Goetia has been meddling with you.” (Crowley believed that Yeats was casting spells