AC

LIBER CCC
KHABS AM PEKHT

Son,

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
Firstly, let thine attention be directed to this planet, how the Aeon of Horus is made manifest by the Universal War. This is the first great and direct result of the Equinox of the Gods, and is the preparation of the hearts of men of the reception of the Law.

Let Us remind you that this is a magical formula of cosmic scope, and that it is given in exact detail in the legend of the Golden Fleece.

Jason, who in this story represents the Beast, first fits out a ship guided by Wisdom or Athena, and this is his aspiration to the Great Work. Accompanied by many heroes, he comes to the place of the Fleece, but they can do nothing until Medea, the Scarlet Woman, puts into his hands a posset ‘drugged with somnolence, Sleepy with poppy and white hellebore' for the dragon. Then Jason is able to subdue the bulls, sacred to Osiris, and symbolical of his Aeon and of the Magical Formula of Self-Sacrifice. With these he plows the field of the world, and sows therein "the dreadful teeth of woe, Cadmean Stock of Thebes' old misery," which refers to a certain magical formula announced by The Beast that is familiar unto thee, but unsuited to the profane, and therefore not further in this place indicated. From this seed armed men sprung to life; but instead of attacking Him, "mutual madness strikes The warriors witless, and fierce wrath invades Their hearts of fury, and with arms engaged, They fell upon each other silently, And slew, and slew." Now then, the Dragon being asleep, we may step quietly past him, and "rending the branches of that wizard Oak, With a strong grasp tear down the Fleece of Gold."

Let us only remember not to repeat the error of Jason, and defy Ares, who is Horus in his warrior mood, that guardeth it, lest He strike us also with madness. Nay! but to the glory of Ra-Hoor-Khuit and the establishment of His perfect kingdom let all be done!

Now, O my son, thou knowest that it is Our will to establish this Work, accomplishing fully that which We are commanded in the Book of the Law, "Help me, O warrior lord of Thebes, in my unveiling before the children of men!"--and it is Thy Will, manifesting as thou hast done in the Sphere of Malkuth the material world, to do this same thing in an even more immediate and practical way than would naturally appeal to one whose manifestation is in the Heaven of Jupiter. So therefore We now answer Thy filial petition that asketh good counsel of Us as to the means to be taken to extend the Law of Θελημα throughout the whole world.

Direct therefore now most closely thine attention to the "Book of the Law" itself. In It we find an absolute rule of life, and clear instruction in every emergency that may befall. What then are Its own directions for the fructification of That Ineffable Seed? Not, pray thee, the confidence with which we may proceed. "They shall gather my children into their fold; they shall bring the glory of the stars into the hearts of men." They "shall"; there is no doubt. Therefore doubt not, but strike with all thy strength. Note also, pray thee, this word: "The Law is for all." Do not therefore "select suitable persons" in thy worldly wisdom; preach openly the Law to all men. In Our experience We have found that the most unlikely means have produced the best results; and indeed it is almost the definition of a true Magical Formula that the means should be unsuited, rationally speaking, to the end proposed. Note, pray thee, that We are bound to teach. "He must teach; but he may make severe the ordeals." This refers, however, as is evident from the context, to the technique of the new Magick, "the mantras and spells; the obeah and the wanga; the work of the wand and the work of the sword."

Note, pray thee, the instruction in CCXX.I.41-44.51.61.63 K.T.L. on which We have enlarged in Our tract "The Law of Liberty," and in private letters to thee and to others. The open preaching of this Law, and the practice of these precepts, will arouse discussion and animosity, and thus place thee upon a rostrum whence thou mayst speak unto the people.

Note, pray thee, this mentor: "Remember ye that existence is pure joy; that all the sorrows are but shadows; they pass and are done; but there is that which remains." For this doctrine shall comfort many. Also there is this word: "They shall rejoice, our chosen; who sorroweth is not of us. Beauty and strength, leaping laughter and delicious languor, force and fire, are of us." Indeed in all ways thou mayst expound the joy of our Law; nay, for thou shalt overflow with the joy thereof, and have no need of words. It would moreover be impertinent and tedious to call again thine attention to all those passages that thou knowest so well. Note, pray thee, that in the matter of direct instruction there is enough. Consider the passage "Choose ye an island! Fortify it! Dung it about with enginery of war! I will give you a war-engine. With it ye shall smite peoples; and none shall stand before you. Lurk! Withdraw! Upon them! This is the Law of the Battle of Conquest: thus shall my worship be about my secret house." The last phrase suggests that the island may be Great Britain, with its Mines and Tanks; and it is notable that a certain brother obligated to A∴A∴ is in the most secret of England's War Councils at this hour. But it is possible that all this instruction refers to some later time when our Law, administered by some such Order as the O.T.O. which concerns itself with temporal affairs, is of weight in the councils of the world, and is challenged by the heathen, and by the followers of the fallen gods and demigods.

Note, pray thee, the practical method of overcoming opposition given in CCXX. III 23-26. But this is not to Our immediate purpose in this epistle. Note, pray thee, the instruction in the 38th and 39th verses of the Third Chapter of the Book of the Law. It must be quoted in full.

"So that thy light is in me; and its red flame is as a sword in my hand to push thy order."

That is, the God himself is aflame with the Light of The Beast, and will himself push the order, through the fire (perhaps meaning the genius) of The Beast.

"There is a secret door that I shall make to establish thy way in all the quarters (there are the adorations, as thou hast written) as it is said:

The Light is mine; its rays consume
Me: I have made a secret door
Into the House of Ra and Tum,
Of Khephra, and of Ahathoor.
I am thy Theban, O Mentu,
The prophet Ankh-f-na-khonsu!

By Bes-na-Maut my breast I beat;
By wise Ta-Nech I weave my spell.
Show thy star-splendour, O Nuit!
Bid me within thine House to dwell,
O winged snake of light, Hadit!
Abide with me, Ra-Hoor-Khuit!"

In the comment in EQUINOX I.VII. this passage is virtually ignored. It is possible that this "secret door" refers to the four men and the four women spoken of later in the "Paris Working," or it may mean the child elsewhere predicted, or some secret preparation of the hearts of men. It is difficult to decide on such a point, but we may be sure that the Event will show that the exact wording was so shaded as to prove to us absolute foreknowledge on the part of That Most Holy Angel who uttered the Book.

Note, pray thee, further, in verse 39, how the matter proceeds:

"All this"--i.e. the Book of the Law itself. "and a book to say how thou didst come hither" i.e. some record such as that in the Temple of Solomon the King."And a reproduction of this ink and paper for ever" i.e. by some mechanical process, with possibly a sample of paper similar to that employed. "--for in it is the word secret and not only in the English--"

Compare CCXX.III.47.73. The secret is still a secret to Us.

"And thy comment upon this the Book of the Law shall be printed beautifully in red ink and black upon beautiful paper made by hand;" i.e. explain the text ‘lest there be folly' as it says above, CCXX.I.36. "And to each man and woman that thou meetest, were it but to dine or to drink at them, it is the Law to give. Then they shall chance to abide in this bliss or no; it is no odds. Do this quickly!"

From this it is evident that a volume must be prepared as signified--Part IV of Book 4 was intended to fulfil this purpose--and that this book must be distributed widely, in fact to every one with whom one comes into social relations.

We are not to add to this gift by preaching and the like. They can take it or leave it.

Note, pray thee, verse 41 of this chapter:

"Establish at thy Kaaba a clerk-house; all must be done well and with business way."

This is very clear instruction indeed. There is to be a modern centralized business organization at the Kaaba--which, We think, does not mean Boleskine, but any convenient headquarters.

Note, pray thee, in verse 42 of this chapter the injunction: "Success is thy proof: argue not; convert not; talk not over-much." This is not any bar to an explanation of the Law. We may aid men to strike off their own fetters; but those who prefer slavery must be allowed to do so. "The slaves shall serve." The excellence of the Law must be showed by its results upon those who accept it. When men see us as the hermits of Hadit described in CCXX, II. 24, they will determine to emulate our joy.

Note, pray thee, the whole implication of the chapter that sooner or later we are to break the power of the slaves of the slave-gods by actual fighting. Ultimately, Freedom must rely upon the sword. It is impossible to treat in this epistle of the vast problems involved in this question; and they must be decided in accordance with the Law by those in authority in the Order when the time comes. Thou wilt note that We have written unto thee more as a member of the O.T.O., than in they capacity as of the A∴A∴, for the former organization is coordinate and practical, and concerns itself with material things. But remember this clearly, that the Law cometh from the A∴A∴, not from the O.T.O.. This Order is but the first of the great religious bodies to accept this Law officially, and its whole Ritual has been revised and reconstituted in accordance with this decision. Now then, leaving the Book of the Law, note, pray thee, the following additional suggestions for extending the Dominion of the Law of Θελημα throughout the whole world.

  1. All those who have accepted the Law should announce the same in daily intercourse. "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law" shall be the invariable form of greeting. These words, especially in the case of strangers, should be pronounced in a clear, firm, and articulate voice, with the eyes frankly fixed upon the bearer. If the other be of us, let him reply "Love is the law, love under will." The latter sentence shall also be used as the greeting of farewell. In writing, wherever greeting is usual, it should be as above, opening "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.", and closing "Love is the law, love under will."

  2. Social gatherings should be held as often as is convenient, and there the Law should be read and explained.

  3. The special tracts written by Us, or authorized by Us, should be distributed to all persons with whom those who have accepted the Law may be in contact.

  4. Pending the establishment of other Universities and Schools of Θελημα, scholarships and readerships and such should be provided in existing Schools and Universities, so as to secure the general study of Our writings, and those authorized by Us as pertaining to the New Aeon.

  5. All children and young people, although they may not be able to understand the more exalted heavens of our horoscope, may always be taught to rule their lives in accordance with the Law. No efforts should be spared to bring them to this emancipation. This misery caused to children by the operation of the law of the slave-gods was, one may say, the primum mobile of Our first aspiration to overthrow the Old Law.

  6. By all manner of means shall all strive constantly to increase the power and freedom of the Headquarters of the O.T.O.; for thereby will come efficiency in the promulgation of the Law. Specific instructions for the extension of the O.T.O. are given in another epistle. Constant practice of these recommendations will develop skill in him or here that practiseth, so that new ideas and plans will be evolved continually.

Furthermore, it is right that each and every one bind himself with an Oath Magical that he may thus make Freedom perfect, even by a bond, as in Liber III it is duly written. Amen.

Now, son, note, pray thee, in what house We write these words. For it is a little cottage of red and green, by the western side of a great lake, and it is hidden in the woods. Man, therefore, is at odds with Wood and Water; and being a magician bethinketh Himself to take one of these enemies, Wood, which is both the effect and the cause of that excess of Water, and compel it to fight for Him against the other. What then maketh He? Why, He taketh unto himself Iron of Mars, an Axe and a Saw and a Wedge and a Knife, and He divideth Wood therewith against himself, hewing him into many small pieces, so that he hath no longer any strength against His will. Good; then taketh He the Fire of our Father the Sun, and setteth it directly in battle array against that Water by His army of Wood that he hath conquered and drilled, building it up into a phalanx like unto a Cone, that is the noblest of all solid figures, being the Image of the Holy Phallus Itself, and combineth in himself the Right Line and the Circle. Thus, son, dealeth He; and the Fire kindleth the Wood, and the heat thereof driveth the Water afar off. Yet this Water is a cunning adversary, and He strengtheneth Wood against Fire by impregnating him with much of his own substance, as it were by spies in the citadel of an ally that is not wholly trusted. Now then therefore what must the Magician do? He must first expel utterly Water from Wood by an invocation of the Fire of the Sun our Father. That is to say, without the inspiration of the Most High and Holy One even We ourselves could do nothing at all. Then, son, beginneth the Magician to set His Fire to the little dry Wood, and that enkindleth the Wood of middle size, and when that blazeth brightly, at the last the great logs, though they be utterly green, are nevertheless enkindled.

Now, son, hearken unto this Our reproof, and lend the ear of thine understanding unto the parable of this Magick.

We have the whole Beginning of Our Work, praise be eternally unto His Holy Name, the Fire of our Father the Sun. The inspiration is ours, and ours is the Law of Θελημα that shall set the world ablaze. And We have many small dry sticks, that kindle quickly and burn through quickly, leaving the larger Wood unlit. And the great logs, the masses of humanity, are always with us. But our edged need is of those middle fagots that on the one hand are readily kindled by the small Wood, and on the other endure until the great logs ablaze.

(Behold how sad a thing it is, quoth the Ape of Thoth, for one to be so holy that he cannot chop a tree and cook his food without preparing upon it a long and tedious Morality!)

Let this epistle be copied and circulated among all those that have accepted the Law of Θελημα. Receive now Our paternal benediction: the Benediction of the All-Begetter be upon thee.

Love is the law, love under will.

ΘΗΡΙΟΝ 9° = 2▫ A.·.A.·.
Given under Our hand and seal this day of An XII, the ☼ our Father being in 12° 42' 2'' of the sign ♌, and the ☽ in 25° 39' 11'' of the sign ♎, from the House of the Juggler, that is by Lake Pasquaney in the State of New Hampshire.

STATEMENT OF Θελημα

AC

by Master Therion

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law


The Universe is the fulfillment of the sum total of all possibilities. Indeed one may almost say that this is so by definition. A conscious being - i.e. - an individual centre of consciousness, a Monad, can possess in itself all qualities only through experience. Its idea of the existence of not only the minous with those sets of possibilities which it has itself experienced.

That part of the Universe which has not yet entered within the sphere of its experience has no existence for it. It is as a new world - a universe awaiting discovery. Each conscious being, therefore, must differ from every other by virtue of its position in the universe, one not of latitude and longitude, or time and space, but rather a position or degree or state of consciousness - a point of view. Its identity, likewise, must of necessity be one of pure negation. The value of any being is determined by the quality and quantity of those parts of the universe which it has discovered, and which therefore compose its sphere of experience. It grows by extending this experience, by enlarging, as it were, this sphere.

In the case of two beings possessing little or no experience in common, mutual understanding is clearly impossible. Sympathy is thus seen to be more a question of experience being approximately conterminous, or at least coincident with respect to a large proportion of the experiences to which special value is attached by both. The real value of any new experience is determined by this aptitude for impressing the sum total of knowledge, or the degree of understanding and illumination it sheds on previous experience.

As a general rule, then, the greater the sum of experiences of any two beings, the greater likelihood of their general agreement. Thus, at a certain point of development, a being is very likely to consider any disagreement with him as a definite error and it is an extremely important stage in progress to reach an habitual attitude of mind which realizes that any divergent points of view of a given question is due not to moral obliquity, but to a greater variety of assimilable experiences. Such individuals grow in a very special manner when they learn to welcome divergent points of view and contrary experiences, and seek to assimilate them as understanding that this is the best possible way to acquire at a single stroke an immensity of new experiences instead of having to go through them in detail. It should be clear from the foregoing that the Law of Θελημα "Do what thou wilt" must be a logical rule of conduct to anyone who accepts the above premises, for the ultimate Will of every conscious being must be to so increase his general experience as to understand the whole universe. That the task is endless is no detriment to this process, but makes it all the more interesting. It is the way of the Dao. Finality would cloy.

Now then, with regard to the explanation given elsewhere in the Book of the Law - "Love is the law, love under will" - while will as above shown is of absolute and logical ethical validity, it can only be executed by the process of assimilation of all foreign elements; that is, by love. To refuse to unite oneself with any phenomenon soever is to deprive oneself of its value - even of life itself, as in the case of the Black Brother, shut up in the Abyss, and doomed to conscious disintegration in the realm of disconnected ideas and experiences, to perish with the dogs of reason. This refusal is only enacted when one is convinced that the new phenomenon is hostile to the set of experiences already acquired and made part of oneself. But it is a serious mark of imperfection, of grave failure to realize the facts in the matter, to take this attitude.

Even supposing, for a brief moment, and for argument's sake alone, that the new idea under consideration is so incompatible with the experiences is so imperfect as to be actually unfitted to continue its erstwhile existence; its destruction would be an advantage to that being, enabling a reconstruction along totally different lines - a reconstruction which would lend itself more readily to the acquisition of new experiences and apparently contradictory ideas.

Needless to say, of course, it is necessary in actual practice to use one's judgment in choosing the phenomenon which one next proposes to assimilate. One shoud not necessarily shoot oneself or another out of mere curiosity. The right of choice is with the individual. At the same time it should be remembered that "the word of sin is restriction". No one individual has any right to determine or restrict the choice of another except in such cases as the experience of one includes for all practical purposes the experiences of the other, as in the case of parents and young children. There are also various others cases where the free choice of the individual must be restricted in so far as that unhampered choice might interfere with the equal right of others. But this is in no way a question of abstract right and wrong, but a matter of practical politics.

The phrase "pitiless love", thrown scornfully at times in the faces of Thelemites, although not itself occurring in the Book of the Law, has nevertheless a certain justification. Pity implies two very grave errors - errors which are utterly incompatible with the the view of the universe above briefly indicated.

The first error therein is an implicit assumption that something is wrong with the Universe, and that moreover one is so insidiously obsessed with the Trance of Sorrow as to have completely failed in the task of solving her riddle of Sorrow as to have completely failed in the task of solving her riddle of Sorrow, and gone through life with the moan of a hurt animal "All is Sorrow". The second error is greater, since it involves the complex of the Ego. To pity another person implies you are superior to him, and you fail to recognize his absolute right to exist as he is. You assert yourself superior to him, a concept utterly opposed to the ethics of Θελημα "Every man and every woman is a star" and each being is a Sovereign Soul. A moment's thought, therefore, will suffice to show how completely absurb such an attitude is, in reference to the underlying metaphysical facts.

Also "...there are love and love". There is the dove, and there is the serpent". Sympathy, obviously, is the more correct frame of mind, for it a pitiless love involving in reality an identification of oneself with the other; it is therefore an act of true love. "There is no bond that can unite the divided but love." If we translate the Greek word into Latin and say "compassion" instead of sympathy, the process of degeneration of language gives it false connotation. It must be remembered that the Greek word "pathein" does not necessarily mean to suffer in the same way etymological sense of sub rosa fero which implies inferiority, and therefore, pity. Of compassion, is it not written that "Compassion is the vice of kings?"

Love is the law, love under will