CHAPTER NINE.
OF THAT WHICH WAS AND IS AND SHALL BE.
"The word of Sin is Restriction "
"Love is the law, love under will"
"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law."
These words may sound strangely in your ears who hear them for the first time; and what have they to do with the Qabalah and the Tree of Life?
This little treatise would not be complete without some mention of the wonderful Qabalistic correspondences to be found in LIBER LEGIS, The Book of the Law of the Aeon of Horus.
You may never have heard of this Book, yet since it is written therein "The Law is for all", it is well that I should give you a brief glimpse of this matter. In order to do so, I shall be obliged to make some explanation as to bow I came to apply myself to the study of its manifold Mysteries, which have gradually been unfolded in such a marvelous manner.
On March 21st, 1904 E. V. occurred, what is known to the adepts as, THE EQUINOX OF THE GODS, that is to say, the advent of a New Aeon, and a consequent change of Office in the Great Hierarchy which is engaged in the Initiation of Humanity on this planet. The Old Order changeth and all things become New. About this time, under very extraordinary circumstances, Frater O. M. an Adept of the A∴ A∴ received a communication through, what appears to have been, a praeterhuman Channel. This communication is known as LIBER AL vel LEGIS, and consists of 220 verses, divided into Three Chapters. The 1st chapter contains instructions from NUIT, Lady of the Starry Heavens, the 2nd from HADIT, the inmost essential Self of All, and the 3rd from Ra-Hoor-Khuit, Lord of the Aeon. The full details of this communication, will be given to the world in the proper manner, time, and place and by the proper Authority.
In 1909, I - Achad - became a Probationer of the Great Brotherhood known as the A∴ A∴, and for some years I toiled at the Great Work, first under the guidance of one Fra∴ P. A. and later under Fra∴ O. M. Thus did I first contact this New Current. In 1916, at the Summer Solstice, I underwent a Great Initiation, which showed in a certain way I was destined to fulfil one of the prophesies in Liber Legis in a most unusual and unlooked-for manner. This was followed, IS months later at the Winter Solstice 1917 E. V., by a continuation of the Great Initiation on another Plane. The first dealt with the SEPHIROTH and the second with the PATHS of the Tree of Life. Both led to an extraordinary unification of the Whole Tree in my consciousness. The Initiation of 1917 (and by this I do not mean of the "Lodge Room" kind, but one directed entirely by the Masters of Wisdom from other Planes of Being), resulted, about a year later, when time had enabled me to get a clear perspective of the event, in my obtaining a certain Qabalistic Key to Liber Legis (as prophesied therein), and this Key was delivered to Frater O. M., who had by then become The Master Therion. This was the means of opening many of the doors of the Palace, and was accepted as sufficient proof that I had certain Work to do in connection with "Liber Legis" and the New Aeon. For myself, how could I doubt or avoid it, even if I would? I had aspired to the Highest, and this was the result of my aspiration, this close tie with events, which time will show to be of unimaginable importance to all Humanity. In "Liber Legis" there is much which is entirely strange, and at first repugnant. For five years Frater O. M., who received it, endeavoured to avoid His task of proclaiming the Law to All, yet such depths of Wisdom were hidden in this Book, such wonderful fore-knowledge of events, that it PROVED itself to be unavoidable. It is not my work to comment on this Book, - that has been wisely provided for in the Book itself, - but I do wish to point out that the Qabalistic implications are simply marvelous, both in regard to the depths of the concealed meanings, and the simplicity of the Cipher when they are brought to Light. Such statements as "Nothing is a secret key of this law. Sixty-one the Jews call it; I call it eight, eighty, four hundred and eighteen. But they have the half: unite by thine art so that all disappear", become perfectly clear and lucid once the Key is found. And this is but one of its characteristic Qabalistic puzzles.
I point this out to show how my little study of the Holy Qabalah, proved of such great help when the time came and I needed to make use of it. I may remark that the Poise and Equilibrium which it gave me, proved my salvation time and again in the most terrible Ordeals, keeping my inner Being balanced and calm amidst a maelstrom of conflicting forces, and enabling me to coordinate them into an orderly Whole. Finally, it has led me to, what I believe is, the reconstruction of the Original Qabalistic Plan. It explains the Path indicated by the Child Horus in the First AETHYR of "The Vision and the Voice" obtained by Frater O. M. in 1909 E. V. I am dealing with these things in the Appendix to this little Book. How could I have guessed what the writing of it would lead to? I started with the idea of giving my Students an outline of the System I had been using for years, the system whereby I was led to Attain, by which - as has been amply proved - Attainment is possible. Yet, suddenly, without effort, I am led to discover, what appears to be a far simpler Road; on the same Tree, 'tis true, but by different Paths. A Road, the possibilities of which are yet to be discovered, but which may help Humanity to regain the Crown more easily than of yore. A System fulfilling the prophesies of the OLD as well as those of the NEW Aeon, as it is written in Liber Legis: "All words are sacred and all prophets true; save only that they understand a little."
Those who have faithfully endeavoured to live up to the instruction "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law!", have indeed found this to be the "Straight and Narrow Way". This means that we must discover, each for himself, the Will of God, the Creative Word, in the Depths of our own Being. By finding our True Purpose, and fulfilling it, and it alone - leaving others the Freedom to find and fulfil theirs-we live in Harmony with the Universal Will and Movement of Things, as Stars in the Body of Nuit, the Mother of Heaven.
As we follow this Way, we find our lives corresponding more closely with the Universal Life; we notice the Great Cyclic Laws operative in us, as in all else. Events begin to occur, which check up with Astrological conditions, we find ourselves more and more at one with Nature and Natures Forces. Our Inner Being gives us LIGHT where- er we travel, and day by day we get closer to the Central Mystery of Being till we can truly exclaim "I and My Father are One." These are some of the things that the New Law has taught me, and for which I can never be too thankful to Him who proclaimed it.
There is no fixity and sameness in this Law. Each has a certain Purpose, a certain part to play in the Cosmic Drama. No two Wills are alike, let us see to it that we never again foolishly try to break the Will of another. The Beauty of Creation may only be understood through its great diversity. Never by trying to make all men express one set pattern or Ideal, can the Plan of Creation be realized. Nature insures Individual Freedom through Order; remember that. This Law does not lead to disorder and confusion, but to the only true Order, wherein each Unit, working according to the True Will of the Whole, makes his individual Work an expression of Himself as an unique part of that Whole. WILL is that which produces CHANGE which is LIFE. Stagnation or fixity, is DEATH. Therefore fear not CHANGE, but embrace it with open arms, for all change is of the nature of LOVE, which is the tendency of any two things to become ONE thus losing themselves in the process. We must learn to rid ourselves of the Illusionary idea of the little "self " as something distinct and separate from the Great Life around us. We must unite ourselves, through LOVE, with Larger and Grander conceptions, thus building up for ourselves that "House not made with Hands, eternal in the Heavens." But do we really build this? In a certain measure, yes, for it requires our Willing co-operation. But the Complete Temple is potentially inherent in the Substance of our own Being, and the Great Architect is in Every Temple Shrine, for He indeed is the Master Builder, and He Builds from within OUTWARDS. Thus we expand into the Body of our Lady Nuit, even as She contracteth and holdeth all the parts of our Temple firmly together.
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