The Gnostic Mass
With
Annotations and Commentary
by Helena and Tau Apiryon
Copyright © 1995, 2008 Ordo Templi Orientis
All Rights Reserved. No part of this document may be duplicated
in any form; electronic or otherwise,
without the express written permission of Ordo Templi Orientis.
This version of the Gnostic Mass is based on the text as presented in Appendix
VI of
Magick: Book IV, Parts I-IV
by Aleister Crowley; edited, annotated and introduced by
Hymenaeus Beta; Second Revised Edition, Samuel Weiser, York
Beach, Maine 1997.
This document was edited from an HTML document originally prepared
for Makhashanah Lodge O.T.O. by Frater HRMS M.
Additional stage directions,
suggestions and comments by Helena and Tau Apiryon, when inserted in the
text of the Gnostic Mass, are shown in square brackets.
Use the "<Back" button on your browser to return to this page
after reading the notes.
I
OF THE FURNISHINGS OF THE TEMPLE
IN THE
EAST
, that is, in the direction
of Boleskine, which is situated on the South-Eastern shore of
Loch Ness in Scotland, two miles east of Foyers, is a shrine or
High Altar. Its dimensions should be 7 feet in length, 3 feet
in breadth, 44 inches in height.
It should be covered with a crimson
altar-cloth, on which may be embroidered
fleur-de-lys
in gold,
or a sunblaze, or other suitable emblem. [On the Altar are placed the Priest's Robe and Crown.]
On each side of it should be a
pillar or obelisk
, with countercharges
in black and white.
Below it should be the dais of
three steps
, in black and white
squares.
Above it is the
super-altar
, at whose top is the
Stèle of Revealing
in reproduction, with four candles on each side of it. Below the
stèle is a place for
The Book of the Law
,
with six candles on each side of it. Below this again is the
Holy Graal
,
with roses on each side of it. There is room in front of the Cup
for the
Paten
. On each side beyond the roses
are two
great candles
.
[NOTE]
All this is enclosed within a great Veil.
Forming the apex of an equilateral triangle whose base is a line
drawn between the pillars, is a small black square altar, of superimposed
cubes.
Taking this altar as the middle of the base of a similar and equal
triangle, at the apex of this second triangle is a small circular
font.
Repeating, the apex of a third triangle is an upright coffin,
or Tomb.
[NOTE]
II
OF THE OFFICERS OF THE MASS
The
PRIEST
. Bears the
Sacred Lance
, and is
clothed at first in a
plain white robe
.
The
PRIESTESS
. Should be actually Virgo
Intacta or specially dedicated to the service of the Great Order.
She is clothed in white, blue, and gold. She bears the
Sword
from a
red girdle
, and the Paten and Hosts,
or
Cakes of Light
.
The
DEACON
. He is clothed in white and yellow.
He bears
The Book of the Law
.
Two
CHILDREN
. They are clothed in white
and black. One bears a pitcher of water and a cellar of salt,
the other a censer of fire and a casket of
perfume
.
III
OF THE CEREMONY OF THE INTROIT
The DEACON, opening the door of the Temple, admits the
congregation
and takes his stand between the small altar and the font. (There
should be a doorkeeper to attend to the admission.)
The DEACON advances and bows before the open shrine where the
Graal is exalted. He kisses
The Book of the Law
three times,
opens it, and places it upon the super-altar. He turns West.
[
The Proclamation of the Law
]
The DEACON:
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. [Liber AL I:40]
I proclaim the Law of Light, Life, Love, and Liberty
in the name of
IAÔ
.
The CONGREGATION:
Love is the law, love under
will. [Liber AL I:57]
The DEACON goes to his place between the altar of incense
and the font, [directs the congregation to rise,]
faces East, and gives the
step and sign of a Man and a Brother
.
All imitate him.
[
The Creed
(Credo)
]
The DEACON and all the PEOPLE:
I believe in one secret
and ineffable LORD; and in one Star in the Company of Stars of
whose fire we are created, and to which we shall return; and in
one Father of Life, Mystery of Mystery, in His name CHAOS, the
sole viceregent of the Sun upon the Earth; and in one Air the
nourisher of all that breathes.
And I believe in one Earth, the Mother of us all, and in one Womb
wherein all men are begotten, and wherein they shall rest, Mystery
of Mystery, in Her name BABALON.
And I believe in the Serpent and the Lion, Mystery of Mystery,
in His name BAPHOMET.
And I believe in one Gnostic and Catholic Church of Light, Life,
Love and Liberty, the Word of whose Law is THELÊMA.
And I believe in the communion of Saints.
And, forasmuch as meat and drink are transmuted in us daily into
spiritual substance, I believe in the Miracle of the Mass.
And I confess one Baptism of Wisdom whereby we accomplish the
Miracle of Incarnation.
And I confess my life one, individual, and eternal that was, and
is, and is to come.
AUMGN. AUMGN. AUMGN.
[
The Entry of the Priestess and Children
]
Music is now played. The child enters with the ewer and
the salt. The VIRGIN enters with the Sword and the Paten. The
child enters with the censer and the perfume. They face the DEACON,
deploying into line, from the space between the two altars.
The VIRGIN:
Greeting of
Earth and Heaven!
All give the
Hailing Sign of a Magician
,
the DEACON leading.
The PRIESTESS
, the negative child on her left, the positive child
on her right, ascends the steps of the High Altar. They await
her below .
She places the Paten before the Graal.
Having adored it, she descends, and with the children following her, the
positive next her, she
moves in a serpentine manner
involving
3 and a half circles of the Temple
. (Deosil about altar, widdershins about font, deosil about altar and font,
widdershins about altar, and so to the Tomb in the West.) She draws her Sword
and pulls down the Veil therewith.
[
The Entry of the Priest
]
The PRIESTESS:
By the power of
Iron
, I say unto thee,
Arise. In the name of our Lord the
Sun, and of our Lord
...
,
that thou mayst administer the virtues to the Brethren.
She sheathes the Sword.
The PRIEST, issuing from the Tomb, holding the Lance erect with
both hands, right over left, against his breast, takes
the first three regular steps
.
He then gives the Lance to the PRIESTESS, and gives
the three penal signs
.
He then kneels and worships the Lance with both hands.
Penitential music.
[
The Confession of the Priest
]
The PRIEST:
I am a man among men.
He takes again the Lance, and lowers it. He rises.
The PRIEST:
How should I be worthy to administer the virtues
to the Brethren?
[
The Lustration of the Priest
]
The PRIESTESS takes from the child the water and the
salt, and mixes them in the font.
The PRIESTESS:
Let the salt of Earth admonish the water
to bear the virtue of the Great Sea. (Genuflects.) Mother, be
thou adored.
She returns to the West.
on PRIEST with
open hand
doth
she make, over his forehead, breast, and body.
Be the PRIEST pure of body and soul!
[
The Consecration of the Priest
]
The PRIESTESS takes the censer from the child, and places
it on the small altar. She puts incense therein.
Let the Fire and the Air make sweet the world!
(Genuflects.)
Father, be thou adored.
She returns West, and makes
with the censer before
the PRIEST, thrice as before.
Be the PRIEST fervent of body and soul!
(The children resume their weapons as they are done with.)
[
The Vesture of the Priest
]
The DEACON now takes the consecrated Robe from High Altar, and
brings it to her. She robes the PRIEST in his Robe of scarlet
and gold.
Be the flame of the Sun thine
ambience
, O thou PRIEST
of the SUN!
[
The Coronation of the Priest
]
The DEACON brings the
crown
from the High Altar. (The
crown may be of gold or platinum, or of electrum magicum; but
with no other metals, save the small proportions necessary to
a proper alloy. It may be adorned with divers jewels, at will
But it must have the Uraeus serpent twined about it, and the cap
of maintenance must match the scarlet of the Robe. Its texture
should be velvet.)
[She places the cap of maintenance and crown upon the head of the PRIEST.]
Be the Serpent thy crown, O thou PRIEST of the LORD!
[
The Consecration of the Lance, and the Invocation of the Lord
]
Kneeling, she takes the Lance, between her open hands,
and runs them up and down upon the shaft
eleven
times, very gently.
Be the LORD present among us!
All give the Hailing Sign. [All should be standing at this point.]
The PEOPLE:
So mote it be.
IV
OF THE CEREMONY OF THE OPENING OF THE VEIL
[
The Raising of the Priestess
]
The PRIEST:
Thee therefore whom we adore we also invoke.
By the power of the lifted Lance!
He raises the Lance. All repeat Hailing Sign.
A phrase of triumphant music.
The PRIEST takes the PRIESTESS by her right hand with his left,
keeping the Lance raised.
I, PRIEST and KING, take thee, Virgin pure without spot; I upraise thee; I lead
thee to the East; I set thee upon the summit
of the Earth.
He thrones the PRIESTESS upon the altar.
The DEACON and
the children follow, they in rank, behind him. The PRIESTESS takes
The Book of the Law, resumes her seat, and holds it open on her
breast with her two hands, making a
descending triangle
with thumbs
and forefingers. [The people may sit.]
The PRIEST gives the lance to the DEACON to hold, and takes the
ewer from the child, and sprinkles the PRIESTESS, making five
crosses, forehead, shoulders, and thighs.
The thumb of the PRIEST is always between his index and medius,
whenever he is not holding the Lance. The PRIEST takes the censer
from the child, and makes five crosses, as before. The children
replace their weapons on their respective altars.
The PRIEST
kisses
The Book of the Law three times.
[NOTE]
He kneels for
a space in adoration, with joined hands, knuckles closed, thumb
in position aforesaid.
He rises, and draws the veil over the whole altar.
[
The Circumambulation of the Temple
]
All rise and stand to order[at the direction of the Deacon].
The PRIEST takes the lance from the DEACON, and holds it as before,
as Osiris or
Phthah
. He circumambulates the Temple three times, followed by the DEACON and the
children as before.
(
These,
when
not using their hands, keep their arms crossed upon their breasts.
)
[
The Ascent to the Veil
]
At the last circumambulation they leave him, and go to the place
between the font and the small altar, where they
kneel in adoration
,
their hands joined palm to palm, and raised above their heads.
All [the People] imitate this motion.
[
The Priest's First Oration Before the Veil
]
The PRIEST returns to the East, and mounts the first step of the
altar.
The PRIEST:
O circle of Stars whereof our Father is but
the younger brother, marvel beyond imagination, soul of infinite
space, before whom Time is Ashamed, the mind bewildered, and the
understanding dark, not unto Thee may we attain, unless Thine
image be Love. Therefore by seed and root and stem and bud and
leaf and flower and fruit do we invoke Thee.
"Then the priest answered & said unto the Queen of Space,
kissing her lovely brows, and the dew of her light bathing his
whole body in a sweet-smelling perfume of sweat; O Nuit, continuous
one of Heaven, let it be ever thus; that men speak not of thee
as One but as None; and let them speak not of thee at all, since
thou art continuous!"
[Liber AL, I:27]
[
The Priestess's Oration From Behind the Veil
]
During this speech the PRIESTESS must have divested herself
completely of her robe. See CCXX I:62.
The PRIESTESS:
"But to love me is better than all
things; if under the night-stars in the desert thou presently
burnest mine incense before me, invoking me with a pure heart,
and the serpent flame therein, thou shalt come a little to lie
in my bosom. For one kiss wilt thou then be willing to give all;
but whoso gives one particle of dust shall lose all in that hour.
Ye shall gather goods and store of women and spices; ye shall
wear rich jewels; ye shall exceed the nations of the earth in
splendour and pride; but always in the love of me, and so shall
ye come to my joy. I charge you earnestly to come before me in
a single robe, and covered with a rich head-dress. I love you!
I yearn to you! Pale or purple, veiled or voluptuous, I who am
all pleasure and purple, and drunkenness of the innermost sense,
desire you. Put on the wings, and arouse the coiled splendour
within you: come unto me!" [Liber AL, I:61] "To me! To me!"
[Liber AL, I:62] "Sing
the rapturous love-song unto me! Burn to me perfumes! Wear to me
jewels! Drink to me, for I love you! I love you. I am the blue-lidded
daughter of sunset; I am the naked brilliance of the voluptuous
night-sky. To me! To me!"
[Liber AL, I:63-65]
[
The Priest's Second Oration Before the Veil
]
The PRIEST mounts the second step.
The PRIEST:
O secret of secrets that art hidden in the
being of all that lives, not Thee do we adore, for that which
adoreth is also Thou. Thou art That, and That am I.
"I am the flame that burns in every heart of man, and in
the core of every star. I am Life, and the giver of Life; yet
therefore is the knowledge of me the knowledge of death." [Liber AL, II:6]
"I am
alone; there is no God where I am."
[Liber AL, II:23]
[
The Calendar
]
The DEACON and all rise to their feet, with the Hailing
sign.
The DEACON:
"But ye, O my people rise up and awake!
"Let the rituals be rightly performed with joy and beauty!
"There are rituals of the elements and feasts of the times.
"A feast for the first night of the Prophet and his Bride!
"A feast for the three days of the writing of the Book of the Law."
A feast for Tahuti and the
children
of the Prophet -- secret,
O Prophet!
"A feast for the Supreme Ritual
, and a feast for the Equinox of the Gods.
"A feast for fire
and a feast for water; a feast for life
and a greater feast for death!
"A feast every day in your hearts in the joy of my rapture!
"A feast every night unto Nu, and the pleasure of uttermost
delight!"
[Liber AL, II:34-43.]
[The People may resume their seats.]
[
The Priest's Third Oration Before the Veil
]
The PRIEST mounts the third step.
The PRIEST:
Thou that art One, our Lord in the Universe
the Sun, our Lord in ourselves whose name is Mystery of Mystery,
uttermost being whose radiance enlightening the worlds is also
the breath that maketh every God even and Death to tremble before
Thee -- By the
Sign of Light
appear Thou glorious upon the throne
of the Sun.
[NOTE]
Make open the path of creation and of intelligence between us
and our minds. Enlighten our understanding.
Encourage our hearts.
Let thy light crystallize itself in our blood, fulfilling us of
Resurrection.
[NOTE]
A ka dua
Tuf ur biu
Bi a'a chefu
Dudu nur af an nuteru.
[NOTE]
The PRIESTESS:
"There is no law beyond Do
what thou wilt.
" [Liber AL, III:60.]
[
The Opening of the Veil
]
The PRIEST parts the veil with his lance. During the
previous speeches the PRIESTESS has, if necessary, as in
savage countries
, resumed her robe.
The PRIEST:
IÔ
IÔ IÔ
IAÔ SABAÔ
KURIE
ABRASAX
KURIE
MEITHRAS
KURIE
PHALLE
.
IÔ PAN, IÔ PAN PAN
IÔ ISKHUROS, IÔ ATHANATOS IÔ ABROTOS
IÔ IAÔ.
KHAIRE PHALLE KHAIRE PAMPHAGE KHAIRE PANGENETÔR.
HAGIOS, HAGIOS, HAGIOS IAÔ.
The PRIESTESS is seated with the Paten in her right hand
and the cup in her left. [She then sets them down, the Paten to her left, the
Cup to her right.]
The PRIEST presents the Lance, which she kisses
eleven
times.
She then holds it to her breast, while the PRIEST, falling at
her knees, kisses them, his arms stretched along her thighs.
He
remains in this adoration while the DEACON
intones
the Collects.
All stand to order,
with the
Dieu Garde
, that is, feet square,
hands, with linked thumbs, held loosely. This is the universal
position when standing, unless other direction is given.
V
OF THE OFFICE OF THE
COLLECTS
WHICH ARE ELEVEN IN NUMBER
The DEACON:
Lord visible and sensible of whom this earth
is but a frozen spark turning about thee with annual and diurnal
motion, source of light, source of life, let thy perpetual radiance
hearten us to continual labour and enjoyment; so that as we are
constant partakers of thy bounty we may in our particular orbit
give out light and life, sustenance and joy to them that revolve
about us without diminution of substance or effulgence for ever.
The PEOPLE:
So mote it be.
The DEACON:
Lord secret and most holy, source of light,
source of life, source of love, source of liberty, be thou ever
constant and mighty within us, force of energy, fire of motion;
with diligence let us ever labour with thee, that we may remain
in thine abundant joy.
The PEOPLE:
So mote it be.
The DEACON:
Lady of night, that turning ever about us
art now visible and now invisible in thy season, be thou favourable
to hunters, and lovers, and to all men that toil upon the earth,
and to all mariners upon the sea.
The PEOPLE:
So mote it be.
The DEACON:
Giver and receiver of joy, gate of life and
love, be thou ever ready, thou and thine handmaiden, in thine
office of gladness.
The PEOPLE:
So mote it be.
The DEACON:
Lord of Life and Joy, that art the might of
man, that art the essence of every true god that is upon the surface
of the Earth, continuing knowledge from generation unto generation,
thou adored of us upon heaths and in woods, on mountains and in
caves, openly in the marketplaces and secretly in the chambers
of our houses, in temples of gold and ivory and marble as in these
other temples of our bodies, we worthily commemorate them worthy
that did of old adore thee and manifest they glory unto men,
(At each name the DEACON signs
with thumb between index
and medius. At ordinary mass it is only necessary to commemorate
those whose names are italicized, with wording as is shown.)
Lao-tzu and Siddhârtha
and Krishna and
Tahuti,
Mosheh,
Dionysus, Mohammed and To Mega Thêrion, with these
also,
Hermês,
Pan,
Priapus, Osiris and Melchizedek,
Khem and Amoun
and Mentu, Hêraclês,
Orpheus and Odysseus;
with Vergilius,
Catullus
, Martialis,
Rabelais, Swinburne,
and many an holy bard; Apollonius Tyanæus,
Simon Magus, Manes,
Pythagoras
, Basilides, Valentinus,
Bardesanes and Hippolytus,
that transmitted the Light of the Gnosis to us their successors
and their heirs;
with Merlin, Arthur, Kamuret, Parzival, and
many another, prophet, priest and king, that bore the Lance and
Cup, the Sword and Disk, against the Heathen;
and these also,
Carolus Magnus and his paladins, with William of Schyren, Frederick
of Hohenstaufen, Roger Bacon,
Jacobus Burgundus Molensis the
Martyr, Christian Rosencreutz,
Ulrich von Hutten, Paracelsus,
Michael Maier,
Roderic Borgia Pope Alexander the Sixth,
Jacob Boehme, Francis Bacon Lord Verulam, Andrea, Robertus de
Fluctibus, Giordano Bruno, Johannes Dee,
Sir Edward Kelly,
Thomas Vaughan,
Elias Ashmole, Molinos, Adam Weishaupt, Wolfgang von Goethe,
William Blake
, Ludovicus Rex Bavariæ,
Richard Wagner,
Alphonse Louis Constant,
Friedrich Nietzsche,
Hargrave Jennings,
Carl Kellner
, Forlong dux, Sir Richard Payne Knight,
Sir Richard Francis Burton, Paul Gauguin,
Docteur Gérard Encausse
,
Doctor Theodor Reuss
,
and
Sir Aleister Crowley
-- Oh Sons of the
Lion and the Snake! With all thy saints we worthily commemorate them
worthy that were and are and are to come.
May their Essence be here present, potent, puissant and paternal
to perfect this feast!
The PEOPLE:
So mote it be.
The DEACON:
Mother of fertility on whose breast lieth
water, whose cheek is caressed by air, and in whose heart is the
sun's fire, womb of all life, recurring grace of seasons, answer
favorably the prayer of labour, and to pastors and husbandmen
be thou propitious.
The PEOPLE:
So mote it be.
The DEACON:
Mysterious Energy,
triform
, mysterious Matter,
in
fourfold
and
sevenfold
division, the interplay of which things
weave the dance of the Veil of Life upon the Face of the Spirit,
let there be Harmony and Beauty in your mystic loves, that in
us may be health and wealth and strength and divine pleasure according
to the Law of Liberty; let each pursue his Will as a strong man
that rejoiceth in his way, as the course of a Star that blazeth
for ever among the joyous company of Heaven.
The PEOPLE:
So mote it be.
The DEACON:
Be the hour auspicious, and the gate of life
open in peace and in well-being, so that she that beareth children
may rejoice, and the babe catch life with both hands.
The PEOPLE:
So mote it be.
The DEACON:
Upon all that this day unite with love under
will let fall success; may strength and skill unite to bring forth
ecstasy, and beauty answer beauty.
The PEOPLE:
So mote it be.
All stand, Head erect, Eyes open.
The DEACON:
Term of all that liveth, whose name is inscrutable,
be favourable unto us in thine hour.
The PEOPLE:
So mote it be.
The DEACON:
Unto them from whose eyes the veil of life
hath fallen may there be granted the accomplishment of their true
Wills; whether they will absorption in the Infinite, or to be
united with their chosen and preferred, or to be in contemplation,
or to be at peace, or to achieve the labour and heroism of incarnation
on this planet or another, or in any Star, or aught else, unto
them may there be granted the accomplishment of their wills; yea,
the accomplishment of their wills.
AUMGN. AUMGN. AUMGN.
The PEOPLE:
So mote it be.
All [the People] sit.
The DEACON and the children attend the PRIEST and PRIESTESS, ready
to hold any appropriate weapon as may be necessary.
VI
OF THE CONSECRATION OF THE ELEMENTS
[The PRIESTESS picks up the Cup and Paten.]
|
|
1
|
|
|
The PRIEST makes the
five crosses
.
3
|
|
2 on paten and cup;
4 on paten alone;
5 on cup alone.
|
The PRIEST:
Life of man upon earth, fruit of labour, sustenance
of endeavour, thus be thou nourishment of the Spirit!
He touches the Host with the Lance.
By the virtue of the Rod!
Be this bread the Body of God!
[He hands the Lance to the Deacon.]
He takes the Host.
TOUTO ESTI TO SÔMA MOU.
He [replaces Host,] kneels, adores, rises, [takes Paten and Host,] turns, shows
Host to the PEOPLE [holding the Paten beneath it],
turns, replaces [Paten and] Host, and adores.
Music.
He takes the Cup.
Vehicle of the joy of Man upon earth, solace of labour,
inspiration of endeavour, thus be thou ecstasy of the Spirit!
He touches the Cup with the Lance.
By the virtue of the Rod!
Be this wine the Blood of God!
He [hands the Lance to the Deacon and] takes the Cup.
TOUTO ESTI TO POTÊRION TOU HAIMATOS MOU.
He [replaces the Cup,] kneels, adores, rises, [takes the Cup,] turns, shows the
Cup to the
PEOPLE, turns replaces the Cup, and adores. Music.
[He takes the Lance.]
For this is the Covenant of Resurrection.
He makes the five crosses on the PRIESTESS.
Accept, O LORD, this sacrifice of life [indicates Host] and joy [indicates
Cup], true warrants of the Covenant of Resurrection.
The PRIEST offers the Lance to the PRIESTESS, who kisses
it; he then touches her between the breasts and upon the body.
He then flings out his arms upward, as comprehending the whole
shrine.
Let this offering be borne upon the waves of Æthyr to
our Lord and Father the Sun that travelleth over the Heavens in
his name ON.
He closes his hands, kisses the PRIESTESS between the
breasts, and makes three great crosses over the Paten, the Cup,
and himself. He strikes his breast. All repeat this action.
Hear ye all, saints of the true church of old time now
essentially present
, that of ye we claim heirship, with ye we claim communion, from ye we claim
benediction in the name of IAÔ.
He makes three crosses on Paten and Cup together. [He hands the Lance to the
Deacon.] He uncovers the Cup, genuflects, takes the Cup in his left hand and
the Host in his right. With the Host he makes the five crosses on the Cup.
1
3 2
5 4
He
elevates
the Host and the Cup. The Bell strikes.
[
The Trisagion or Sanctus
]
HAGIOS HAGIOS HAGIOS IAÔ!
He replaces the Host and the Cup, and adores.
[NOTE]
[The Priest takes the Lance. The Deacon returns to his usual station.]
VII
OF THE OFFICE OF THE
ANTHEM
The PRIEST:
Thou who art I, beyond all I am,
Who hast no nature and no name,
Who art, when all but Thou are gone,
Thou, centre and secret of the Sun,
Thou, hidden spring of all things known
And unknown, Thou aloof, alone,
Thou, the true fire within the
reed
Brooding and breeding, source and seed
Of life, love, liberty, and light,
Thou beyond speech and beyond sight,
Thee I invoke, my faint fresh fire
Kindling as mine intents aspire.
Thee I invoke, abiding one,
Thee, centre and secret of the Sun,
And that most holy mystery
Of which the vehicle am I.
Appear, most awful and most mild,
As it is lawful, in thy child!
The CHORUS:
For of the Father and the Son
The Holy Spirit is the norm;
Male-female, quintessential, one,
Man-being veiled in Woman-form.
Glory and worship in the highest,
Thou Dove, mankind that deifiest,
Being that race, most royally run
To spring sunshine through winter storm.
Glory and worship be to Thee,
Sap of the world-ash, wonder-tree!
First Semichorus, MEN:
Glory to Thee from Gilded Tomb!
Second Semichorus, WOMEN:
Glory to Thee from Waiting Womb!
MEN:
Glory to Thee from earth unploughed!
WOMEN:
Glory to Thee from virgin vowed!
MEN:
Glory to Thee, true Unity
Of the Eternal Trinity!
WOMEN:
Glory to Thee, thou sire and dam
And self of I am that I am!
MEN:
Glory to Thee, beyond all term,
Thy spring of sperm, thy seed and germ!
WOMEN:
Glory to Thee, eternal Sun,
Thou One in Three, Thou Three in One!
CHORUS:
Glory and worship be to Thee,
Sap of the world-ash, wonder-tree!
(These words are to form the substance of the anthem;
but the whole or any part thereof shall be set to music, which
may be as elaborate as art can devise. But even should other anthems
be authorized by the Father of the Church, this shall hold its
place as the first of its kind, the father of all others.)
VIII
OF THE MYSTIC MARRIAGE AND CONSUMMATION OF THE ELEMENTS
The PRIEST takes the Paten between the index and medius of the
right hand.
The PRIESTESS clasps the Cup in her right hand.
[
The Blessing of the Elements
]
The PRIEST:
Lord most secret, bless this spiritual food
unto our bodies, bestowing upon us health and wealth and strength
and joy and peace, and that fulfilment of will and of love under
will that is perpetual happiness.
[NOTE]
He makes
with Paten and kisses it.
[He sets Paten on Altar and hands Lance to Priestess.]
[
The Fractio
]
He uncovers the Cup, genuflects, rises. Music.
He takes the Host, and breaks it over the Cup.
He replaces the right-hand portion in the Paten.
He breaks off a
particle
of the left-hand portion.
TOUTO ESTI TO SPERMA MOU. HO PATÊR ESTIN HO HUIOS DIA
TO PNEUMA HAGION.
AUMGN. AUMGN. AUMGN.
He replaces the left-hand part of the Host.
[
The Consignatio and Commixto
]
The PRIESTESS extends the Lance-point with her left hand to receive
the particle.
The PRIEST clasps the Cup in his left hand.
Together they depress the Lance-point in the Cup.
[NOTE]
The PRIEST and the PRIESTESS:
HRILIU
.
The PRIEST takes the Lance.
The PRIESTESS covers the Cup.
[
The
Epiklesis
]
The PRIEST [hands the Lance to the Priestess] genuflects, rises, bows, joins
hands. He strikes his breast.
The PRIEST:
O Lion and O Serpent that destroy the destroyer,
be mighty among us.
O Lion and O Serpent that destroy the destroyer, be mighty among
us.
O Lion and O Serpent that destroy the destroyer, be mighty among
us.
[NOTE]
[
The Consummation of the Elements
]
The PRIEST joins hands upon the breast of the PRIESTESS,
and takes back his Lance.
He turns to the People, lowers and raises the Lance, and makes
upon them.
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
The PEOPLE:
Love is the law, love under will.
He lowers the Lance, and turns to East.
The PRIESTESS takes the Lance in her right hand. With her left
hand she offers the Paten.
The PRIEST kneels.
The PRIEST:
In my mouth be the essence of the life of
the Sun.
He takes the Host with the right hand, makes
with it
on the Paten, and consumes it.
Silence.
The PRIESTESS takes, uncovers, and offers the Cup, as before.
The PRIEST:
In my mouth be the essence of the joy of the
earth!
He takes the Cup, makes
on the PRIESTESS, drains it
and returns it.
Silence.
He rises, takes the Lance, and turns to the PEOPLE.
The PRIEST:
There is no part of me that is not of the
Gods.
(Those of the PEOPLE who intend to communicate, and none
other should be present, having signified their intention, a whole
Cake of Light, and a
whole goblet of wine,
have been prepared for each one. The DEACON marshals them; they advance one by
one to the altar. The children take the Elements and offer them. The
PEOPLE communicate as did the PRIEST,
uttering the same words in an
attitude of Resurrection
: "There is no part of me that is not of the Gods." The exceptions to
this part of the ceremony are when it is of the nature of a celebration, in
which case none but the PRIEST communicate; or part of the ceremony of
marriage, when none other, save the two to be married, partake; part of
the ceremony of baptism, when only the child baptised partakes;
and of Confirmation at puberty, when only the persons confirmed
partake. The Sacrament may be reserved by the PRIEST, for administration
to the sick in their homes.
The PRIEST closes all within the veil.
[
The Benediction (Benedictio)
]
With the Lance he makes
on the people thrice, thus.
The PRIEST:
The LORD bless you.
The LORD enlighten your minds and comfort your
hearts and sustain your bodies.
The LORD bring you to the accomplishment of
your true Wills, the Great Work, the Summum Bonum, True Wisdom
and Perfect Happiness.
He goes out, the DEACON and Children following, into
the tomb of the West.
Music. (Voluntary.)
[NOTE]
NOTE: The PRIESTESS and other officers never partake of the Sacrament,
they being as it were part of the PRIEST himself.
[NOTE]
NOTE: Certain secret formulæ of this Mass are taught to the PRIEST
in his Ordination.
[NOTE]