View Full Version : The Book of the Law Study Group 3.1
1. Abrahadabra; the reward of Ra Hoor Khut.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/oto/index.htm
http://hermetic.com/crowley/index.html
http://lib.oto-usa.org/libri/liber0220.html
Other threads in this study group (http://www.tarotforum.net/showpost.php?p=1698733&postcount=7)
So I figured a good place to start, is with "who is Ra Hoor Khut". How come he can't spell his name the same way twice? Why is it "Ra Hoor Khut" here in Chapter 3 and not simply Horus, surely Horus should have his own chapter of the BoL, it is his Aeon after all!
Maybe more pertinent, if Ra-Hoor-Khut is the active aspect of Heru-ra-ha, a double god, how come his other passive half Hoor-par-kraat doesn't get a look in? Maybe that is why Crowley had to put a corrected version of the Stele of Revealing into his tarot deck :D And while we're talking about double gods, how come a double god's half is himself a double god (part Ra and part Horus). Does that make Horus 1/4 of Heru-ra-ha? :laugh:
You can see where I'm going with this right? Into lots of irritating questions :laugh:
Maybe a picture would be a good idea also.
http://www.luminist.org/images/RaHoorKhuit.jpg
I don't think Ra-Hoor-Khuit gets his own card in the Thoth deck. Nuit on the Star, Hadit on the Hermit, but Ra-Hoor-Khuit only appears on the Aeon, shared with Nuit, Hadit and Hoor-par-kraat. Strange!
Always Wondering
12-12-2010, 08:15
You can see where I'm going with this right? Into lots of irritating questions :laugh:
Oh good, it won't me just me with the irritating questions. And your questions are much more orginized and distinct than mine. Mostly I just have a generalized, what the heck? :laugh:
AW
Always Wondering
12-12-2010, 09:08
From Crowley's New Comment I must here say that I find myself in the greatest difficulty, again and again, in the comprehension of this chapter. It might be said roughly that at the end of the first five years of Silence (An 0-IV) I understood Chapter I; at the end of the second five years (an X-XIV) I understood Chapter II, ---
So we are in good company, Grigori. :laugh:
And what is a magical ego?
AW
I don't think Ra-Hoor-Khuit gets his own card in the Thoth deck.
Oh yes he does! Atu XVI The Tower [Or: War].
WAR transliterated into Hebrew is VAR, which is an anagram of AVR, Light!
Most people pick up on the destructive, violent, Martial aspect in this chapter. And well they should too! But isn't Ra-Hoor-Khuit meant to be a Solar god? Yes, but when there are obstructions, blockages, and misalignments with the Will, then R.H.K's beneficient Solar AVR is perceived as destructive Martial VAR. But whose fault is that? ;)
(See DuQuette's, The Magick of Aleister Crowley, chp.5. Read the discussion of Liber V vel Reguli. Pay particular attention to DuQuette's comments about the orientation of the magician and how that orientation effects the pentagrams and the direction of circumabulation. Once you've got this simple concept cracked, R.H.K. transforms from Mr Nasty }) into Mr Nice :D.)
So I figured a good place to start, is with "who is Ra Hoor Khut". How come he can't spell his name the same way twice?
Because the different spellings indicate different aspects of the god.
HRV RA HA = 418
RA HVVR = 418
RA HVVR KV = 444 (4 x 111)
(BITh AL - House of God = 443. Add Aleph to live in the House, 444.)
RA HVVR KVT = 453
(NPhSH ChIH. Nephesh-Chiah, Life, living creature. The Animal Soul in it's fullness.
Also BHMVTh, Behemoth. The land monster of Hebrew myth.)
RA HVVR KVIT = 463
(The Middle Pillar - Gimel + Samekh + Tav.)
Why is it "Ra Hoor Khut" here in Chapter 3 and not simply Horus, surely Horus should have his own chapter of the BoL, it is his Aeon after all!
See above. But also I think it's directing our attention to a specific manifestion of Horus. Today modern Egyptology calls that manifestation, Ra-Harakhte.
Harakhte, whose name meant 'Horus of the Horizon', and who was also called 'Horus of the Two Horizons', was the form which Horus took when his early characteristics as a god of light were emphasised. He was identified with Ra as he made his daily journey from the eastern to the western horizon, and especially with his Khepri and Atum aspects. The roles of the two gods became inextricably mixed, and under their combined authority Ra-Harakhte held sway over all Egypt. He was represented as a falcon or a falcon-headed man wearing the solar disk and triple crown or the uraeus and atef crown.
Egyptian Mythology by Veronica Ions, p.69
Maybe more pertinent, if Ra-Hoor-Khut is the active aspect of Heru-ra-ha, a double god, how come his other passive half Hoor-par-kraat doesn't get a look in?
If there's any talking to be done than the active, manifesting aspect takes charge. Hoor-par-kraat says :shhh:
Contemplating the difference between the Fool and the Magus might help.
And while we're talking about double gods, how come a double god's half is himself a double god (part Ra and part Horus). Does that make Horus 1/4 of Heru-ra-ha?
Ra-Hoor is a composite. One, not two.
If it were possible for you to actually perform Liber V vel Reguli while standing on your head, then (from your upside-down point of view) the zodiac would run counterclockwise, and the pentagrams would be upright.
The Magick of Aleister Crowley, p.93
In Liber V vel Reguli the magician sets up an annihilatory current with a widdershins circumabulation. Then he/she draws averse pentagrams in the four quarters. These pentagrams were used to illustrate the 5's in the Thoth Tarot. (5 - Geburah, Mars.) As Crowley tells us in the Book of Thoth, the 5 cards are not evil, they merely represent motion coming to the aid of matter. A rigid, fixed, and static situation is broken up causing "storm and stress".
But the orientation of this ritual is flipped because Leo and Aquarius are on the wrong sides. This means that the pentagrams are really upright and the circumabulation was actually deosil. If you are in line with the Will, and hence the Universe, then you are also in line with the flipped orientation of Reguli (up-side down). This makes Reguli an energizing deosil-Solar invocation. (Solar R.H.K. Mr Nice. :D)
If you are not in line with the Will, and hence the Universe, then you are subject to the annihilatory current and the averse pentagrams. (Martial R.H.K. Mr Nasty. }))
In each case the same current is being invoked, but the magicians orientation to that current determines whether it is experienced as Solar or Martial. This is why some people think Reguli is awesome, and other people have really bad experiences with it. Then they blame the ritual and claim it's a trap set by Crowley. When in actual fact the ritual was telling them something about themselves. Such is human nature. :rolleyes:
Dwtw
In the Holograph MS, the first five lines of chapter three begin with the letters: AT WAR
Abraahadabra
There
word
aught
Ra-Hoor-Khuit
Note also that the first word of the chapter is misspelled, and has an extra 'a' in it. No wonder "spelling is defunct"!
Including the extra letter 'a', these five words sum to 394 by the Trigrammaton Gematria, with these equivalents:
I invoke, I greet Thy presence, O Ra-Hoor-Khuit! = 394
Let the woman be girt with a sword before me: = 394
In base 3, the decimal number 394 is written 112121; this is the 37th hexagram of the I Ching, known as the Family or the Household.
"THE IMAGE
Wind comes forth from fire: The image of THE FAMILY. Thus the superior man has substance in his words and duration in his way of life. Heat creates energy: this is signified by the wind stirred up by the fire and issuing forth form it. This represents influence working from within outward. In order to be capable of producing such an influence, one's words must have power, and this they can have only if they are based on something real, just as flame depends on its fuel. Words have influence only when they are pertinent and clearly related to definite circumstances. General discourses and admonitions have no effect whatsoever. Furthermore, the words must be supported by one's entire conduct... if words and conduct are not in accord and consistent, they will have no effect. "
In the text of Liber CCXX, the extra letter in Abrahadabra does not appear, (nor does the exclamation point after this word!), so the total of the 'AT WAR' words is only 389 in that text:
389 = Hoor in his secret name and splendour
Litlluw
RLG
ravenest
13-12-2010, 08:24
... If you are in line with the Will, and hence the Universe, then you are also in line with the flipped orientation of Reguli (up-side down). This makes Reguli an energizing deosil-Solar invocation. (Solar R.H.K. Mr Nice. :D)
And this this is the reward ... the 'word' ?
And this this is the reward ... the 'word' ?
It is?
If you are not in line with the Will, and hence the Universe, then you are subject to the annihilatory current and the averse pentagrams. (Martial R.H.K. Mr Nasty. }))
Hmmm, so now we reach the first line that makes me uncomfortable. It seems RHK just became Jehovah, Westboro Baptist style... Do things the right way or I'll smite you down?...
And this this is the reward ... the 'word' ?
The reward is the 5=6 attainment in Tiphareth. The Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. Horus is an image, a "visible object of worship", representing that attainment.
This third chapter captures the essential spirit of the pre-Adept work. War! (TzBA = 93. Host, army.) The battle of conquest is the internal battle with the self.
Hmmm, so now we reach the first line that makes me uncomfortable. It seems RHK just became Jehovah, Westboro Baptist style... Do things the right way or I'll smite you down?...
Lets put it this way. What happens if you insist on working against your own Will, your own Angel? The result is what we call Karma. It is those experiences, sometimes painful, that are designed to steer us back in the right direction. But it is not punishment.
Look at the path of Lamed (Adjustment - Justice), in between Solar Tiphareth and Martial Geburah. Every time we stray from the balanaced middle way of the Will, then the scales have to be re-balanced with Geburah
My favourite Karma song. Radiohead - Just
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIFLtNYI3Ls
Picture the scene. Grigori in his car driving down Highway 93 to Abrahadabra City. The sun is shining, birds are singing, and everything is fine. :D Suddenly he pulls a handbrake turn and starts driving the wrong way down the road. Naturally there's a lot of on-coming traffic. Grigori grips the wheel and desparately tries to dodge the other cars. "Where the hell did all this traffic come from? Why am I being punished like this?" he yells. (Well duhh! Isn't it obvious? :rolleyes:)
Flashing lights and sirens announce the arrival of the Law. "Pull over! Thou hast no right but to do thy Will." "Turn the car around or expect the direful judgments of Ra Hoor Khuit!"
"This is so unfair!" screams Grigori. "I don't deserve to be punished like this. It's not my fault."
CRASH!
I guess I'm always uncomfortable when people attach a measure of morality to a negative outcome. Anything that rings to the tune of "You're being punished for being bad because of the time that you..." = :mad: I guess a lot depends on who is writing the road rules. I'm more comfortable with a karmic balance which is in my understanding devoid of judgements in terms of good and evil bartered for rewards or punishments. Maybe that can be seen as accepting what is, rather than a focus on some imaginary ideal, wrapped up in a one size fits all jumpsuit.
The reward is the 5=6 attainment in Tiphareth. The Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. Horus is an image, a "visible object of worship", representing that attainment.
5=6 also makes me think of 5->6, or Geburah joined to Tipareth via Libra. I see a fitting similarity there to the idea of RHK as a composite god, Mars and Sun, and also a figurehead for HGA.
Dwtw
In the Holograph MS, the first five lines of chapter three begin with the letters: AT WAR
Abraahadabra
There
word
aught
Ra-Hoor-Khuit
Note also that the first word of the chapter is misspelled, and has an extra 'a' in it.
Thanks RLG, i've not been looking at the manuscript much, a good reminder. Image for folks http://lib.oto-usa.org/libri/liber0031.html?num=45
I guess I'm always uncomfortable when people attach a measure of morality to a negative outcome.
When did morality come into it? We're talking about the Will here. The natural orbit of your Star. You can either work with it, or against it. And if you choose the latter then you suffer the consequences until you correct your course. Karma, cause and effect - natural Law. Not some petty human concept of Justice. Isn't this why Crowley decided to rename Atu VIII Adjustment?
5=6 also makes me think of 5->6, or Geburah joined to Tipareth via Libra. I see a fitting similarity there to the idea of RHK as a composite god, Mars and Sun, and also a figurehead for HGA.
The corresponding Hebrew letter, Lamed, is spelt Lamed - Mem - Daleth, LMD. The total value is 74. That number should be ringing Middle Pillar bells right now. ;)
Lamed is the "Ox-goad". It also means "to teach" and "to discipline". The Ox-goad is a stick to prod the Ox with to make it plough in straight lines (Middle Pillar). Everytime the Ox deviates from the Willed course it gets a Karmic prod to get it back into line. No morals, just natural Law.
Aleph - Ox - Fool.
Lamed - Ox-goad - Adjustment.
Liber AL ;)
You're into astrology Grigori, so the fact that Staurn is exalted in Libra and ruled by Venus should give you lots to think about.
There may be lessons to be learnt, but the guiding principle is always Love.
Always Wondering
14-12-2010, 02:51
I'm more comfortable with a karmic balance which is in my understanding devoid of judgements in terms of good and evil bartered for rewards or punishments. Maybe that can be seen as accepting what is, rather than a focus on some imaginary ideal, wrapped up in a one size fits all jumpsuit.
The word Reward pushes my buttons too. I have been pondering over Crowley's comment.
Observe firstly the word "reward", which is to be compared with the words "hiding" and "manifestation" in the former chapters. To 're-ward' is to 'guard again'; this word Abrahadabra then is also to be considered as a Sentinel before the Fortress of the God.
I get the feeling of re-affirmation and standing vigilant, as in awareness. To remember that I am more than a personality. When I am able to be in this state of awareness ordeals seem less personal as in a, god is out to get me, type way.
But then we have, "hiding", "manifestation", and "awareness" which doesn't seem to string together so well in my mind. So I don't have a grip on it yet, just a little less resistance.
AW
Yygdrasilian
14-12-2010, 03:28
Between Two Horizons: the Noon-day Sun
Illumination manifests in different forms, and thus different names are formulated within the Shen rings of the Mage.
But then we have, "hiding", "manifestation", and "awareness" which doesn't seem to string together so well in my mind.
I:1. Had! The manifestation of Nuit.
II:1. Nu! the hiding of Hadit.
III:1 Abrahadabra; the reward of Ra Hoor Khut.
Does anybody know, why the '!' of the MS got changed into a ';'?
I picture in my mind (with no good reason), that AC put the '!' in afterwards (the ink looks different). Just for formal reasons, to be in line with the other two chapters.
When he transcribed it later on, he changed it back, because he tuned in to his memory of the transmission again, and he remembered.
I picture in my mind (with no good reason), that AC put the '!' in afterwards (the ink looks different).
Why? I don't know. But I do know that the verse numbering and a lot of the punctuation was added later.
I:36 basically says Crowley could add punctuation as he saw fit, but he was not to mess with the letters.
I believe the verses 1 to 22 of this chapter are meant to be attributed to the 22 ATU.
This should be generally applicable, but I will have a hack at this in the line of the ... ahem ... Perfected Tree of Life in the appropriate thread.
I believe the verses 1 to 22 of this chapter are meant to be attributed to the 22 ATU.
I've toyed with that idea myself. A perfect fit seems difficult, but there are places where the symbolism comes togther.
It's also worth noting that although the third chapter has 75 numbered verses, the final 3 lines would bring the total to 78. The same as a full Tarot deck.
Bellona, scream! Unhood the Hawks! The roar
Of Universes crashing into War!
This (http://westsounds.com/flash_player/flash_track.php?type=1&id=2242412) (Space Cube - Destroy) is still one of my favorite tekkno tunes.
(sounds a little muffled, but the other samples had too little bass)
It is not so far off topic as it might seem at first sight.
Destroying, burning up your thoughts as the Phoenix here binds together:
1. dance as a meditational device and
2. the vengeance + war plot line of Wax or the Discovery of Television Among the Bees (http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/wax/english/1movie/1all/T/3/3a2a4a1.html)
But what I like most about it, is the introduction of an air horn as a musical instrument.
"Viertel vor sechs.
Das große Tor wird aufgemacht ... ein Heer von Menschen strömt herein"
-
"A quarter to six.
The big gate is opened ... an army of people floods in"
Always Wondering
14-12-2010, 07:39
My favourite Karma song. Radiohead - Just
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIFLtNYI3Ls
:laugh: Love it.
This (Space Cube - Destroy) is still one of my favorite tekkno tunes.
I saw "Space Cube" and thought it was going to be more geometry. :| I've really got to get out of my classic rock slump.
2. the vengeance + war plot line of Wax or the Discovery of Television Among the Bees
:laugh: I thought for sure the book was going to be Liber Al Vel Legis and that you had found the center of pestilence.
AW
ravenest
14-12-2010, 09:39
The reward is the 5=6 attainment in Tiphareth. The Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. Horus is an image, a "visible object of worship", representing that attainment.
So are you seeing this as equating to Abrahadabra?
I'm kinda reading it like this.
I:1. Had! (IS) The manifestation of Nuit.
II:1. Nu! (IS) the hiding of Hadit.
III:1 Abrahadabra; (IS)the reward of Ra Hoor Khut.
ravenest
14-12-2010, 09:48
Some Australian Aboriginal groups acknowledge Bungil, he lives in the sky, is also an eagle (or eaglehawk) has a red eye and relates to Mars. His job is to punish those that break the Law. If you did, you could be assured of direfull judgement, if you followed the law you were rewarded with a good stable social group, environment and resources ... that could last tens of thousands of years.
Break the law and you were punished, firstly, immediatly and then later all were 'punished' with the results that the wrong action generated.
Liber Librae (again!):
12. Remember that unbalanced force is evil; that unbalanced severity is but cruelty and oppression; but that also unbalanced mercy is but weakness which would allow and abet Evil. ...
When did morality come into it? We're talking about the Will here. The natural orbit of your Star. You can either work with it, or against it. And if you choose the latter then you suffer the consequences until you correct your course. Karma, cause and effect - natural Law. Not some petty human concept of Justice. Isn't this why Crowley decided to rename Atu VIII Adjustment?
Yes, I was talking through the difference I guess, not equalizing them. Though the difference between Good/Bad and Will/Not-Will may not be a big one, depending on perspective. Both imply there is a correct and supernaturally sanctioned intention, the variation would seem to be who determines that intention, who/what corrects it's deviations, and to what end.
So are you seeing this as equating to Abrahadabra?
If you mean K&C, then yes.
As I've already said, Abrahadabra is primarilly symbolic of the 5=6 attainment. It is the union of the microcosm and the macrocosm. (5 A's + 6 consonants. 11 letters in total.)
Nu(56) + Had(10) = 65 - ADNI, Adonai the Holy Guardian Angel. Horus is symbolic of this attainment and the HGA. As he says later on he is the "visible object of worship".
ADNI 65 = LVX, Lux Light.
207 = Aur, Light.
Verse 207. To Me do ye reverence; to me come ye through tribulation of ordeal, which is bliss.
AVR HRV, Light of Horus - 418
Both imply there is a correct and supernaturally sanctioned intention
Yes, it's called the Will. ;)
But hey, you've got this thing called free will. You can do whatever you want, right? You can fight against your inner nature, because your ego knows what's best for it. "I am Grigori, hear me roar! To hell with the universe!"
Oh really... })
Or you can Choose to align yourself with the Will, and thus the Universe.
Chapter III set to music. It's very good. :)
http://www.thelemacoasttocoast.com/archives/29
It begins just after 17 minutes through the podcast.
Always Wondering
15-12-2010, 03:33
Chapter III set to music. It's very good. :)
http://www.thelemacoasttocoast.com/archives/29
It begins just after 17 minutes through the podcast.
I didn't know about these. Thanks.
AW
And what is a magical ego?
Generally speaking,
I think you could say a Magical Ego is a constructed personality
to serve as a vehicle for the Will, who chose it as his garment.
You could also deliberatly erect a Magical Ego to counter your common ego,
as a tool to shatter it.
Now, being an ego itself, the Magical Ego eventually has to be left behind.
Hopefully, one can still let go then. :)
The "new comment" for this verse
who is Khu? He is the Magical Ego of a Star. refers to earlier comments Khabs is the secret Light or L.V.X.; the Khu is the magical entity of a man. I find later (Sun in Virgo, An VII) that Khabs means star. This 'star' or 'Inmost Light' is the original, individual, eternal essence.
The Khu is the magical garment which it weaves for itself, a 'form' for its Being Beyond Form,
by use of which it can gain experience through self-consciousness, as explained in the note to verses 2 and 3.
This Khu is the first veil, far subtler than mind or body, and truer;
for its symbolic shape depends on the nature of its Star.Each of us is Hadit, the core of our Khabs, our Star, one of the Company of Heaven;
but this Khabs needs a Khu or Magical Image, in order to play its part in the Great Drama.
This Khu, again, needs the proper costume, a suitable 'body of flesh', and this costume must be worthy of the Play.
Always Wondering
15-12-2010, 08:27
Oh dear. So we are back to the Khabs is in the Khu again.
I just hadn't thought of the Khu as an ego. Hmmm. I better go read Erwin Hessle's paper again.
Thanks Zero.
AW
I:36 basically says Crowley could add punctuation as he saw fit, but he was not to mess with the letters.
Sometimes I think, it's the Khu that is the letters.
The stops are called by the Khabs, which sets parts in or out of function.
Like genes in the DNA get switched on and off. They are still there, but unused or differently used.
Abrahadabra: the reward of Ra Horr KhutAnd suddenly: the reward, being Ra Hoor Khut.
Or, if abrahadbra is a verb:
Enchant the reward, being Ra Hoor Khut.
Probably to get this darn i back in, to make him walk like an Egyptian God should.