AL - Secret key of the Book of Law?

Well, Adjustment time, and after a few days pondering it, it seems either too easy, or too complicated. In any case, a few questions came up right off the bat:

Why is this card "the final adjustment for the Tetragrammaton?" Of all the cards, why is it this one in which "the daughter, redeemed by her marriage with the Son, take her Mother's throne and awakes the Father. Not that I have a problem with it, just don't understand why. Is it because of the duality inherent in the marriage, necessitating a constant adjustment by being one thing then another? I'm confused.

What is the "secret key" of the Book of Law pertaining to Aleph Lamed? I can understand why it is so Qabalistically as the ox-goad leading the ox into constructive things, but what connection does it have with the BoL, other than the name? I'm imagining something along the lines of "all numbers are infinite, there is no difference," in that the swinging of Adjustment like a pendulum implies each action contains within it its own contradiction, which is why all Sephiroth have counterparts balancing them, Contradictions resolved = The Fool.

closrapexa said:

Well, Adjustment time, and after a few days pondering it, it seems either too easy, or too complicated. In any case, a few questions came up right off the bat:

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My take on this is quiet self-referential and might need some reference to my astrological 'tree' (in the GD section), but anyway ...

closrapexa said:

Why is this card "the final adjustment for the Tetragrammaton?"

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Because it represents a final process in the development of the human personal/social feedback loop and that feedback to function properly requires a final adjustment to the information received.

closrapexa said:

Of all the cards, why is it this one in which "the daughter, redeemed by her marriage with the Son, take her Mother's throne and awakes the Father.

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See the card in its association with Ma'at. Ma'at represents what we might call the social collective unconscious and our individual relationship with the outer or transpersonal planets in relation to the mores and taboos of the social system we are in and its feedback helps develop principles of the Super-ego to modulate the Id and hence form the middle-ground of Ego expression.

closrapexa said:

Not that I have a problem with it, just don't understand why. Is it because of the duality inherent in the marriage, necessitating a constant adjustment by being one thing then another? I'm confused.

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It is confusing to see it in polarity or 'digitally' . I prefer the dual feedback outlook (and again to use my astrological metaphor ... and keep it as simple as I can );

Ego interacts with environment and learns, information is passed 'up' into the transpersonal realm (feedback) and adjustments are made there. This info is then passed back (Ma'at) as a socially regulating system (justice, law, taboo etc.; human concepts that are 'lifted up' as cosmic or divine principles), these then 'filter down' to effect ego via Super- ego regulations and create adjustment in ego expression with the environment (self's social and environmental expression and interaction); the ego, in its reaction with 'Ma'at' has been adjusted and now reacts in the environment differently ... and learns and feedback the info up to .... etc. ... it’s a biofeedback loop.

The daughter is the world. the prince the ego the mother Ma'at and the father the old (but changing through feedback) mores and taboos.

closrapexa said:

What is the "secret key" of the Book of Law pertaining to Aleph Lamed?

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Anhanolium Lewenni (sic?)

or, to be less controversial (?) Both letters describe an important process (key) in understanding many things including the BoL . LIber Al seems to be setting up a new system of collective and outer energies to modify or adjust the current social collective mores and taboos.

closrapexa said:

I can understand why it is so Qabalistically as the ox-goad leading the ox into constructive things, but what connection does it have with the BoL, other than the name? I'm imagining something along the lines of "all numbers are infinite, there is no difference," in that the swinging of Adjustment like a pendulum implies each action contains within it its own contradiction, which is why all Sephiroth have counterparts balancing them, Contradictions resolved = The Fool.

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I am seeing adjustment as the process (as above) and the Fool as the one on the journey (or the Ego) - The map and the traveller.

I think the riddle makes a little sense when you consider what Crowley wrote in his comment on the Four of Cups:

"Four is the number of the Curse of Limitation, of Restriction. It is the blind and barren Cross of equal arms, Tetragrammaton in his fatal aspect of finality, as the Qabalists knew him before the discovery of the Revolving Formula whereby the Daughter, seated upon the Throne of the Mother, 'awakens the Eld of the All-Father.'"

The Revolving Formula seems to be the key. It begins in silence with The Fool (Aleph) and ends in silence with Adjustment (Lamed), or "The Woman Satisfied." Satisfied in the sense of perfect equilibrium represented by the balanced scales. She is the Omega of Alpha-Omega.

I believe the "secret key" could possibly be the Revolving Formula itself, the A-L, or Alpha-Omega.

I thought it was all about AL (EL, Alef-Lamed), God, being LA (Not, No).

LAL (61,AIN)= Crowley's "0=2" formula - nothing is everything, at once. So stop worrying and have fun.

LA(L) Not
(L)AL God (everything - pantheism really)

The balance is A, Alef, and Alef is the Fool, Zero in the Tarot. So the two L's represent the two scales in the balance, and the simultaneously empty/full middle is the mystery of creation, the "woman satisfied".

Imagine the scales looking like this (sorry about the formatting, but the limbs of the A (0) should be imagined growing down into the TWO mirror L's)

........A
._....⅃ L

In the 0=2 equation, the missing term is obviously 1. The doctrine is that 1 cannot "be", cannot know itself as such. It can only "know" itself by division, represented by 2 (standing for "everything"). It can only know itself in relation to another thing. For knowledge, there must be a knower and a thing known.

Of course, the One can only, first, know Nothing. This is the first division. In the knowledge of Nothing (0), Everything (2) is created. So the marriage of 1 and 0 is 2. Alef and Lamed are Lamed and Alef. Simultaneously, infinitely, and eternally.

I don't think it is 'all about' one thing, it probably incorporates many things.

Very thought-provoking replies. I think I begin to understand, at least superficially. Lamed is the path connecting Geburah to Tiphareth, introducing or rather carrying out, the idea that every action has an effect, by virtue of balancing Yod on the Tree and by being the "ox goad." Adjustment seems to be the natural development of Fortune, the machinery of positive action by ensuring that every positive action has a negative reaction, which in turn becomes a positive action that must be negatively reacted upon, and so forth. In this way it carries out the laws set forth in Binah, in much the same way Binah is created when the line of Chochma goes "somehwere" by virtue of going "anywhere." The formula of 0=2 is thus demonstrated.

I also understand slightly better Adjustment being the feminine counterpart to the Fool, again illustrating the interplay between Chochma and Binah. While I am still sketchy about the connection with the Princess, I'll get to it in time. Right now these are mainly my preliminary thoughts on the card, without going too deep.

Astraea, goddess of Justice attributed to Libra, makes an interesting connection. The last immortal to remain in mortal lands, she left when humanity's wickedness appalled her. Looked at more abstractly, the departure was not a punishment, but a natural consequence, a reaction. Her mother was Themis, goddess of order, measure and good form, which could illustrate very well Lamed carrying out practically the abstract rules of Binah.

Understanding the secret key is more difficult, obviously, but again the interplay idea, as well as the equation of 0=2 gives a hint. The Fool can't go anywhere without his girlfriend, as she is omnipresent even in the point's recognition of itself, otherwise such an act wouldn't be possible, and from One which is Not (לא) and is Zero we get 2 and 3 as a natural tumble down. Without her, his existence is meaningless. Adjustment can't go anywhere without her boyfriend either, as she yearns for his continual interaction. Each is, in effect, created by the other, illustrating, perhaps, Love under Will. Thus Adjustment is the "Woman satisfied" on one hand, yet is always yearning for more. This can be Hadit interacting in Nuit, I'm guessing.

Well, that's all I've got for now, I've been on this card only a few days. I hope I haven't bored anyone, writing these things down helps me order my notes. I hope to focus on the Tetragrammaton in the coming days, to understand the daughter aspect better. I suspect it has something to do with the reciprocation of K&C, which Aeon told me a few days ago where it actually happens.

Sometimes you think about something for a few days, and make no epiphanic progress, then suddenly it comes to you. I really love the "woman satisfied" aspect here, and I've been thinking about the special relationship of Aleph and Lamed, and it makes perfect sense. Every action is one of "making love" to Babalon and so she is the perfect consort for the breath of creation, she is the end result of all his beginnings. Venus and Saturn put on a pageant illustrating the connection to Binah, Netzach, and the Universe (Atu XXI) quite beautifully. This card also demonstrates why "Existence is joy."

Reread the first chapter of Liber Al today, suddenly makes so much more sense!

I've been continuing my consideration of the relationship between Adjustment and the Fool, and I have reached some interesting results, at least internally. So beautiful is the connection, this is quickly becoming one of my favorite cards.

However, I still find it hard to place the Princess in there. Let's say the two follow the rules of Chochma and Binah, where Binah is created simultaneously with Chochma, as a line needs to go somewhere, and the space is created around it. Now, that being done, Adjustment, in this case, "gives birth" to a new Fool, as I see implied here that every reaction is in itself an action, beginning the cycle anew. But the seems to be missing, if put in the context of the Tetragrammaton. Both are omnipresent but because of that it feels as if the "second" Adjustment is identical to the first, and the same goes for the second Fool. Is it because of the place? Reaching Lust through Geburah and then K&C?

If this card is connected to Babalon, yet more illuminations emerge.

This is the Mystery of Babylon, the Mother of Abominations, and this is the mystery of her adulteries, for she hath yielded up herself to everything that liveth, and hath become a partaker in its mystery. And because she hath made her self the servant of each, therefore is she become the mistress of all. Not as yet canst thou comprehend her glory.
Beautiful art thou, O Babylon, and desirable, for thou hast given thyself to everything that liveth, and thy weakness hath subdued their strength. For in that union thou didst understand. Therefore art thou called Understanding, O Babylon, Lady of the Night!

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In her capacity as consort of the Fool, the Hadit that burns in the heart of every man, she denies no one, and everyone and everything fulfills the cyclic coming to her and born of her as an endless array of Fools. This connects this card to Lust, as (I'm guessing) to understand the interplay between the Cause of the Fool and Effect of Adjustment is to annihilate the ego and all separation and (perhaps?) reach the City of Pyramids beyond the Abyss. I don't know if I would even call her the consort of the Fool, but a female Fool, all innocence in her all-encompassing end as he is in his omnipresent beginning.

Sorry for harping on and on, I just really, really love this card, it's very exciting! Still having trouble with the Princess though.