Help with Context for Book of Law

I am a newbie in Tarot and my first deck is Thoth based, the Rosetta Tarot. Last year I learned about the Kabbalah and been playing around with that. I recently learned about the Holy Guardian Angel, and with that, exploring True Will and Love is the Law, and now backtracking to actually read the Book of Law.

My understanding is that AC felt his HGA revealed to him, this information over a few days. Does anyone know the story of why it is numbered, why it is disjointed? And I can understand a bit about Nuit, being the expansion, growth, and Hadit being the seed, sperm, inner essence. But the third part, with Ra-Huir-Kuit, really felt off balance, like there had been some change, some thing different happen before this part was revealed.

If I remember right, it was an hour for each chapter, each day. I will try to find a reference.

Here is an easy, but maybe not the best, link to get you started.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_the_Law The reference is in the Equinox.

I like the three different voices from three different god heads theory myself. At first Chapter Three really stood out to me as well, upon further study all Chapters seem very different. The best advice I got was not to take any chapter literally. As intimidated as I was by Chapter Three I actually have the hardest time connecting to Chapter Two at this point.

AW

In 1936 Crowley published The Equinox of the Gods. This book was his attempt late in life to present the events and circumstances leading up and including the dictation of The Book of the Law. It should answer most of your questions.

http://hermetic.com/crowley/equinox-of-the-gods/

Crowley's account of the reception of the BOL is specifically in The Equinox of the Gods, Ch.7. He says, "The three days were precisely similar, save that on the last day I became nervous lest I should fail to hear the Voice of Aiwass." So apparently day three wasn't significantly different from the first two.

Ch.7, Part 1 is particularly interesting. First he describes Ra-Hoor-Khuit as the Lord of the Aeon who avenges "Isis our mother the Earth and the Heaven for the murder and mutilation of Osiris, Man, her son." The paragraph that immediately follows contains some good insight into Crowley's mindset. He describes himself in language used in the New Testament to describe Christ. It's clear he saw himself as a type of New Aeon messiah; but if you read between the lines, he may have also thought he was an actual incarnation of RHK. I think Crowley saw it as his mission in life to avenge all the perceived wrongs of the past, and this third chapter is a fitting reflection of this.

Abrac said:

He describes himself in language used in the New Testament to describe Christ. It's clear he saw himself as a type of New Aeon messiah; but if you read between the lines, he may have also thought he was an actual incarnation of RHK. I think Crowley saw it as his mission in life to avenge all the perceived wrongs of the past, and this third chapter is a fitting reflection of this.

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A deeper reading will also disclose that what was true for Crowley is also true for everyone else. Who needs a Messiah in this Aeon when your task is to save yourself. In the symbolic language of The Book of the Law we're all the potential incarnation of Ra-Hoor-Khuit.

While I am not yet asorbing all that he is getting at, Crowley's words on Shin and Theth are awesome.

Teeth are displayed when our Secret Self --our Subconscious Ego, whose Magical Image is our individuality expressed in mental and bodily form --our Holy Guardian Angel --comes forth and declares our True Will to our fellows, whether to snarl or to sneer, to smile or to laugh.

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Karrma said:

... And I can understand a bit about Nuit, being the expansion, growth, and Hadit being the seed, sperm, inner essence. But the third part, with Ra-Huir-Kuit, really felt off balance, like there had been some change, some thing different happen before this part was revealed.

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To be totally weird about it

Ch 1; Genesis and the Garden of Eden with no restriction on eating the apple.

Ch 2; New Testament.

Ch. 3 . Revelations.

Looking at it from a totally different perspective:

In a tradition I am learning in (Indigenous Australian) it is one of the most considerate and caring and forgiving on a real level I have ever encountered. Its cosmology and teaching on relation to deity and environment (mother) I can relate to Ch 1. The dynamics for an individual I can relate to Ch 2 .

But, if you break the 'Law' ( i.e. 'your' law if you are an initiate or tribal member ) then it is very like Ch 3. !

Also in their traditions they have ;

Bungil (eagle or hawk), who has one red eye ( I have yet to be taught how he lost the other) , he is also the planet Mars, he is the 'policeman' (totem of the tribal people who are allowed to police and punish others) ... if you break the Law you will have to deal with him. He / they can be harsh and will hunt you down until the job is done.

It seems a great contrast to their other qualities, but I believe that is because they understand nature of various human types quiet well.

Their system worked for tens of thousands of years until interfered with by the unjust harshness and unbalanced severity of the invading whites, now coupled with 'soft' administration of 'justice'.

“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.”

ravenest said:

But, if you break the 'Law' ( i.e. 'your' law if you are an initiate or tribal member ) then it is very like Ch 3. !

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I agree. Also the opening of chapter 3 sets the stage by saying that things are already (individually and collectively) off balance and messed up. So if you were expecting the benign Solar Horus at this point, bad luck! The majority of chapter 3 is presented in the voice of the Martial aspect of Horus who is in a serious Atu XVI mood.

Aeon418 said:

In 1936 Crowley published The Equinox of the Gods. This book was his attempt late in life to present the events and circumstances leading up and including the dictation of The Book of the Law. It should answer most of your questions.

http://hermetic.com/crowley/equinox-of-the-gods/

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I am bothered by the fact that Crowley did not do any protection prior or banishing after his experience with waiter and with his revelations?

How did I know this, months ago, before I read this?

Karrma said:

I am bothered by the fact that Crowley did not do any protection prior or banishing after his experience with waiter and with his revelations?

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The omission of the standard banishings seems to be entirely consistent with the nature of the working.

Aleister Crowley said:

The revealing of the Ritual (by W. the Seer) consisted chiefly in a prohibition of all formulae hitherto used, as will be seen from the text written below.

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Crowley was following Rose' intructions at that point. Just before the Invocation of Horus on the 20th March when he suggested a preliminary banishing via the Pentagram and Hexagram rituals, Rose simply replied, "Omit." Crowley may have had his own ideas and methods, but in this instance he was being told what to do.

Besides the Invocation of Horus has a very Martial feel to it and requires the magician to assume the annihilatory sign of Apophis lots of times. By the end of it you are absolutely buzzing. Anything that isn't banished before hand is already long gone by the time you get to the end.