Book of Law Study Group 1.50
Aeon418
To get the ball rolling I'll make a couple of observations about the first sentence.
"There is a word to say about the Hierophantic task. Behold!"
This is the last verse in the Heh series of verses. In Biblical tradition the letter Heh is the letter of revelation. The letter through which the divine reveals itself to humanity. The Hierophantic task? The letter Heh literally means "Behold". It is the letter of Nuit.
This theme of the progressive revelation of the divine plan through the letter Heh begins in the book of Genesis with the Abrahamic Covenant. God, under the name AL ShDI (El Shaddai), makes a pact with Abram and his wife Sarai. To mark this pact he changed their names with the letter Heh.
Abram (ABRM) became Abraham (ABRHM)
Sarai (ShRI) became Sarah (ShRH)
Note that both the old and new names added together still have the same numerical value, 753.
"There is a word to say about the Hierophantic task. Behold!"
This is the last verse in the Heh series of verses. In Biblical tradition the letter Heh is the letter of revelation. The letter through which the divine reveals itself to humanity. The Hierophantic task? The letter Heh literally means "Behold". It is the letter of Nuit.
This theme of the progressive revelation of the divine plan through the letter Heh begins in the book of Genesis with the Abrahamic Covenant. God, under the name AL ShDI (El Shaddai), makes a pact with Abram and his wife Sarai. To mark this pact he changed their names with the letter Heh.
Abram (ABRM) became Abraham (ABRHM)
Sarai (ShRI) became Sarah (ShRH)
Note that both the old and new names added together still have the same numerical value, 753.
Grigori
Aeon418 said:
Interesting I read this sentence with quite different punctuation,
and didn't link "behold" as the "word" but rather the entire sentance as the "word" as in "having a word" or a little chat
I'm wondering what a Hierophantic task is? My best guess is it related to the previous line "Ra-Hoor-Khuit hath taken his seat in the East at the Equinox of the Gods". So the Hierophantic task would now be the role of Ra-Hoor-Khuit.
Aeon418 said:
What else is a Hierophantic task? A teacher, initiator, leader?
Aeon418
A similar transformation via the letter Heh occurs in the final verse of Liber 65, chapter 5. This time a new pentagrammaton is formed.
The symbol is now completed by the introduction of Nuit into its midst. Compare the similar appearance of Shin in IHVH.
What letter, then significant of Nuit, will transmute ADNI as Shin does IHVH? The usual letter is Heh, "The Star,'' Atu XVII, (Aquarius) We thus obtain a Pentagrammaton whose value is 70, Ayin, the Eye, Set or Saturn, Atu XV "The Devil."
Crowley's commentary: Cf. verse 14: meditate strictly upon the propriety of the first appearance of this particular symbol in just this place.
The symbol is now completed by the introduction of Nuit into its midst. Compare the similar appearance of Shin in IHVH.
What letter, then significant of Nuit, will transmute ADNI as Shin does IHVH? The usual letter is Heh, "The Star,'' Atu XVII, (Aquarius) We thus obtain a Pentagrammaton whose value is 70, Ayin, the Eye, Set or Saturn, Atu XV "The Devil."
Aeon418
The original manuscript is somewhat ambiguous on this point.similia said:
http://lib.oto-usa.org/libri/liber0031.html?num=13
In printed editions the word following Behold is lower case and gives the impression of one continuous sentence. But in the manuscript it's not so clear. The word Behold! can be seen as a sentence in it's own right.
But I will be the first to admit that my focus on the word Behold is intuitive. To me the exclamation mark at the end says "look at me. I'm important".
Aeon418
I think I've made a hash out of this one. So I'll try again. 
Similia, I'm sure you remember the discussion about Thelema and elitism? How the perceived elitism was actually nothing of the sort, because the status of Thelemite wasn't something you could be given. It had to be earned the hard way through work on the self and undergoing the "ordeals" that naturally occur as part of the process.
This is why I was trying to draw attention to the importance of the letter Heh and the significance it has in the establishment of a Covenant. In the past the Abrahamic Covenant was conceived as an inheritance by birth. You were either born one of the "Chosen", or you weren't.
The new Covenant is based on Strength (Oz the Goat). Only those who earn the right, by passing the ordeals, will be able to enter into it. This is what is being pointed at in the transformation of ADNI (Adonai) into the new pentagrammaton of ADHNI and it's value of 70 - Ayin - The Devil.
Similia, I'm sure you remember the discussion about Thelema and elitism? How the perceived elitism was actually nothing of the sort, because the status of Thelemite wasn't something you could be given. It had to be earned the hard way through work on the self and undergoing the "ordeals" that naturally occur as part of the process.
This is why I was trying to draw attention to the importance of the letter Heh and the significance it has in the establishment of a Covenant. In the past the Abrahamic Covenant was conceived as an inheritance by birth. You were either born one of the "Chosen", or you weren't.
The new Covenant is based on Strength (Oz the Goat). Only those who earn the right, by passing the ordeals, will be able to enter into it. This is what is being pointed at in the transformation of ADNI (Adonai) into the new pentagrammaton of ADHNI and it's value of 70 - Ayin - The Devil.
Now do you see why I made such a fuss about the word Behold. And why it is so significant at the beginning of a section dealing with "ordeals". It's also significant that this very thing should occur right at the end of the Heh set of verses.
Grigori
Thanks Aeon
Could you elaborate on Aleph as the Thunderbolt. I can see that this correspondence is determined by the word ADHNY and so it must fit this way, however would not have usually made a connection between Aleph and a Thunderbolt in another context. Is there anything else that makes that connection?
"Behold! there are three ordeals in one, and it may be given in three ways. The gross must pass through fire; let the fine be tried in intellect, and the lofty chosen ones in the highest."
Breaking this sentence down, it seems it may be read as a description of the three ways, or three different ordeals.
1) The Gross are tried by fire.
2) The Fine are tried by intellect.
3) The Lofty are tried in the highest.
This also makes me think of the three grades of Thelema.
"For there are therein Three Grades, the Hermit, and the Lover, and the man of Earth. "
I would make a guess and relate the Man of Earth to the Gross, the Hermit to the Fine, and the Lofty to the Lover. Though that's based on my understanding of the tarot cards and not any understanding or knowledge of the Thelemic initiation system/process.
Aeon418 said:
Could you elaborate on Aleph as the Thunderbolt. I can see that this correspondence is determined by the word ADHNY and so it must fit this way, however would not have usually made a connection between Aleph and a Thunderbolt in another context. Is there anything else that makes that connection?
"Behold! there are three ordeals in one, and it may be given in three ways. The gross must pass through fire; let the fine be tried in intellect, and the lofty chosen ones in the highest."
Breaking this sentence down, it seems it may be read as a description of the three ways, or three different ordeals.
1) The Gross are tried by fire.
2) The Fine are tried by intellect.
3) The Lofty are tried in the highest.
This also makes me think of the three grades of Thelema.
"For there are therein Three Grades, the Hermit, and the Lover, and the man of Earth. "
I would make a guess and relate the Man of Earth to the Gross, the Hermit to the Fine, and the Lofty to the Lover. Though that's based on my understanding of the tarot cards and not any understanding or knowledge of the Thelemic initiation system/process.
Aeon418
Besides the fact that Aleph initiates the Lightning Flash on the Tree, it is also linked to Kether and the Rashith ha-Gilgulim (Primum Mobile, First Swirlings). The symbols associated with this are the Swastika or Fylfat Cross (see 777 table XLI), which look very similar to Aleph. It is the hammer of Thor and the Thunderbolts thrown by Zeus.similia said:
http://www.the-equinox.org/vol1/no2/images/102_264a.jpg
Also of interest is that the Swastika forms the Hermetic Cross of 17 squares. In this way it becomes IAO (Yod, Aleph, Vau) and relates to Atu XVII The Star, who is the woman making thunderbolts in the Wake World.
Aeon418
Just a thought.....similia said:
Verse 50. 50 is Nun - the Scorpion, the Serpent, and the Eagle.
Somewhere I remember seeing someone make a connection between the 3 in 1 ordeal and the Nephesh, Ruach, and Neshamah. In each ordeal all three aspects of self are tested, but one aspect will be the primary focus of the ordeal due to the level of initiation of the individual at any one time.
For example in the A.'.A.'. system the Neophyte must come through the Ordeal of the Nephesh, which is attrubuted to Malkuth. The first contact with the HGA occurs at the subconscious level and stirs up the Nephesh/Animal Soul. It is the initial "volatizing of the fixed". But this sudden influx of energy at the animal level can very easily de-rail the Ruach (Mind) and blot out the higher aspirations of the Neshamah. But the primary focus of the ordeal is still the Nephesh.
For those not familiar with qabalistic terminology.
Ordeal of the Nephesh = H
RNYAeon418
Looking in my Book of the Law concordance I see that the word "ordeals" occurs 7 times. "Ordeal" occurs twice. And "Ordeal X" once.
Taken together that makes 10 ordeals.
10 Sephiroth - 10 Ordeals?
Taken together that makes 10 ordeals.
10 Sephiroth - 10 Ordeals?
