The Book of the Law Study Group 2.11
Grigori
This line is a bit interesting, and conflicts with what I understood about the reception of the BoL. I understood that it was dictated audibly, and that Crowley scrawled down what he heard as quick as he could. Hence the specific warning not go change the style of letters (though adding some prose was apparently encouraged) as Crowley's scrawl may have meaning apart from what is obvious.
This line seems to imply something more like automatic writing, or perhaps 'possession of the hand' is more accurate. I s'pose we could go for a subtler interpretation and see this as a continuation of the previous line/s and Crowley's aversion to what he was hearing, but I thought if would be fun to add to the rumor mill "Crowley had an evil possessed hand"
This line seems to imply something more like automatic writing, or perhaps 'possession of the hand' is more accurate. I s'pose we could go for a subtler interpretation and see this as a continuation of the previous line/s and Crowley's aversion to what he was hearing, but I thought if would be fun to add to the rumor mill "Crowley had an evil possessed hand"
Aeon418
I don't see a conflict. Look at what Crowley says in The Equinox of the Gods, chapter 7: (emphasis added)similia said:
This is how Crowley claims he experienced the dictation. An audible voice from over his left shoulder. This is Crowley's subjective experience of the event. To him it appeared to be an objective phenomenon.
Until K&C is achieved the Angel is experienced as an objective individual. Notice how after K&C Crowley's reception of the other Holy Books was completely different. By that time there was no need for dictation.
Grigori
Thanks Aeon, that comparison is quite interesting 
Aeon418
It might be helpful to think of the hexagram and how it is formed by two triangles.
At the K&C stage the triangles are fully inter-locked and form the hexagram. But at the start of the journey the triangles are not joined. You are one triangle and the angel is the other. Initiation is the process by which the triangles are merged together to become the hexagram.
In 1904 when Crowley received, The Book of the Law, the triangles were still not fully joined together. Consequently Crowley's perception of this, as yet, unknown part of himself was external, separate, other, outside. But by the time (1909) he came to write down the other books he had achieved K&C. Even though the exact same phenomenon was taking place as in 1904, his perception of it was radically different. Instead of being a scribe taking dictation from an apparently external voice, he was now a direct channel and experienced it as such.
This should help to explain why Crowley appears to contradict himself on the subject of the HGA in various places. But you always have to be aware of who and where he is aiming his remarks. For example, in Magick Without Tears, Crowley describes the HGA as a completely objective and separate individual. But in the scholion to Liber Samekh he talks about the HGA in far more subjective terms. The answer to this seeming contradiction is that MWT was written for beginners, while Liber Samekh is for people on the very threshold of Adeptus Minor Within. In the former case the triangles are apart. In the latter the triangles are almost perfectly joined. The way the angel is perceived in these two cases is very different. But to give a complete novice the Liber Samekh explanation would probably just end in confusion and little progress.
It's a bit like that scene in The Matrix where Neo visits the Oracle. Even though Neo is the One, she doesn't tell him that. Because he didn't believe it, it would have been a complete waste of time to tell him. So she merely told him what he needed to know at that point on his journey and equiped him to make the next step.
I hope that's not too confusing.
At the K&C stage the triangles are fully inter-locked and form the hexagram. But at the start of the journey the triangles are not joined. You are one triangle and the angel is the other. Initiation is the process by which the triangles are merged together to become the hexagram.
In 1904 when Crowley received, The Book of the Law, the triangles were still not fully joined together. Consequently Crowley's perception of this, as yet, unknown part of himself was external, separate, other, outside. But by the time (1909) he came to write down the other books he had achieved K&C. Even though the exact same phenomenon was taking place as in 1904, his perception of it was radically different. Instead of being a scribe taking dictation from an apparently external voice, he was now a direct channel and experienced it as such.
This should help to explain why Crowley appears to contradict himself on the subject of the HGA in various places. But you always have to be aware of who and where he is aiming his remarks. For example, in Magick Without Tears, Crowley describes the HGA as a completely objective and separate individual. But in the scholion to Liber Samekh he talks about the HGA in far more subjective terms. The answer to this seeming contradiction is that MWT was written for beginners, while Liber Samekh is for people on the very threshold of Adeptus Minor Within. In the former case the triangles are apart. In the latter the triangles are almost perfectly joined. The way the angel is perceived in these two cases is very different. But to give a complete novice the Liber Samekh explanation would probably just end in confusion and little progress.
It's a bit like that scene in The Matrix where Neo visits the Oracle. Even though Neo is the One, she doesn't tell him that. Because he didn't believe it, it would have been a complete waste of time to tell him. So she merely told him what he needed to know at that point on his journey and equiped him to make the next step.
I hope that's not too confusing.
