The Book of The Law Study Group 3.16

Aeon418

The Dweller on the Threshold

Verse 16 - Ayin - Atu XV The Devil })

In the book as a whole this is verse 161. Adding the 70 of Ayin = 231.
In Greek this is the value of the word σκια - Shadow.

Liber 231 http://hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib231.html

On the surface this verse appears to be aimed at Crowley himself. Aiwass seems to be telling him that even he does not know the full meaning of the book, or the maybe the 15 verses we have covered so far in this chapter. And Crowley did admit that there was much in the third chapter that he did not understand.

On a more general level I see this verse as a caution not to wander from the path once you start to undergo the change. A person going through a transformational process often loses their objectivity. They are the one who is being changed, so it can sometimes be difficult to see clearly what is going on. A basic reading of this verse might be, don't start chasing the "goodies", and don't start fretting about the the "seemingly" bad sh*t. You're not in an ideal position to see what's really happening here. It's like following that little path on Atu XVIII The Moon. Either side of the path are horrors and temptations to lead you astray. Stay on the path. ;)

Also there's the phenomenon called, The Dweller on the Threshold. Whenever you start any kind of transformational process that runs counter to your normal way of life, you can expect problems. Those aspects of yourself that you are now working against will dig in the hooves like a stubborn old goat and refuse to budge. "Ah, ah, buddy! You ain't going nowhere. })"
Quite often this resistance can come from unconscious sources that you were never aware of.

Here's an article on the subject.
http://www.katinkahesselink.net/other/shearman43.html

This is one reason why people who takes oaths or go through initiations of some kind often find that their life gets turned upside down. Something within them does not want to move in the new direction, and is going to do all it can to make sure things stay the same.
 

Aeon418

III x 16 = 48

48 - GDVLH, Gedulah. A title of the sephira, Chesed - Mercy.

See verse 18 for the antidote to Mercy at this Shadowy point. It stands in stark contrast to the usual New Age remedy: "If it's challenging, difficult, or makes you feel uncomfortable, it's probably not right for you." :rolleyes:
}) That's right, stay in your comfort zone. })

The next one is a little tortuous and a bit wobbly too. :laugh:

48 - YVBL, Jubal. This is the guy in the Book of Genesis who is meant to be the first person to play the pipes. Some people claim it was Pan pipes. This makes me think of the legend of Pan and Syrinx. One day Pan, the horny devil }), tried to get fresh with Syrinx. But she ran away and asked the water nymphs for help. They turned her into a reed. And out of them Pan made his pipes.
Reeds are a hollow tube, and therefore connected to the Magus/Mercury. Mercury is KVKB (Kokab = 48. It also means, Star.)

A general summary might be: Don't allow yourself to lured by the Shadow. Keep that One Star in Sight.

Oddly enough chapter 15 of the Book of Lies, The Gun-Barrel, is attributed to the Devil card.
THE GUN-BARREL

Mighty and erect is this Will of mine, this Pyramid
of fire whose summit is lost in Heaven. Upon it
have I burned the corpse of my desires.
Mighty and erect is this {Phi-alpha-lambda-lambda-omicron-sigma}
of my Will. The
seed thereof is That which I have borne within me
from Eternity; and it is lost within the Body of
Our Lady of the Stars.
I am not I; I am but an hollow tube to bring down
Fire from Heaven.
Mighty and marvellous is this Weakness, this
Heaven which draweth me into Her Womb, this
Dome which hideth, which absorbeth, Me.
This is The Night wherein I am lost, the Love
through which I am no longer I.
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Be careful where you point that thing though. (AL II:26) Before you know it, instead of Heaven, you might be shooting at Shadows. ;) That can be interpreted on several levels. :laugh: })
 

Aeon418

The integration of Shadow aspects from the III:11 study thread.
Trample down the Heathen; be upon them, o warrior, I will give you of their flesh to eat!
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Aeon418 said:
The Heathen are the Godless. They could be interpreted as the aspects of ourselves that resist the work. Through the work we are frequently brought face to face with obstructive aspects of self. These must be confronted and integrated (consumed) if balance is to be achieved.
Like the old saying goes, "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
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Aeon418 said:
The unbalanced aspects of the Sephiroth are called the Qlipphoth - shells, husks. As you attempt to work the Sephiroth you are suddenly confronted by the unbalanced, qlipphotic aspects of yourself. To attain balance in any Sephirot you must re-integrate and re-absorb these unbalanced parts. The re-absorbtion of these "husks" could be likened to eating the flesh (outer skin) of the Heathen aspects of yourself.

Eating your enemies makes you Stronger!
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Grigori

I've been reading a book by D. Scott Rogo this week on Out of Body Experiences. In a way it reminds me of this verse. He mentions at several places how slow the process can be for some people and fast for others, and he attributes the difference to be a built in safeguard, intended to prevent you from moving quicker than you are ready. Someone with a high degree of fear around the concept of death and leaving the body, will have more difficulty developing the ability to leave the body, as they have more hurdles to get by before they are ready to face that. However, folks who do have a high degree of death anxiety, are frequently cured of this by an OBE experience. So it seems the medicine and the disease may be much the same thing.

Maybe this is true of a lot of things, we put off the things are are scary or confronting to us, even when embracing them would be the cure to our fear. And perhaps the things we wish for (especially in the realm of occult "powers") would be better if we had no lust of result, or fear of the same?
 

Aeon418

The word "deem" means to form an opinion, make a judgement, to think. But all this happens in the mind. It's not actual work. Next up is fear, which is also a phenomenon of the mind. It sounds like a case of day dreaming and over anxiety.

It's an Armchair Magician. :laugh: One who loves the theory of self transformation, but doesn't have the guts to actually do it.
 

Always Wondering

Aeon418 said:
Be careful where you point that thing though. (AL II:26) Before you know it, instead of Heaven, you might be shooting at Shadows. That can be interpreted on several levels.
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:laugh: You are so funny.

Aeon418 said:
Here's an article on the subject.
http://www.katinkahesselink.net/other/shearman43.html
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Thanks for the link. This article explains a lot.

The vast majority of people who go to "fortune tellers" have nothing else in mind but the wish to obtain supernatural sanction for their follies. ~ Aleister Crowley
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This is exactaly why I picked up the tarot again. So glad it was the Thoth. It wasn't going to let me get away with that. :laugh:

AW
 

Aeon418

Always Wondering said:
You are so funny.
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The Devil is the card of Mirth. But bear in mind the O part of the N.O.X. formula discussed in the verse 17 thread.
 
The Book of the Law Study Group 3.15 What cards do you like, dislike, or soso