Liber XXV

Ritual of the Star Ruby

TEXT, TRANSLATION, COMMENTARY
by E. A. O. A.
77 Pyramid Oasis, O. T. O.
Buffalo, New York
IIIxvi A. L. 3 in Y, J in }
17 September 1986 e.v.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to thank several members of Pyramid Oasis,
especially Peter Arnold, Norman Fleck, August La Scola, and Michael
Tromanhauser, for their discussion and contributions to my understanding of
this ritual. I also wish to thank Richard Gurner and Randy von Smith for
their thoughts and discussion. In no way do I suggest that any, or all, of
these persons will agree with each specific detail, or the organization
presented here. Responsibility for erroneous ideas and relationships
expressed herein is assumed by me. This paper represents my understanding
at a particular point in literal time and magical development, and is
subject to change as these parameters change.
Liber XXV--STAR RUBY
A A Ritual in Class D.
1 Facing east, in the center, draw deep the breath, closing the mouth with
the right forefinger pressed against the lower lip. Then dashing down the
hand with a great sweep back and out, expelling the breath forcibly, cry:
Apo pantoc kakodaimonoc.
APO PANTOS KAKODAIMONOS.
(Go) away each evil daemon.
2 With the same forefinger touch the forehead, member, right shoulder and
left shoulder, and say:
Soi, Q Falle, isxyroc, eyxaristoc.
SOI, O FALLE ISCHUROS EUCHARISTOS.
(Be) to you. O Phallus, strong (hard), thankful (winning).
3 Then clasp the hands, locking the fingers, and cry:.
IAQ
I-A-O.
IAO.
4 Advance to the east. Imagine strongly an upright pentagram on the
forehead. Drawing the hands to the eyes, fling it forth, making the sign
of Horus, and roar:
Xaoc. or Jhrion.
CHAOS. or THERION.
Chaos.1 Therion.2 (element of earth)
Retire the hand in the sign of Hoor-paar-Kraat.
5 Go around to the north and repeat, but scream:
Babalon. Nyij.
BABALON. or NUIT.
Babalon.1 Nuit.2(element of air)
6 Go around to the west and repeat, but say:
Eroc. Babalon.
EROS. or BABALON.
Eros.1 Babalon.2(element of water)
7 Go around to the south and repeat, but bellow:
Wuxh. >Adij.
PSYCHE. or HADIT.
Psyche.1 Hadit.2(element of fire)
8 Completing the circle widdershins, retire to the center and raise the
voice in the Paean with the words below and the signs of N.O.X. (optionally
facing the appropriate directions). The signs of N. O. X. are: Vir (the
man), Mulier (the wife), Puer (the boy), Puella (the maiden), Mater
Triumphans (the successful mother):
IQ, Pan.
IO, PAN.
Io, Pan. (element of spirit)
9 Extend the arms in the form of a Tau, and say low but clear:
Pro mou, Iyggec
PRO MOU, IUNGES
Before me, Wrynecks (the totem of the Abyss)
10
Opiso mou, Teletarxai
OPISO MOU, TELETARCHAI
Behind me, Initiation into the Mysteries
11
Epi devia, Synoxec
EPI DEXIA, SYNOCHES
On (my) right, Distress (anguish, trials, a holding together)
12
Eparistera, Daimonec1 (or Daimonoc2)
EPARISTERA, DAIMONES
On (my) left, Daemons (proceeding from fate)
13
Flegei Feg(g)ei
FLEGEI or FEGGEI
Flames1 Shines.2
14
Gar peri mou, >o asthr tqn pente
GAR PERI MOU, HO ASTER TON PENTE
For around me, the star of the five (points)
(=Pentagram)
15
Kai en thi sthlhi, >o asthr tqn >ev
KAI EN TH STHLH, HO ASTER TON HEX
And in the column, the star of the six (points)
(=Hexagram)
16
Esthke.
ESTHKE.
Stand.
17
Repeat the Qabalistic Cross, as above:
Soi, Q Falle, isxuroc, euxaristoc.
Soi. O FALLE, ISCHUROS, EUCHARISTOS.
(Be) to you. O Phallus, strong (hard), thankful (winning)
18
IAQ
I-A-O
IAO
19
End as you begin.
Facing east, in the center, draw deep the breath, closing the mouth with
the right forefinger pressed against the lower lip. Then dashing down the
hand with a great sweep back and out, expelling the breath forcibly, cry:
Apo pantoc kakodaimonoc.
APO PANTOS KAKODAIMONOS.
(Go) away each evil daemon.
1 A. Crowley. Book of Lies. Ch. 25.2 A. Crowley. Magick in Theory and
Practice. Appendix VI.Verbal text in Greek, English phonetic
transliteration in CAPITALS, directions and explanations in plain
text.COMMENTARY The Ritual of the Star Ruby is the Thelemic expansion and
elaboration of the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. It takes on
the same general form, but incorporates some additional levels of symbolism,
as well as the use of specific Thelemic symbols, rather than those in the
more generalized LBR. Also, as a ritual of the Aeon of Horus, the Star Ruby
stands between the LBR and the Ritual of the Mark of the Beast, Liber V vel
Reguli. Just as the former sets down the basic format for the Star Ruby,
so the latter can be used to interpret some of the symbols and
directions. Frater A. L. (1983) provides some important background for
this ritual. He reports the first version as being written no later than
1913, when the Book of Lies (Crowley, 1974) was first published, and that
this modified Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram was modified during the
Cephalu period (1920's). The latter version appears in Magick (Crowley,
1973), and was changed to conform to other Thelemic rituals such as Liber
Reguli. He continued that the purpose of the Star Ruby is to produce the
proper attitude of mind for the invocations. A still further point of
significance, he mentioned that the Star Ruby should be a part of the daily
invocations of members of Crowley's Order of Thelemites, along with Will,
Liber Resh, and the Star Sapphire. He concludes one paragraph with "At
least during the '20's, we can then reasonably assume that Therion
considered these among the most important practices of Thelemic magic--of
any grade." The current format of the Star Ruby has been set up from the
versions in the Book of Lies and in Magick. The two are similar in many
ways, but are decidedly distinct in others. Again, the two versions can be
contrasted to discern the meaning and patterns of the symbolism. The
lines have been numbered for ease of reference and analysis. The
directions, adapted from the Book of Lies, have been modified to bring their
form into a more modern style of English, and some inconsistencies in the
Greek text have been corrected. Specifically why the Star Ruby has been
written in Greek is not immediately clear, but the Book of Lies version
appears to be a bit "purer", i.e. it utilizes Greek words, and not the more
Egyptian Nuit and Hadit. It may have been written at the time Crowley was
particularly interested in the Greek qabalah. As suggested above, the
Star Ruby is a basic Thelemic banishing ritual. It is used appropriately
anywhere a banishing ritual is required in the preparation of a
space--personal or for a circle or temple--where a specific Thelemic
emphasis or setting is desired. Crowley (1974) clearly indicates it to be
a ritual of the A|A| upon which he chose to write no further comment. He
does provide a single footnote, discussed below, which indicates that there
are qabalistic interpretations to be considered. This is not unexpected in
any of his rituals, so one must assume that there is a specific intent in
placing the footnote where it is. In the interpretation of any of Crowley's
writings, too, one should be conscious not only of the exoteric (the outer
obvious level of action), but the esoteric (the hidden meaning), and
frequently also a sexual context. The number of the Liber, XXV, is the
square of five, and the pentagram has the red color of Geburah (Crowley,
1974), hence its position as Kefalh KE. Considering these factors, the
commentary can proceed forthwith.Line 1. Apo pantoc kakodaimonoc. This
line sets the basic tone of the banishing characteristic of the ritual. It
is a line parallel to the Biblical one where on the mountaintop Satan tempts
Jesus, and the response is "Get thee behind me, Satan.". The line itself
is a prepositional phrase with an understood verb. The word Apo implies
motion behind, and takes the genitive case of that which is to be put
behind, i.e. pantoc kakodaimonoc. Literally translated, it means "of every
evil daemon". With an implied verb "go" or "get", the line means "Get
behind me every evil daemon. The magician stands in the center of his
universe, facing east, the direction of the rising sun. He inhales the
energy or prana. The meaning of the line is emphasized by the action of
sweeping the hand backward, and forcing out the breath, i.e. figuratively
blowing away each evil daemon. Now the "evil daemon" is not defined. In
the Thelemic sense this daemon represents any negative aspect of life which
detract from the performance of one's True Will. The word daimonoc includes
things which derive from the Deities, or from fate. The kako(c) is a prefix
derived from the adjective meaning "evil", however defined. At the
beginning of the ritual, the magician is in Malkuth. The banishing of the
"evil daemons" is from this plane. According to Liederkranz (1974) he
becomes the master of these daemons by doing so. The equivalent of this line
does not occur in the LBR or in Liber Reguli.Line 2. Soi, Q falle, isxuroc,
euxaristoc. This line is the "Qabalistic Cross". It is equivalent to the
first line of action in both the LBR and in Liber Reguli, and positions the
magician on the Tree of Life. The actions of the magician establish a cross
in Kether, Malkuth, Geburah, and Chesed on the Tree of Life in the LBR.
However, it is more appropriate to assign "phallus" to Yesod, correlated to
the Svadisthana Chakra in the Star Ruby. The magician has moved himself
above the plane of Malkuth in Assiah. Soi has a value of 280, the name
of Sandalphon, the Archangel of Malkuth. Fr. A. L. (1983) recognized that
280, SP, indicates the position of the magician on the Tree of Life at the
intersections of the paths of Samech and Peh, looking toward Tiphareth along
the Middle Pillar. He continued, that it is "that consciousness, therefore,
which one summons 'down' into one's psyche by the pronouncement of the word
Soi, is none other than the highest manifestation of one's own Holy Guardian
Angel". Therefore, it seems appropriate to assign Soi to Kether.
Liederkranz (1974) indicates that 280 represents the "dyad passing to zero
by virtue of 8, the Charioteer who bears the Cup of Babalon". Again, the
sentence has an implied verb, to be. The first word, Soi, is a dative
meaning "to you". It directs the action to the vocative, Q falle, the
phallus. Q falle has a total value of 1366, the product of two primes, 2 and
683. The word falle, as 566, is equivalent to DVS, secret, spelled out. It
is also the product of two primes 2 and 283. This last number is equivalent
to "aurum inclusum", confined gold, or RVGS BHZ. Liederkranz writes that
by touching his "weapon", the magician declares the most powerful technique
of magic, and that its working is pertinent to the Aeon of Horus. Here
Crowley adds a footnote that the significance of the word is to be found in
its qabalistic interpretation. The word falloc, in its nominative form,
adds to 831, as does the word Pyramic (Pyramid). In this light the two
words imply the gate or esoteric source of initiation. With the following
adjectives, a sexual connotation can also be implied. Also, 831 is the
product of 3 and 277, and the latter, in Hebrew refers to ORZ, meaning "to
sow, propagate, seed, semen" (Crowley, 1977). Again, phallus is referred
to Yesod, rather than Malkuth. The word isxuroc means strong, mighty,
powerful, also stiff, firm, lasting, hard, and severe, great, excessive.
The meaning is quite clear in the several connotations. Following the
pattern of the LBR, this word is attributed to Geburah, and reflects the
severe or forceful connotation of its meaning. Its value is 1580, the
product of 20 and 79. These reflect an element of duality perfected, and
union. The number 79, that of the two pillars of the temple (zob and
yixai), is a prime not listed in the meanings of the prime numbers in 777
(Crowley, 1977). The word euxaristoc, 1886, the product of 2, 23, and 41.
The latter two numbers have been attributed to pentagrams. The concept of
"eucharist", or "sacrament", derives from the prefix eu, meaning "good" or
"well", and the verb xarizomai meaning to show favor or kindness, to please
or gratify, to indulge, or to be pleasing, agreeable, or be granted a favor.
The adjective thus describes the condition of being winning, agreeable,
pleasant, grateful, or thankful. In contrast to isxuroc, this word is
assigned to Chesed, and its meaning fits well with its position on the
Pillar of Mercy. Euxaristoc, interpreted as "communion", can easily be
interpreted on a number of levels.Line 3. IAQ. By gematria, the number of
IAQ is 811 a prime number. The equivalent Greek Word AIQ means I breathe,
I live, I know. This is a fifth element, which when added to the
traditional qabalistic cross (of the LBR) creates the figure of a pentagram,
or if put on a higher plane, indicates the apex of a pyramid. In this word
the focus centers on Tiphareth. Little need to be said about IAO, the
Gnostic supreme being. Massey (1974) in discussing the Hebrew and other
Creations, includes IAO as one of the seven Elohim, the children of the
ancient mother Sophia. "In their primordial phase they were seven
elementary powers, warring in chaos, lawless and timeless. They were first
born of the Mother in space; and then the Seven Companions passed into the
sphere of time, as auxiliaries of Kronos, or Sons of the Male Parent.
The reader is referred to Chapter V in Magick to study Crowley's
interpretation of the IAO formula. This formula establishes the
equilibration of the four-armed cross in the completion of the pentagram.
Lines 4 through 7
Xaoc, Babalon, Eroc, Wuxh. (Book of Lies)
or
Jhrion, Nuij, Babalon, >Adij. (Magick)
The directions indicate to start at the east, and repeat each of the words
in the sequence at the cardinal points, proceeding widdershins. The circle
is completed in line 8. At each cardinal direction, a pentagram is imagined
on the forehead, and flung forth with the sign of Horus (refer to Liber O,
section 3, in Crowley, 1974, for the procedure). Each is sealed with the
sign of Hoor paar Kraat. Of the two versions published by Crowley, the
earlier one is in the Book of Lies, and includes the first line of four
terms above (see figure 1), while the later is in Magick, and includes the
four terms in the second line (see figure 2). Xaoc has the number 871,
the product of the primes 13 and 67. Chaos is a primitive Greek deity that
preceded the Olympic gods, prior to Saturn, may parallel Uranus, and is
referred to Chokmah. He is the personification of space, the first state
of existence. In that sense he is a Greek equivalent of Nuit, but perceived
as male. Judging from its eastern position, and the parallel word in the
second sequence, it is representative of the element earth.
Parenthetically, it should be noted that Liederkranz (1974) uses the
elements of earth and air interchanged. Babalon has the number 156 both
in Greek and in Hebrew, though it is native to neither language. The
relationship between Chaos and Babalon can be derived from the Egyptian
mythos. Here she seems to represent the element air and is assigned to
Binah. As complement to Chaos, she represents the sublime state of Nuit.
She is connected to Chaos by the path of the Empress, the horizontal above
the abyss. The pair personifies the division "for love's sake". This also
is represented by the upper crossbar of the Hierophantic Cross.
Creation, in the strict sense, began with the means of recording the cycles
of time. The Elohim were created in the myths as the auxiliaries of Kronos,
Time. These "seven" Elohim were reduced to one. This group is then
described by Massey, describing its Egyptian background: "The name of
Sevekh signifies the sevenfold; hence the seven heads of the Dragon, the
Dragon who is of the seven and is himself also an eighth, as we are told in
Revelation. In him the Seven Powers were unified, as they were in Ea,
Iao-Chnubis, and various other of the chief gods who summed up the earlier
powers in the supreme one, when unity was attained at last. For it is
certain that no one god was ever made known to man by primitive revelation.
The only starting-point was in external phenomena, which assuredly
manifested no oneness in personality. The group of the Totemic brotherhood
preceded the fatherhood, and finally the fatherhood superseded the Totemic
group in heaven, as it was on earth. One form of this god was Sut-Nub, and
Nub means the golden. Thus the reign of Sut was that age of gold afterwards
assigned to Saturn by the Greeks. In Egypt the Great Bear was the
constellation of Typhon, or Kepha , the old genitrix, called the Mother of
the Revolutions; and the Dragon with seven heads was assigned to her son
Sevekh-Kronos, or Saturn, called the Dragon of life. That is, the typical
dragon or serpent with seven heads was female at first, and then the type
was continued as male in her son Sevekh, the Sevenfold Serpent, in Ea the
Sevenfold, in Num-Ra, in the Seven-headed Serpent, Iao-Chnubis, and others.
We find these two in the book of Revelation. One is the Scarlet Lady, the
mother of mystery, the great harlot, who sat on a scarlet-coloured beast
with seven heads, which is the Red Dragon of the Pole. She held in her hand
the unclean things of her fornication. That means the emblems of the male
and female, imaged by the Egyptians at the Polar centre, the very uterus of
creation as was indicated by the Thigh constellation, called the Khepsh of
Typhon, the old dragon, in the northern birthplace of Time in heaven. The
two revolved about the pole of heaven, or the Tree, as it was called, which
was figured at the centre of the starry motion." Thus the reason for Babalon
in the north. Chaos and Babalon, then, represent a primordial or archetypal
male/female polarity. Babalon, as described below, is the lower
manifestation of the concept of Nuit--the Infinite Sky and the Infinite
Stars thereof, described here. Eroc equals 375, or 1105 if an q is used.
Eros is the Greek god of Love, the son of Chaos (or Ares or Hermes) and
Aphrodite, and particularly represents the mundane aspects of love. As in
the alternative sequence for these lines, the element of water, emotion, is
emphasized by their assignment to the west. It is easily assigned to
Netzach. Wyxh equals 1708, equals 61 x 7 x 2 x 2. The word refers to the
anima, the sign of life, spirit; the soul as opposed to the body; the seat
of the will, desire or passions; or soul, mind, reason or understanding.
In many ways it is the counter of Eros and has been assigned to Hod. As the
complement to Eros it completes the lowest cross-bar of the hierophantic
cross. One might expect it to represent the element of air, but it is
rather that of fire in the south. Fr. A. L. (1983) has an interesting
discussion relating this word to a formula of the Rose-Cross. In
completing the Hierophantic Cross, note that the direction is opposite in
the upper and lower cross-bars to that in the middle one. This is a direct
parallel to the symbolic procedure in Liber Reguli. Also, the sequence of
the four indicates a bringing down of the forces. This sequence of four
words, done with the motions of the Sign of the Enterer and the Sign of
Silence at each cardinal direction, reflect more the classical approach, and
an earlier understanding of the personification of the forces by Crowley.
In Magick (Crowley,1973), there is a change of emphasis, and the symbols
used appear to be more overtly Thelemic. However, there is also a
difference in the flow of the forces, as follows: Jhrion equals
247. The word is used in the sense of The Great Beast, rather than just
"beast (undefined)" or a wild animal, especially the male. It is assigned
to the element of earth in the east. For Thelemites, the explanation of
this word seems superfluous. It is part of one of the appellations of
Crowley as "The Great Beast", To Mega Jhrion, when used at a non-divine
level. He is assigned to Taurus, if one considers the cardinal position,
or to Hod. Nyij equals 469. It is the product of the primes 7 and 67,
which have some bearing on the concepts of Gemini, Zain, and Binah. 67
represents the womb of the mother containing the twins. This represents the
level of Babalon (=Nuit) in the discussion above. Here she is the epitome
of the air element. It is a hellenized form of an Egyptian goddess, and the
final consonant is a J rather than a T. She is assigned to Aquarius in the
zodiac. However, she represents the archetypal mother, and thus in this
sequence is assigned to Binah. The sequence here gives the bottom and top
of the Pillar of Severity, an upward action. Babalon equals 156 or 12
times 13. Babalon, here, is much like Babalon above. She is the Scarlet
Lady riding the Beast, the great Harlot, a lower manifestation of Nuit, the
epitome of female, or the reflection of Binah in Netzach, at the base of the
Pillar of Mercy. The assignment to the element of water, and the west are
well established. She is the complement of Therion and is assigned to
Scorpio. >Adij has a gematric value of 24. Hadit is the complement of Nuit,
and represents the element of fire. As Nuit is the infinite expansion,
Hadit is the infinite contraction. They relate as space to motion or
energy. Hadit is also a hellenized word. He is assigned to Leo. Here
Hadit is at the top of the Pillar of Mercy, at Chokmah. The motion is again
up the Tree of Life. The banishing circle is completed by returning to
the east, widdershins (see directions for line 8). This circle has a
macrocosmic aspect. Line 8 IQ Pan (repeated five times). The
directions indicate that upon completing the circle above, the magician
retires to the center of the circle. He then raises his voice in the words,
IO PAN, while giving the signs of N.O.X. These signs are given in order in
Reguli, and tell a story as such. My experience has been to see these lines
of the ritual usually done while standing and facing east. A more
satisfactory procedure seems to be to face the appropriate direction, as
indicated in Reguli (and to which the magician is referred, if necessary),
as the signs are made , and the paean is intoned. The effect of this is to
complete a cross--north, south, east, west--with the first four repeats.
After all, are not circles and crosses signs of the A|A| and the O. T. O.?
The fifth sign can then be done either facing east again, or toward
Boleskine (the Thelemic east of some rituals) and if interpreted as on
another plane, defines the top of the pyramid. Note the sequence of the
signs interpreted by Liederkranz (1974), i.e. Vir, Mulier, Puer, Puella,
indicates the sequence in the Tarot and in IHVH. The successive directions
would then be east, west, south, north. He does not include the sign Mater
Triumphans. The text is a salute to Pan, the All (Pan, Pangenetor,
Pamfage). The reader is referred to the Book of Lies, Chapter 1 for the
relationships and the explanations of N.O.X. and PAN; and the number 210 for
the latter.Lines 9 through 12. Iuggec, Teletarxai, Synoxec,
Daimonoc. These four lines form the next section of the ritual, along
with line 13 which is the common shared verb for each. They establish the
magician at the crossing of the paths of Samech and Peh, the "standard"
position on the Tree of Life and facing east for a pentagram ritual, or
perhaps slightly above it on the path of Samech, but below the Veil of
Paroketh. The prepositions at the beginning of each line 9 through 12
collectively describe a "cross". The final term in each line is derived
from a sequence in the Chaldaean Oracles of Zoroaster (Wescott, 1983). The
reader is referred to Frater A. L. (1983) for a particularly informative
discussion of these words--most of which is not repeated here. However, I
quote, "Speaking further of these 'ideas' (that is, root structuralizations
of consciousness of so early a stage as to be beyond comprehension), the
text {of the Oracles of Zoroaster} continues: "These being many, descended
flashingly upon the shining Worlds, and in them are contained the Three
Supernals. They are the guardians of the works of the Father, and of the
One Mind, the Intelligible." The "guardians" are the Three Supernals,
the Intellectual Triad. Wescott (1983) quoted by Frater A. L., tells us in
his interpolation to the text, "The Second Order of the Platonist philosophy
was the Intelligible and Intellectual Triad. Among the Chaldeans this order
includes the Junges, Synoches and Teletarchs." Frater A. L. continues, "We
deal therefore with Supernal concepts; though, as we'll see below, these
names (all of which, incidentally, are Greek plurals, thus not the name of
individual Beings whatsoever) refer to Classes of Beings much like the
'orders of angels'...but they are not the Supernals themselves". This
section is a sentence with four prepositional phrases, each indicating one
of the cardinal directions as the magician faces east. They have been the
most difficult to understand. They are described from the position of the
magician. Alternatively, they can be interpreted as the veils of the Abyss
and the Outer, and the Pillars of Mercy and Severity (or the sephiroth at
their bases); or as the three Veils of the Tree of Life.Line 9. Pro
mou, Iuggec; Pro mou means "in front of me" (i.e. to the East), the
preposition taking the genitive case. From his position just below the Veil
of Paroketh on the Middle Pillar, the magician sees the place of the break
in that veil, or imagines the Veil of the Abyss beyond, and presumably what
lies ahead. The word Iuggec derives from Iugmoc, a shrieking sound. Iugv,
(JYNX is the singular, romanized form, and is the scientific name for the
Wryneck, a degenerate woodpecker-like European bird noted for its cry).
Ancient witches used to bind the Wryneck to a wheel for certain magical
spells, believing that as the wheel turned, it drew men's souls along with
it, and charmed them into obedience. It was also used to recover unfaithful
lovers The bird derives its common name from the ability to turn its head,
much in the manner of a vulture. Another interpretation is that the word
may be related to a Sanskrit root IUG, from which we derive the work "yoga",
and possibly by extension "union with God" or ultimate love, hence an
association with the Abyss. The qabalistic value is 621. Frater A. L.
summarizes it as related to the Wheel of Fortune, the Swastika, symbols of
primal, swirling power. He also emphasizes that the Iuggec are consistent
with Chokmah and alchemical sulphur. In summary, Iuggec, relates to either
a high order of "angels" above the abyss, a love charm, witchery or desire,
or, as interpreted here, a symbol of the abyss.Line 10. Opiso mou,
Teletarxai; Opiso mou literally means, "behind me", with the proposition
again taking the genitive case. As the magician faces ahead to the east,
this indicates what he has past, what is behind him, in the west. The
word Teletarxai value of 1352. This number is the product of 8 (the cube
of 2) and 169 (the square of 13). Eight is the number of Mercury, of
Initiation. Thirteen is the number for the dissolution of the ego, of unity
(dxa) and love (HBHA), and is the reflection of 31=la=al. The word is
therefore clearly related gematrically to the concept of Initiation, its
process and product; and has direct meaning for Thelema. The easiest
interpretation is to view the word as a combination of the prefix Tele,
meaning ultimate, remote, or in this case primeval, first or original, and
Arxai, meaning rule, or in this case control or law i.e. Natural Law.
Frater A. L. (1983) summarizes the meaning quite nicely. The word
Teletarxai most likely means "those in charge of an initiation", i.e. the
Hierophants. Ideas relating to Aiwass, as the Hierophant of the Aeon, come
to mind as we recall he bore the Law (AROU) and was Adonai (INDA). He
continues, "If we maintain the sulphur and salt symbolism for the first pair
(Iuggec and Synoxec), we must attribute to this third name some variation
of the idea of Mercury." And "The Teletarchs correspond to the Child born
within the Mother; or as though the Truths of Initiation are comprehended
once the consciousness of Binah, Understanding, is attained." Following
the concept of the Tree of Life, where Iuggec is the symbol of the Abyss,
it is therefore totally appropriate to consider Teletarxai as symbolizing
the Gate of Initiation, or the Veil of the Outer. As the magician stands
at the intersection of the paths of Samech and Peh looking eastward on the
path of Samech, this would be behind him. The actual position of the Veil
of the Outer has been variously interpreted as above Malkuth in Assiah (this
would seem appropriate in the A|A| grade system), or sometimes between
Malkuth and Yesod on the primary Tree. In either event, the magician has
entered the Path of Initiation, and crossed the Veil of the Outer in doing
so.Line 11. Epi devia, Synoxec; Epi devia means "on the right" (i.e., to
the south), and combines a preposition with the dative case. For the
magician in this ritual and on the Tree of Life, this locates the Pillar of
Mercy, or Netzach. Qabalistically, Synoxec has a value of 1525, the
equivalent of the Hebrew "Shemhamphorash", the 72-fold name of God. It is
the product of 25 and 61. Frater A.L. says "the closest correspondence of
Sunoches to a member of the Supernal Triad is Binah". Note that Netzach
is the reflection of Binah. Although it does not appear to be a "proper"
Greek word, Synoxec can be interpreted to mean a "joining together", or
passively, "a being held together". By analogy, it can mean "constraints".
Frater A.L. describes it as a "holding together" and "continuous" (as in a
continuous sequence of things held together), hinting at the idea of
"eternity", and attributes it to the alchemical concept of Salt, thus
completing the three alchemical elements as interpreted above the aybss.
Again, looking from the vantage of the magician on the Tree during this
ritual, he is just below, facing the point where the Veil of Paroketh will
be rended, so that he may continue on the path. To the right of this point
of rending are the "contraints" which keep him on the path. The Synoxec may
represent the right part of the Veil of Paroketh, or the forces of the
Pillar of Mercy, or Netzach. As we shall see shortly, these are balanced
by the forces of the left. Line 12. Eparistera, Daimonec/Daimonoc;
Eparistera means "on the left" (i.e. toward the north), again with the
dative, and locates Pillar of Severity or the sephira Hod. It is the
counterpart to Epi devia. Daimonoc and Daimonec are two similar Greek
words which Frater A. L. points out represent the Gods and "the souls of men
of the Golden Age, forming a link between gods and men", respectively. The
latter, he continues, "That is, Man-God. As what we call the H. G. A. was
of old termed the 'genius', the Daimones were those who 'had their genius';
that is, true adepts". Qabalistically the words equal 445 and 380
respectively. The latter, includes the Hebrew words for pain, trouble,
misery, also darkness, difficulty, narrowness, and Egypt. Further, the
"god/goddess" idea implies the Divine power, the power controlling the
destiny of individuals, one's lot or fortune, perhaps fate or karma. Again,
for the magician this balances the contraints of the right, and, either as
the left part of the Veil of Paroketh, the Pillar of Severity, or Hod, it
functions to keep the Initiate on the True Path. In these four terms, in
either version of the Star Ruby, the magician sees the limits of his
perceptual world. One can summarize the relationship among these four terms
as follows:
Iuggec Teletarxai Synoxec Daimonec
Desire Initiation into Mysteries Meeting Gods,
Yoke First or ultimate rule Holding together Spirits,
H.G.A. Love, union Natural law
Fate destiny, karma Abyss
Outer Veil Veil of Paroketh Veil of Paroketh
or Pillar of Severity or Pillar
of Mercy or Netzach or Hod
Love is the Law, Love under
Will.
Line 13. Flegei or Feggei. These two words of similar, but different,
meanings show further the difference between the two versions of the Star
Ruby. They mean "flame" and "gleam" respectively. The sense of the two
words as used in these versions is not different functionally. However, in
terms of visualization by the magician, the plane to which he excites his
consciousness seems higher, or more active, in the earlier form flegei.
Certainly in comparing the two versions, the earlier version, calling down
the forces, suggests a more abstract concept, one emphasizing the part of
the Tree above Tiphareth, and even above the Veil of the Abyss, while the
latter feggei suggests a relatively lower interpretation of the forces on
the Tree. The significance of the difference in the two versions may be
indicated by Crowley's "blind" where one of the gammas is left out in
feggei. There may also be a clue in the six letters of flegei, and the five
of feg ei, indicating that the earlier version may be more appropriate to
a magician of higher grade, or one who has established his working higher
up on the Tree of Life--or it may be just the result of poor proofreading.
Line 14. Gar peri mou, >o asthr tqn pente; The literal interpretation
of this line is relatively easy, providing one recognizes the inclusion of
the verb etsthke from line 16. The preposition peri here takes the genitive
case. It means, "For around me (stands) the star of the five (points)".
As such, this line is a very clear parallel to the visualization in the
Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. It recognizes the perimeter, in
the four cardinal directions, of the area banished, and the clearing of the
consciousness of the magician in the planes below Tiphareth. This
represents the magician's world, and the base of his pyramid.Line 15.
Kai en thi sthlhi, >o asthr tqn >ev; Here again is an almost literal
translation of the corresponding line from the Lesser Banishing Ritual. It
means, "And in the column (stands) the star of six (points)", the
preposition en taking the dative case. Notice that the same verb is
understood (see line 16). This vertical element in a pentagram ritual
first recognizes that the hexagram, as the symbol of the Macrocosm, is above
the plane of the Microcosm. It relates to the realm of the Tree
particularly above Tiphareth, but also defines the object of the banishing
as a "solid", rather than a "planar" figure. Instead of interpreting the
figure only as a planar five-pointed star, it also symbolizes the apex of
the pyramid, bringing the cosmos and consciousness into a spatial
reality.Line 16. Esthke. This is the verb "stands" in the phrases in
lines 14 and 15. Basically it implies existence or state.Lines 17 and 18.
The Qabalistic Cross. These lines are the same as lines 2 and 3, the
commentary for which is found earlier. The repetition of the qabalistic
cross follows the pattern of both the Lesser Banishing Ritual and Liber
Reguli in form, and provides symmetry in the ritual.Line 19. Apo pantoc
kakodaimonoc. The ritual ends as it was begun, with the direction for every
evil daemon to depart. This strong accent at the end serves to punctuate
the banishing action, the objective of the ritual. It can be said that when
the ritual is performed successfully, the magician will feel a sense of
"cleanliness" or "purity", but also will be exhausted. Enflame thyself.
LITERATURE CITED
Crowley, A. C. 1973 Magick. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
(Originally published privately in 1929). It includes Liber V vel
Reguli, and Liber O vel Manus et Sagittae. 1974 The
Book of Lies. New York: Samuel Weiser. (Originally
published in 1913). 1977 777 and other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister
Crowley. (I. Regardie, ed.) York Beach, Me.: Samuel
Weiser, Inc.Frater A. L. (443) 1983 The Star Ruby: An analysis. In the
Continuum III (3):3-15.Liederkranz, Paul 1974 Notes on the Star Ruby.
The Oriflamme 1(1): 49-54.Massey, G. 1974 Lectures. New York: Samuel
Weiser.Wescott, W. Wynn 1983 The Chaldaean Oracles of Zoroaster.
Wellingborough, Norths.: Aquarian Press.