Review of LIBER CXCIV -

Review of LIBER CXCIV: An Intimation with Reference to the Constitution of the Order
Reviewed by: Frater PVN

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Grand Lodge has been soliciting feedback on this enigmatic teat for quite some time now. This essay is the result of my personal inquiries into this document over the past decade. I offer it to the rest of the Order as food for thought.

Liber CXCIV is (at first glance) the grandiose scheme of a man (Aleister Crowley) whose simple & austere religious up-bringing denied him participation in pomp, glory, and the inter-penetrating heirarchies.& intrigues which so proliferate amongst more 'successful' religions (such as the Church of Rome, & the Caliphates of the Middle-East). I cannot help but wonder why a man who was unable to keep the simple commune at Cefalu running smoothly or on a firm financial keel placed such emphasis upon the importance of this document. Crowley was profoundly influenced by Masonic traditions, while being unwilling (unable?) to discipline himself enough to function within such highly-structured Orders for any significant period of time (except at the pinnacle of the Masonic Pyramid). He was also (despite his protestations) an English royalist, whose cultural up-bringing did not permit him to examine the implications of democracy or anarchy except to scoff at the ways in which Americans attempted to implement these ideas. What was not so obvious to him is that America is no closer to practicing Democracy than Russia is to practicing Communism.

It may be worthy of note that the nations which continue to embrace constitutional Monarchy (such as England) have forfeited the lion's share of international power/prestige, are suffering from ever increasing problems from internal strife, and are fast approaching total bankruptcy, both economic & spiritual. Contrast this to North America, where the pyramid of constitutional monarchy has been tempered/inter- penetrated by both welfare socialism & the anarchy of free enterprise. North America has made great leaps in international power/prestige ever since the beginning of the AEon of Horus. North America now boasts more Thelemites than any area on earth, both in absolute numbers and on a per capita basis. The powerbase of the Knights Templar has been moving steadily West ever since the fall of Jerusalem. Since the beginning of the Atomic Age, there has been a rapid transfer of Thelemic Templar energy from Europe to America. Crowley was certainly aware of this shift, and did much in his lifetime to assist the flow. Given that Crowley was no fool, why would he seek to burden the Order with an outline for a constitution so heavily laden with Old-AEon Masonic constructs that it cannot possibly be taken seriously by those whom it was primarily intended to reach (i.e., North Americans)?

Could it be that Crowley deliberately wrote 'an intimation with reference to the Constitution' in such a fashion that he never intended that It be implimented? Based upon the Zen-Koan nature of many of his other essays, I believe that such is the case. I am particularly struck by his preface to Liber LI, Atlantis (the Lost Continent) in which he speaks of preservation of Truth thru `dreaming true' and `preparation of the antimony'. To quote from Crowley's preface:

"The former (dreaming true) almost explains itself; the latter is almost inconceivable to the normal man. Its essence is to train a man to be anything by training him to be its apposite. At the end of anything, think they (the Seven Heirs of Atlantis), it turns out to be its opposite, and that opposite to thus mastered without having been soiled by the labours of the student, and without the false impressions of early learning being left upon the mind."

What are the ramifications of such a hypothesis? For one, it means that the Order has no need to implement Crowley's outline of a constitution, for its intended purpose has already been fulfilled & it is now time to move onto the next phase. But what is the next phase? The answer to that has yet to be determined, although the method by which it will come about is already known. The method is `dreaming true'. While Crowley has glossed over this powerful tool because it is so obvious, I would like to share some of my insights on this technique so that we (both individually & as a group) can learn to retry this powerful formula in the here-&-now.

When first I approached this formula, I assumed that `dreaming true' was a kind of clairvoyance in which the initiate acts in the role of passive observer who is shown visions to guide him/her to the Light of Eternal Truth. However, further experimentation with this technique has shown me that `dreaming true' is neither passive nor active, but an exquisite blend of the occult virtues 'of the Wand & the Cup in which the Aspirant is first led to the fountainhead of Truth, whereupon s/he in instructed by various guides in some of the myriad ways in which to manipulate/formulate the substance of truth in accord with his/er True Will. When the Aspirant is satisfied that s/he understands the rudiments of the technique, s/he is encouraged to formulate a conscious dream of self-initiation, which is impressed upon the astral in an act of Love under Will. At a later time, the Aspirant is led to an experience of that dream. If the dream proves efficacious in producing the desired affect, the Aspirant is given further instruction in creation & experience of `dreaming true' dealing with impressing conscious dreams into the collective unconscious where they can be rallied upon the physical plane if dreamed by the right combination of people.

I have been playing with variations on this technique for about 5 years now, with moderate success. I believe that if we (individually & as a group) utilize this technique of magick (change in conformity with Will) to formulate & reify a whole new structure for the Order based upon our `preparation of the antimony', we will be far closer to the wisdom of the heir to Atlantis (Crowley) than we would if we were devote our energies to an implementation of Libor CCIV in toto.

Before ending this essay, I would like to quote briefly from an essay which I am working on which outlines the tasks associated with the Three `natural' Grades (Hermit Lover, Man of Earth) within the Order.

One aspect of the Grade of Man of Earth pertains to Powerzones (Lodges, Chapters, Camps, etc.) -- their creation & their governance. Traditionally, a Powerzone has bean modeled on the pyramid, but many Aspirants are now experimenting with alternative structures, such as the geodesic dome. Pyramids ace rigid t massive tinctures with power, enlightenment & freedom of movement concentrated at the apes, while most of the burden to support the structure costs upon those at the bottom. Geodesic domes are flexible structures created from a repetition of different independent sub-patterns. Such a design distributes burdens equally, yielding a very strong stucturo with little excess mass (domes are far more portable than pyramids). Domes are the product of a lattice network in which each strut (ideal formulates an integral part of 2 or more inter-dependent sub-patterns. Flexibility guarantees that information (vibrations) travels quickly thruout the structure, ensuring an even distribution of power, enlightenment, & freedom. Pyramids are founded on the principles of scarcity in which there is not enough resources to support more than one God at s time within the structure. Domes are a but one of the `first approximations' to the Alchemy of infinite wealth in which the Order is composed entirely of Gods who cooperate voluntarily and without subjugation in order to accomplish the Great Work.

I invite correspondence with all who Will prompts them to study the future of the Order. The Hadit-point of my vision becomes clearer daily, but I need the perspective of others if I am to maintain the balance so needed for this work. I do not seek to impose my vision upon the Order (even if such were possible), but I do seek to work with others, regardless of Grade or position of authority to work-out a common vision which can be rallied by those members of the Order who are able to work magick (change in conformity with Will) to reify the future of the Order.

Love is the law, love under will.

Yours for the Great Work,
PVN