The Avatars of Babalon

The Great Wild Beast is the archetype of the animal part of our nature, as the Maiden is the archetype of the spiritual part of our nature.  The spirit is silently still without the indulgence in the Beast; each requiring the other for fulfillment.  Correspondingly, we find in the Pseudpegripha, the idea of the Sons of God mating with the Daughters of Men.  It was Pan who pervaded the ancient world as the Great Wild Beast and his flute enchanted the Spirit; hence the Daughters of Men always flocked around him.  These women are the Avatars of Babalon and the Witches of Thelema.  It is for them that we must once again sing our Ode to Pan, as did the Master Therion:

Thrill with lissome lust of the light,
O man! My man!
Come careering out of the night
Of Pan! Io Pan!
Io Pan! Io Pan! Come over the sea
From Sicily and from Arcady!
Roaming as Bacchus, with fauns and pards
And nymphs and satyrs for thy guards,
On a milk-white ass, come over the sea
To me, to me,
Come with Apollo in bridal dress
(Shepherdess and pythoness)
Come with Artemis, silken shod,
And wash thy white thigh, beautiful God,
In the moon of the woods, on the marble mount,
The dimpled dawn of the amber fount!
Dip the purple of passionate prayer
In the crimson shrine, the scarlet snare,
The soul that startles in eyes of blue
To watch thy wantonness weeping through
The tangled grove, the gnarled bole
Of the living tree that is spirit and soul
And body and brain — come over the sea,
(Io Pan! Io Pan!)
Devil or god, to me, to me,
My man! my man!
Come with trumpets sounding shrill
Over the hill!
Come with drums low muttering
From the spring!
Come with flute and come with pipe!
Am I not ripe?
I, who wait and writhe and wrestle
With air that hath no boughs to nestle
My body, weary of empty clasp,
Strong as a lion and sharp as an asp —
Come, O come!
I am numb
With the lonely lust of devildom.
Thrust the sword through the galling fetter,
All-devourer, all-begetter;
Give me the sign of the Open Eye,
And the token erect of thorny thigh,
And the word of madness and mystery,
O Pan! Io Pan!
Io Pan! Io Pan Pan! Pan Pan! Pan,
I am a man:
Do as thou wilt, as a great god can,
O Pan! Io Pan!
Io Pan! Io Pan Pan! I am awake
In the grip of the snake.
The eagle slashes with beak and claw;
The gods withdraw:
The great beasts come, Io Pan! I am borne
To death on the horn
Of the Unicorn.
I am Pan! Io Pan! Io Pan Pan! Pan! I am thy mate,
I am thy man,
Goat of thy flock, I am gold, I am god,
Flesh to thy bone, flower to thy rod.
With hoofs of steel I race on the rocks
Through solstice stubborn to equinox.
And I rave; and I rape and I rip and I rend
Everlasting, world without end,
Mannikin, maiden, Maenad, man,
In the might of Pan.
Io Pan! Io Pan Pan! Pan! Io Pan!

But who are these Scarlet Women that would be the sisterhood of the Avatars of Babalon?  These maidens or maenads (the two sides of the Scarlet Woman); the shepherdesses and pythons provide for us archetypes of the nature build into the personality of those women suited for this role in a Thelemic syzygy, as well as a Thelemic community.  We learn of her of course, through Liber AL vel Legis; wherein we read:

Crowley’s comment: The Beast is chosen to show by example & also by exposition that man’s perfection depends upon his realizing that his possibilities are infinite & demand realization. The woman associated with him in this work thereby gives form to his idea. Their cooperation inspires mankind to follow their example with the result that men become aware of the sublime nature of every individual consciousness. Such inspirational syzygies formulate communities and social movements, as much as they can formulate childbirth into family structures that are themselves focused on bringing the Thelemic spirit (spirit of the Goddess!) into the social fabric of the human community; a spiritual eugenics.  Such avatars of Babalon and the Beast can be born into these children; their nature being libertine and free of the shackles of the dying archetype of the dying god.  This will hasten the onset of the energies of the Aquarian Age yet to come that in itself will also have as much a communitarian as it will have an individualist nature.  And so for those whose fold is greater than that of the family-oriented birthers will birth a different kind of magickal childe; being those institutional structures that give form to a Thelemic culture. These will manifest as churches and social lodges for the congealing of communities.

Crowley’s comment: The Beast is thus the source of Light & Life & bestows these openly upon such as understand clearly the nature of the Universe. Her function is to reflect his light to such as walk in ignorance yet dream & aspire. He is the type of the individual & she of the forms by which he is able to express himself.

We draw from this the nature of the work of the Scarlet Woman, as one with the soul of the Beast; her man.  He generates the current of Will that she, the maiden in her Love fulfills (per the fable told above, which is consistent with the story told of the Lola in the Wake World) by giving it form; she becoming the midwife L.V.X.  The manifestation is both material/physical and spiritual; being also of soul (the generated admixture of body and spirit). So also must we draw from this the nature of a fold that are gathered about each Beast and Maiden; whether that be the more traditional family and social structure or a church of communicants or a scarlet circle, the ‘mission’ holds a quasi-emissarial nature; bringing a throng of syzygies into a communitarian form.  And lo, the whole thing finally comes round-circle in that by the end of the work, we find it is her Will that is manifested; even as she was the initial impulse of desire that sparked the involution of the godhead.  (cf. A Token of Babalon in Thelemic Qabalah III) She comes to the pinnacles of power that her Magickal Childe becomes someone or something mightier than the “kings of the earth” in that she attains Hadit.  So also we see that the Beast must attain to Nuit, as suggested in the fable; becoming none in fulfillment of Liber AL:I.45 “The Perfect and the Perfect are one Perfect and not two; nay, are none!” This higher functioning of the Scarlet Woman puts her in the order of Scarlet Witches; the Amazonian power of women again manifesting on the surface of the Earth.

Breeding Program

No goal is more paramount than the Sisterhood’s large-scale breeding program. It aims to create a superbeing that can tap into transcendent abilities. To this end, the Sisterhood of the Avatars of Babalon subtly manipulate bloodlines for generations, using breeding sisters to “collect” the genes they require. They are best known for their manipulation of genetics.  They possess a Mating Index and lists of Breeding Records which form a basic guideline for the manipulation of bloodlines toward the production of the Magickal Childe, or superbeing through a breeding program, which the Sisterhood is to conduct by using careful manipulations of relationships and people in general, the Sisterhood of the Avatars of Babalon control bloodlines through the Aeon of Horus. (cf. Liber Magicum Puerum) The duty within the church structure is that all births by such syzygies are recorded with the tendencies and talents of the parents on record to be put into a eugenic database.  Therefore a Scarlet Sisterhood: the Avatars of Babalon are to keep an observational database of the men within its bishopric, as they keep a record of themselves and their affinities.  With the growth of the community, pairings of the children reaching age are encouraged (but not forced!) that are considered to represent gains in functionality and talent as well as in physicality.  A libertine society is culturally developed about the property and domicile of the church through any combination of educational and cultural programming, as well as the feasts and sacraments of the church and the lodges within its bishopric. Besides the Magickal Childe, the Sisterhood of the Avatars of Babalon also involves itself in breeding special individuals of great talent and usefulness in order to amplify certain human characteristics and preserve them. In the two last books, the ‘Latter-day Order of Scarlet Witches’ seem to see themselves as shepherds of humanity, gently nudging humans forward, rather than the comparatively gross manipulations earlier. From: Liber Magicum Puerum:

However, we can say that in order to effectuate and enhance the gestation and birth of an evolved human being, the now, outdated system of selective breeding holds a certainty that is left to chance in the modern mating institution. Homogamy is a generational tool that utilizes selective breeding in order to improve a lineage of planned births. This requires for us an institutional priesthood of men and women; carefully selected for their virtues and recognized by the hierarchical establishment of the church. The inherent problem is a sensitive issue as this requires also the conformity of wills for the two individuals involved in the planned union; the ‘mystical marriage.’ It therefore becomes incumbent upon the hierarchy to maintain the respect of the laity and that a sisterhood of Princesses be established to carry on the work of the Goddess.

For those Sisters themselves not yet involved in their own syzygy (the mystical marriage), they become the counsel of the Reverent Mother; as also the men seeking after their own pairing. She is the keeper of the wisdom of Love and of Love under Will and the Grand Matriarch of the Gnostic Church and Abbey of Thelema and with all other lodges within the bishopric. She is also the Grand Dame of the Order of Scarlet Witches, who themselves are extraordinarily powerful women and who manifest their Will in the world and among men. They may or may not maintain a Scarlet Circle; they may or may not maintain their own powerful syzygy; but in all cases, they are each, carriers of their own Sword.

The Scarlet Witches of Thelema

An Amazon saying her prayers in front of an altar	The fortress of the Amazons probably Themiskyra	Amazon Rider
Herakles fighting against the Amazon Andromache	An Amazon carrying an injured comrade from the battlefield	Amazon training a horse
	Kapru Kale Was it the last refuge for the hard-pressed Amazons?

AL:III.11 “This shall be your only proof. I forbid argument. Conquer! That is enough. I will make easy to you the abstruction from the ill-ordered house in the Victorious City. Thou shalt thyself convey it with worship, o prophet, though thou likest it not. Thou shalt have danger & trouble. Ra-Hoor-Khu is with thee. Worship me with fire & blood; worship me with swords & with spears. Let the woman be girt with a sword before me: let blood flow to my name. Trample down the Heathen; be upon them, o warrior, I will give you of their flesh to eat!“

We have in the mythical history of our culture, one body of women-warriors; known as the Amazons. The word Amazonis of unknown origin; these Amazonians being portrayed as beautiful women on pieces of art called Amazonomachies (vide supra) that showed great battles between these Amazonian women and the ancient Greeks. These women were proscribed great virtue; being honorable, courageous and brave; but also tempering themselves as reactionaries against sexism in the very male Greek society. Of the greatest amongst these women, it was Queen Penthesilea who was quoted at Troy as saying: Not in strength are we inferior to men; the same our eyes, our limbs the same; one common light we see, one air we breathe; nor different is the food we eat. What then denied to us hath heaven on man bestowed? Certainly, the mythos harkens back to a matriarchal age (Aeon of Isis) that preceded the patriarchal Aeon of Osiris, wherein women held a strong and dominant place in society. This perhaps is remembered in Hebrew etymology in a shared root between the Hebrew word for harlot, ‘zona,’ and the Hebrew word for food ‘mazon.’ We can deduce that such a woman who was a ‘harlot’ was a provider of sustenance; indicating the sexual function to have been viewed in the matriarchal period to have a greater import than its confinement to reproduction in the patriarchal aeon. And for us in Thelema today, a-mazon reflects a marvelous image of the Priestess carrying her Sword! And after so long, being denied their own power and glory, we present here a list of great names; 84 Amazonian heroins to serve as mentors for those women to emulate and who would aspire to the office of the Scarlet Woman.

Amazonian Heroines

Aello

Aello was one of Hippolyte’s Amazons. She was the first to attack Herakles when he came for Hippolyte’s girdle. Unfortunately, Herakles now wore the lion skin from his first labor, making him invulnerable. Aello could not kill Herakles and was killed herself. Her name means, “Whirlwind.” Ainia Ainia was an Amazon who was the enemy of Achilles. Due to this, she fought with Penthesilea at Troy, against Achilles. Her name means, “Swiftness.”

Ainippe

Ainippe was one of the many Amazons who went after Herakles’ captains, after Hippolyte was killed, in order to avenge their Queen’s death. Her name means, “Swift Mare.” Alcibie Alcibie fought with Penthesilea at Troy. Alcinoe Alcinoe was an Amazon under Andromache. Her name means, “Mighty Wisdom.” Alcippe Alcippe was one of Hippolyte’s Amazons. She was the ninth and last Amazon to die by Herakles’ hand in single combat. After her death, the Amazons fought in force. Her name means, “Powerful Mare.” Alkaia Alkaia was one of Queen Andromache’s Amazon generals. Her name means, “Mighty One.”

Amynomene

Amynomene was an Amazon serving under Orithia in the Attic War. Her name means, “Blameless Defender.” Anaea Anaea was an Amazon conqueror from the Thermodontine Amazons. She named a city after herself and her tomb lies there. Anaxilea Anaxilea was an Amazon whose name was one of royalty. She was believed to be of royal blood.

Androdameia

Androdameia was an Amazon who fought in the Attic War. Her name means, “Subduer of Men.”

Andromache

Andromache was an Amazon Queen. Her name means, “Man Fighter.”

Andromeda

Andromeda served Amazon Queen Andromache. Her name means, “Ruler of Men.”

Antandre

Antandre fought with Penthesilea at Troy. Her name means, “Preceding Men.”

Antianara

Antianara was the Amazon Queen of the Thermodon after Penthesilea was killed at Troy.

Antianeira

Antianeira was an Amazon in the Attic War. Dueled with Theseus in single combat.

Antibrote

Antibrote was one of the twelve Amazons who helped Penthesilea temporarily liberate Troy.

Antimache

Antimache served under Andromache. Her name means, “Confronting Warrior.”

Antimachos

Antimachos was an Amazon who fought in the Attic War.

Antiope

Antiope was an Amazon Queen when Theseus attacked. When she was defeated, she married Theseus and had his son, Hippolytus (named after Queen Hippolyte). In one tale, Antiope survived the battle between the Amazons and Theseus, only to be betrayed by the Athenian king, who married another. Antiope attacked the day of the wedding with her Amazons. She had planned to massacre the guests. It took Theseus, his companions and the invincible Herakles to kill her. Her name means, “Confronting Moon.”

Antiopeia

Antiopeia was an Amazon archer in the Attic War.

Areto

Areto was an Amazon who went with Pantariste to kill the captains and soldiers of Herakles to avenge the murder of Hippolyte. The Amazons won the battle. Her name means, “Unspeakable.”

Areximacha

Areximacha was an Amazon under Andromache.

Aristomache

Aristomache was an Amazon who fought Mounichos in the Attic War. Her name means, “Best of Warriors.”

Asteria

Asteria was named for the Titan mother of Hecate. She was the sixth slain by Herakles in single combat when he came for Hippolyte’s girdle. Even though the Amazons knew he was invulnerable, they still chose to fight bravely, challenging him one by one [Editor's note: Just like all the bad do in X:WP and H:TLJ, they always go at the hero one at a time!]. Her name means, “Of the Sky.”

Bremusa

Bremusa was an Amazon who was one of Penthesilea’s twelve companions at Troy, where she died. Her name means, “Raging Female.”

Celaneo

Celaneo was an Amazon under Hippolyte whose best weapon was a spear. She fought with Euryhe and Phoebe, always standing shoulder to shoulder in combat. They were killed by Herakles. Clete Clete (or Cleite) was an Amazon Queen, sailing to join Penthesilea at Troy, when she was blown off course. She landed in Italy and founded the city of Clete. Her name means, “The Invoked.”

Clyemne

Clyemne was an Amazon at the Attic war who fought both Theseus and Phaleros in single combat. Her name means, “Famous Might.”

Deianeira

Deianeira was the fifth Amazon killed by Herakles in single combat, during his ninth labor. Her name means, “Strings Together Spoils.”

Deinomache

Deinomache was an Amazon in the Attic War. Her name means, “Terrible Warrior.”

Derimacheia

Derimacheia was one of the twelve Amazon companions of Penthesilea at Troy.

Derinoe

Derinoe was an Amazon who fought for Penthesilea at Troy. Killed Laogonus in single combat.

Doris

Doris was an Amazon named for a sea-goddess. She was a spear-woman in the Attic War. Her name means, “Bountiful.”

Echephyle

Echephyle fought Eudorus in single combat in the Attic War. Her name means, “Chief Defender.”

Eriobea

Eriobea was an Amazon who served under Hippolyte. She was the fourth killed by Herakles in single combat.

Eumache

Eumache was an Amazon in the Attic War, who once disarmed and out of arrows, fought with a stone. Her name means, “Good Fighter.”

Eurybe

Eurybe was an Amazon who was handy with a spear. She always fought in an unbeatable pattern with Phoebe and Celaneo. Unfortunately, they were killed by Herakles, when their spears broke against the lion’s skin from his first labor. They were killed with one sword stroke. Her name means, “Grand Strength.”

Euryleia

Euryleia fought in the Attic War. Her name means, “Woman Wanderer.”

Harmothoe

Harmothoe was an Amazon who was one of Penthesilea’s twelve companions. Her name means, “Sharp Nail.”

Hipp

Hipp was an Amazon Queen. She worked together with another Amazon Queen (Marpesia) and founded the cities, Ephesus, Smyrna, Cyrene and Myrine. Hipp also made a temple to Artemis in Ephesus that remains one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Her name means, “Horse.”

Hippolyte

Hippolyte was an Amazon Queen. Daughter of Otrera and Ares, God of War. Herakles’ ninth labor was to take Hippolyte’s war girdle (a gift from her father). When Herakles came, Hippolyte was impressed with his strength and so gave him the girdle. When Hera, Queen of the Gods and step-mother to Herakles saw this, she told Hippolyte’s Amazons, that Herakles was there to abduct their Queen. The Amazons attacked Herakles, and during the battle, Hippolyte was killed. Her name means, “Of the Stampeding Horse.”

Hippolyte II

Hippolyte II was a sister of Penthesilea. While the two were hunting together, Penthesilea accidentally killed her. Penthesilea was so shocked and ashamed, that she left the Amazons, taking twelve of her Amazons with her to Troy. Hippomache Hippomache fought at the Attic War.

Hippothoe

Hippothoe fought with Penthesilea at Troy. Her name means, “Imperious Mare.”

Hypsipyle

Hypsipyle was an Amazon under Hippolyte. She helped in the fight against Herakles’ captains. Her name means, “Of the High Gate.”

Iphito

Iphito served under Hippolyte. She joined in the battle with Pantariste against Herakles’ captains, Telamon, Theseus and Tiamides.

Kleoptoleme

Kleoptoleme was an Amazon under Queen Andromache.

Kreousa

Kreousa was an Amazon who was killed by Phylakos in single combat in the Attic War.

Kydoime

Kydoime was an Amazon under Andromache.

Laodoke

Laodoke fought with the Amazons in the Attic War.

Lykopis

Lykopis was an Amazon archer under Andromache. Her name means, “She-Wolf.”

Lysippe

Lysippe was an Amazon Queen. Settled her Amazons near the Black Sea. She was the one who established the policies that Amazons lived by. She was an intelligent woman, an excellent general and founded the city, Themiscrya. She was killed in battle as a hero to her people. Her name means, “She Who Lets Loose the Horses.”

Marpe

Marpe was the seventh Amazon to challenge and be killed by Herakles.

Marpesia

Marpesia was an Amazon Queen, who ruled with Lampedo. They excelled at building the Amazon empire. The Caucasus Mountains were once called, “The Marpesians,” after her. Marpesia was killed by a group of barbarians during an Asian attack. Her name means, “The Snatcher.”

Melanippe

Melanippe was the sister of Antiope. When Herakles came for Hippolyte’s girdle, Melanippe was captured by the son of Zeus. While a prisoner, she planned a successful mutiny, on one of Herakles’ ships, that freed her and some other captive Amazons. They took the ship, killing the Greeks and tossed their bodies overboard. Unfortunately, these Amazons were trained to ride horses, not sail, and they were blown to the shores of Scythia. They stole horses and became marauders. Her name means, “Black Mare.”

Melousa

Melousa was an Amazon in the Attic War, lead by Orithia.

Mimnousa

Mimnousa fought at the Attic War.

Molpadia

Molpadia was an Amazon who fought for Orithia. Her name means, “Death Song.”

Okyale

Okyale was an Amazon archer who fought in the Attic war. She engaged Astyochos in single combat.

Okypous

Okypous was an Amazon under Andromache.

Orithia

Orithia (or Oreithyia) was a daughter of the Amazon Queen Marpesia. When her mother was killed by Asian barbarians, her mother’s position fell to her. She forged an alliance with Sagillus, King of Scythia, who sent his son with an army to help Orithia avenge her mother’s death.

Pantariste

When Herakles’ captains fled, Pantariste lead the chase after them. Two Greek foot soldiers attacked her, but she killed them (killing the second by holding his throat until he suffocated). She threw her spear at Captain Tiamides, who blocked it with his shield, but the force knocked him to the ground. She then threw her labrys (a double-headed ax) and beheaded him.

Penthesilea

Penthesilea was the daughter of Orithia and Ares. She was known for her bravery, her skill in weapons and her wisdom. During a hunt, she killed her sister, Hippolyte II. She was so filled with grief that she set out for Troy (which she liberated), but Achilles retook it. Penthesilea’s Amazons fought for Troy again. Since she was the daughter of Ares (God of War), she was able to kill many warriors at Troy, including Machaon and the great Achilles. Penthesilea fell at Troy. Her name means, “Compelling Men to Mourn.”

Philippis

Philippis was the second Amazon of nine to engage Herakles, one-on-one, after he had killed Hippolyte. She was killed. Her name means, “Woman Who Loves Horses.”

Phoebe

Phoebe was the third of the Amazon spear-women with Celaneo and Eurybe. They were killed by Herakles when the Amazons attacked him after Hippolyte’s death.

Pisto

Pisto was an Amazon under Andromache.

Polemusa

Polemusa was one of the twelve Amazons who accompanied Penthesilea to Troy.

Prothoe

Prothoe was the third Amazon to take on Herakles in single combat after Hippolyte’s death. Herakles won, killing her. Her name means, “First in Might.”

Pyrgomache

Pyrgomache was an Amazon who fought in the Attic War. Her name means, “Fiery Warrior.”

Scyleia

Scyleia was an Amazon under Andromache.

Tecmessa

Tecmessa was the eighth Amazon to challenge Herakles in hand-to-hand combat. She was killed. Her name means, “She Who Judges.”

Teisipyte

Teisipyte was an Amazon who served under Andromache.

Telepyleia

Telepyleia was an Amazon under Andromache. Her name means, “Far Sailing.”

Thalestris

Thalestris was an Amazon Queen during the days of Alexander the Great. Alexander met with Thalestris, and they hunted lions together and had thirteen nights of lovemaking (thirteen is a sacred fertility number for moon worshippers, due to the number of moons in a year). She had hoped to have a mighty daughter from Alexander, but she died soon afterward without issue.

Thermodosa

Thermodosa was one of Penthesilea’s twelve Amazon companions at Troy.

Thraso

Thraso was an Amazon under Andromache. Her name means, “Confidence.”

Toxaris

Toxaris was an Amazon of Andromache. Her name means, “Archer.”

Toxis

Toxis was an archer under Andromache.

Toxophile

Toxophile was an archer under Andromache.

Valasca

Valasca (or Dlasta) was an Amazon warrior queen, who ruled for several years in tyranny. She had the right eye and thumbs of all males removed, to make them useless in battle. She wanted to start a new era for the Amazons and she was cruel in her haste, having only a small cult of willing followers. It was not until she died that, “the nation resumed its normal order.” XanthippeXanthippe was an Amazon in the Attic War. Her name means, “Yellow Mare.”

The Sacred Harlot

I am the first and the last. I am the honored one and the scorned one. I am the whore and the holy one. I am the wife and the virgin. I am <the mother> and the daughter. I am the members of my mother. I am the barren one and many are her sons. I am she whose wedding is great, and I have not taken a husband and he is my offspring.

I am the slave of him who prepared me.

I am the ruler of my offspring. — The Thunder-Perfect Mind

“…I am the Heart; and the Snake is entwined About the invisible core of the mind. Rise, O my snake! It is now is the hour Of the hooded and holy ineffable flower. Rise, O my snake, into brilliance of bloom On the corpse of Osiris afloat in the tomb! O heart of my mother, my sister, mine own, Thou art given to Nile, to the terror Typhon!…”—LXV:I.1

In a perfect complement, we find the very first verse of Liber LXV to be almost as if a response to the ancient Gnostic codice: The Thunder-Perfect Mind. In Liber LXV, the goddess Isis shown as the mother and sister as well as the heart of Osiris, who was dismembered and then re-membered. We also see that in The Thunder-Perfect Mind, the Goddess (as sister) is the members of her mother. And like Babalon, she is both virgin and mother, as much as wife to all men. That like the God, the Goddess is first and last and her “wedding is great”—reminiscent of AL:I.61…

AL I.61: “But to love me is better than all things: if under the night-stars in the desert thou presently burnest mine incense before me, invoking me with a pure heart, and the Serpent flame therein, thou shalt come a little to lie in my bosom. For one kiss wilt thou then be willing to give all; but whoso gives one particle of dust shall lose all in that hour. Ye shall gather goods and store of women and spices; ye shall wear rich jewels; ye shall exceed the nations of the earth in splendour & pride; but always in the love of me, and so shall ye come to my joy. I charge you earnestly to come before me in a single robe, and covered with a rich headdress. I love you! I yearn to you! Pale or purple, veiled or voluptuous, I who am all pleasure and purple, and drunkenness of the innermost sense, desire you. Put on the wings, and arouse the coiled splendour within you: come unto me!“

A second more ignoble term for harlot in Hebrew is ‘prutza’—being a term loaded with moral repugnance that comes from the root ‘PRZ’ that connotes the flow of life (the Dao). From this root, ‘peretz’ is also derived; a term that indicates ‘a breakthrough’ and also ‘hitpartzut,’ which means ‘an eruption, excitement or outburst. Together they induce the idea of harlotry being connected with some ecstatic breakthrough into the divine realm. One of the Nag-Hammadi tractates, buried in Hathor's territory from that period was The Thunder, Perfect Mind, which seems to be a call by the Goddess in a time when men began turning away from her and towards the emergent patriarchy; a more ancient theme being resurrected in this time. Her call is a call for return to holiness; a repentance unto what in Hebrew is the QDSh, which was a title of the priestess as the sacred, holy whore.

Manifesto of the Order of Scarlet Witches

The Order of Scarlet Witches are a sisterhood of women Adepts who train their bodies and minds though years of physical and mental conditioning; the essence of their training philosophy being that , if one could control herself, or “know thyself,” ultimately one could control the universe. Its first axiom is “My mind controls my reality.” This flows from a certain dispassion that goes to the core of her womanhood, as discussed in Liber Dux Femina Facti. The training itself is based on a series of progressive exercises, lasting approximately ten years, which give the Aspirant power to control herself mentally, physically, and psychologically, and simultaneously, the ability to control others. This control is used to observe and understand reality with a certain detached objectivity. Two precepts in Order of Scarlet Witches training highlight this philosophy. 1. The first shows the necessity for discipline: “To use raw power is to make yourself infinitely vulnerable to greater powers.” 2. The second deals with practical application of the training: “The mind can go in either direction under stress – toward positive or toward negative: think of it as a spectrum whose extremes are unconsciousness at the negative end and hyperconsciousness at the positive end. ”Thus the goal of the training is to ensure that the Adept would have her power under control in all possible situations. However, there is an inherent weakness in this training: great control could lead to great confidence, and ultimately, an overconfidence that will ten lead to a loss of objectivity; vanity and pride becoming vices veiled in virtuous words. Therefore candidates are continually evaluated and given tasks which force them to work with people more skilled than themselves, and some exercises are specifically designed to prevent vanity about the student’s growing strength.

AL:III.43 ”Let the Scarlet Woman beware! If pity and compassion and tenderness visit her heart; if she leave my work to toy with old sweetnesses; then shall my vengeance be known. I will slay me her child: I will alienate her heart: I will cast her out from men: as a shrinking and despised harlot shall she crawl through dusk wet streets, and die cold and an-hungered.“

Training Program 

The Adepts of the Order of Scarlet Witches Sisters strive to achieve a profound awareness of the universe itself, and all that exists within it. A Gnostic Dialogue of ruminations is fostered between the Adept as mentor and her Acolyte. It is incumbent upon every Scarlet Witch to seek out and keep an apprentice in training; working always as a mentor to the next generation in the genetic line, as much as to start new lines. First Year Training The basic premise of the training was that found in comprehending the Dao; leading to an internal realization of truth which identifies the knower with an immutable though undefineable reality. The Order of Scarlet Witches also identify the knower with reality, but deny the immutability of reality. The key is to achieve harmony and tranquility through establishing balance within the individual. This balance is achieved through Yoga—regimens that control and organize the psychic and physical forces of the body, and concentrate one’s powers; along with visualization practices that allow one to go deep within oneself to find the link between the internal forces, the point of balance between knowing the body and knowing the mind. The mental self is trained through study in logic, reasoning, linguistics and etymology that the Acolyte could distinguish between language and meaning. The Acolyte is constantly taught that a sentence means more than the meaning of the individual words, that it included the physical activity which accompanied the act of speaking. The observer, therefore, has to be able to “read” and “register” the gestalt of the speaker, had to be able to understand the linguistic patterns of thought conveyed through the immediate language, and had to be able to synthesize all these channels instantly in order to understand completely what actually was being “said.” Thus, in the process of learning, the Acolyte has to completely control the internal sources – her own physical, mental, and emotional condition at the time of synthesis – and totally perceive the external sources – the environment of the speaker, the physical and psychic gestalt of the speaker, the cultural undertones of the language, and the actual overtones of the word sets being used. Specifically, Pranayama and Asana training prepares one for the state of concentration needed to understand the reality of a situation. This state of concentration is also essential to the Order of Scarlet Witches observational skills. To gain the proper attitude for complete concentration, one has to first remove oneself, mentally if not physically, from all distractions. To do this one uses relaxation techniques that eliminate the distraction from extraneous stimuli. At this point in her studies, the Acolyte also learns how to distinguish primary information from secondary or unessential information – “to see the facts and discard the distractions.” Once one has relaxed and had begun to observe the proper information, one has to learn to observe closely and clearly. In this state of observation one assimilates pertinent data from the present situation and can recall all pertinent data from memory without error. Finally, as the last step before entering the concentration mode one withdrew sensory and emotional awareness from all internal areas of distraction. In most cases the adept performed a simple calmness ritual, but in great danger, she recited the Litany Against Fearto subdue any instinctual, primal terror, particularly one stimulated by a race memory fear:

I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

At this point, the observer may begin the concentration mode. The concentration mode involves three stages of observational analysis. First, one has to severely limit the attention to only the past and present data concerning the topic. Second, one has to enter a state of total contemplation in which the attention flowed in a steady stream over the topic – the observer completely enclosing the topic. Third, one has to be conscious not of the techniques of observation, not of the presence of self, but of the topic – one had to become the topic (Samadhi). At the moment of unity, the observer understands the topic as she understands herself. Thus, all knowledge depends on the observation of detail and on one’s body being trained to support close observation, on objective classification and cataloguing, and on maximum retention of data. Order of Scarlet Witches are trained to exercise petit perception at all times, noticing to a terrifying degree minutiae that others miss. When combined with their analytical abilities, Order of Scarlet Witches appear to be capable of divining secrets in persons and circumstances that are invisible to everyone else. The become as Truthsayers; able to detect whether someone is lying by detecting inflection and change in a subject’s voice, observing and interpreting their body language and analyzing physical signs like pulse and heart rate. Such perception of someone else’s veracity is an ability that all humans have, in principle, but that requires extensive training to develop to the point of usefulness. Second Year Training Developing the trances and visualization practices; shamanistic states are the practices of the second year training. Supramental Practices for cellular awareness and tantric control and the prophetic trances of the Merkabic Tradition that generates the guiding prophecy of the Reverend Mother for the Order of Scarlet Witches. A yogic regimen is followed that aims for complete conscious control over the functions of her internal organs, such as generating an internal heat. The Order of Scarlet Witches are notable for their extensive skill in seduction, sex and sexual imprinting. The most talented and highly-trained are known as Imprinters. Men in a position of power or future power, or those with specific qualities that the order wishes to incorporate into their breeding program, are typical targets of a Order of Scarlet Witches imprinter. Men seduced by an imprinter are permanently affected (imprinted) by the intense sexual experience and are thereafter consciously or subconsciously favorable to the Sisterhood. A thorough study of the sexual Gnosis is pursued through the Citatiza-Tet Tarot; the Breviary of the Gnostic Church of L.V.X. and Liber XXXVI; along with a deep investigation into certain evocational practices. The Sister in Training develops herself in the office of the Scarlet Woman by developing an expertise in ‘sexual healing’ in the manner that best suits the nature of her Khu. Third Year Training Third-year training section opens with this caution: “All proof inevitably leads to propositions which have no proof. All things are known because we want to believe in them.” The Sister in Training develops an expertise in ‘Detachment.’ Per Liber Dux Femina Facti:

“The Priestess. Should be actually Virgo Intacta, or specially dedicated to the service of the Great Order.”Crowley’s direction in the Gnostic Mass.

She is supposed to rule her life by absolute detachment.This is the first and foremost rule in her code of conduct, and is hard won through certain ordeals that the successful woman must face. As a result, any paradigm is feasible for her to play with, because she leaves it where she found it; untouched, as she’s never become attached to it.Therefore, nothing touches her, she remains ‘virgo intacta’ and with a hard heart.We might also attribute the quality of the Fourth Power of the Sphinx to this. She remains unimpressed by the Men of Earth that scream for eternal Love and believe that weddings and contracts can squeeze the timeless ecstasy of Love into a frame that will uphold it regardless of the rest of the situation. She is faithful to the continuous couple of ‘No-thing’. She is touched by No-thing, and the Man of Earth is just a chance for her to partake in continuous and eternal flow of divinity. Thereby she stays virgo intacta; touched by No-thing. And she does not confuse Hadit with the flesh of a specific Priest or Man of Earth. We then have contrast and distinction between the Priestess and Scarlet Woman who belongs to the little world. The Priestess is the Adept of Knowledge and Da’ath having attained the Power of Silence. The Scarlet Woman is Babalon and is much more a character stirring the lust of the snake and being loud and adulterous. Yet these two are sisters. These two provide viable female role models for woman to emulate and men to adore.

AL I.4: “Every number is infinite; there is no difference.“

Crowley’s commentary (expurgated):

This is a great and holy mystery. Although each star has its own number, each number is equal and supreme. Every man and every woman is not only a part of God, but the Ultimate God. “The Centre is everywhere and the circumference nowhere”. The old definition of God takes new meaning for us. Each one of us is the One God. This can only be understood by the initiate; one must acquire certain high states of consciousness to appreciate it. Each ‘Star’ is connected directly with every other star, and the Space being Without Limit (Ain Soph) the Body of Nuith, any one star is as much the Centre as any other. Each man instinctively feels that he is the Centre of the Cosmos, and philosophers have jeered at his presumption. But it was he that was precisely right. The yokel is no more ‘petty’ than the King, nor the earth than the Sun. Each simple elemental Self is supreme, Very God of Very God. Ay, in this Book is Truth almost insufferably splendid, for Man has veiled himself too long from his own glory: he fears the abyss, the ageless Absolute. But Truth shall make him free! It may clarify the subject if we venture to paraphrase the text. The first statement “Every number is infinite” is, on the face of it, a contradiction in terms. But that is only because of the accepted idea of a number as not being a thing in itself but merely a term in series homogeneous in character. All orthodox mathematical argument is based on definitions involving this conception. For example, it is fundamental to admit the identity of 2 plus 1 with 1 plus 2. The Book of the Law presents an altogether different conception of the nature of number. Mathematical ideas involve what is called a continuum, which is, superficially at least, of a different character to the physical continuum. For instance, in the physical continuum, the eye can distinguish between the lengths of one-inch stick and a two-inch stick, but not between these which measure respectively one thousand miles and one thousand miles and on inch, though the difference in each case is equally an inch. The inch difference is either perceptible or not perceptible, according to the conditions. Similarly, the eye can distinguish either the one-inch or the two-inch stick from one of an inch and a half. But we cannot continue this process indefinitely — we can always reach a point where the extremes are distinguishable from each other but their mean from neither of the extremes. Thus, in the physical continuum, if we have three terms, A, B, and C, A appears equal to B, and B to C, yet C appears greater than A. Our reason tells us that this conclusion is an absurdity, that we have been deceived by the grossness of our perceptions. It is useless for us to invent instruments which increase the accuracy of our observations, for though they enable us to distinguish between the three terms of our series, and to restore the theoretical Hierarchy, we can always continue the process of division until we arrive at another series: A’, B’, C’, where A’ and C’ are distinguishable from each other, but where neither is distinguishable from B’. On the above grounds, modern thinkers have endeavoured to create a distinction between the mathematical and the physical continuum, yet it should surely be obvious that the defect in our organs of sense, which is responsible for the difficulty, shows that our method of observation debars us from appreciating the true nature of things by this method of observation. However, in the case of the mathematical continuum, its character is such that we can continue indefinitely the process of division between any two mathematical expressions so-ever, without interfering in any way with the regularity of the process, or creating a condition in which two terms become indistinguishable from each other. The mathematical continuum, moreover, is not merely a question of series of integral numbers, but of other types of numbers, which, like integers, express relations between existing ideas, yet are not measurable in terms of that series. Such numbers are themselves parts of a continuum of their own, which interpenetrates the series of integers without touching it, at least necessarily. For example: the tangents of angles made by the separation of two lines from coincidence to perpendicularity, increases constantly from zero to infinity. But almost the only integral value is found at the angle of 45 degrees where it is unity. It may be said that there is an infinite number of such series, each possessing the same property of infinite divisibility. The ninety tangents of angles differing by one degree between zero and ninety may be multiplied sixty fold by taking the minute instead of the degree as the co-efficient of the progression, and these again sixty fold by introducing the second to divide the minute. So on ad infinitum. A short digression is necessary. There may be some who are still unaware of the fact, but the mathematical and physical sciences are in no sense concerned with absolute truth, but only with the relations between observed phenomena and the observer. The statement that the acceleration of falling bodies is thirty-two feet per second, is only the roughest of approximation at the best. In the first place, it applies to earth. As most people know, in the Moon the rate is only one-sixth as great. But, even on earth, it differs in a marked manner between the poles and the equator, and not only so, but it is affected by so small a matter as the neighborhood of a mountain. It is similarly inaccurate to speak of “repeating” an experiment. The exact conditions never recur. One cannot boil water twice over. The water is not the same, and the observer is not the same. When a man says that he is sitting still, he forgets that he is whirling through space with vertiginous rapidity. It is possibly such considerations that led earlier thinkers to admit that there was no expectation of finding truth in anything but mathematics, and they rashly supposed that the apparent ineluctability of her laws constitutes a guarantee of their coherence with truth. But mathematics is entirely a matter of convention, no less so than the rules of Chess or Baccarat. When we say that “two straight lines cannot enclose a space”, we mean no more than we are unable to think of them as doing so. The truth of the statement depends, consequently, on that of the hypothesis that our minds bear witness to truth. Yet the insane man may be unable to think that he is not the victim of mysterious persecution. We find that no reason for believing him. It is useless to reply that mathematical truths receive universal consent, because they do not. It is a matter of elaborate and tedious training to persuade even the few people when we teach of the truth of the simplest theorems in Geometry. There are very few people living who are convinced — or even aware — of the more recondite results of analysis. It is no reply to this criticism to say that all men can be convinced if they are sufficiently trained, for who is to guarantee that such training does not warp the mind? But when we have brushed away these preliminary objections, we find that the nature of the statement itself is not, and cannot be, more than a statement of correspondences between our ideas. In the example chosen, we have five ideas; those of duality, of straightness, of a line, of enclosing, and of space. None of these are more than ideas. Each one is meaningless until it is defined as corresponding in a certain manner to certain other ideas. We cannot define any word soever, except by identifying it with two or more equally undefined words. To define it by a single word would evidently constitute a tautology. We are thus forced to the conclusion that all investigation may be stigmatized as obscurum per obscurium. Logically, our position is even worse. We define A as BC, where B is DE, and C is FG. Not only does the process increase the number of our unknown quantities in Geometrical progression at every step, but we must ultimately arrive at a point where the definition of Z involves the term A. Not only is all argument confined within a vicious circle, but so is the definition of the terms on which any argument must be based. It might be supposed that the above chain of reasoning made all conclusions impossible. But this is only true when we investigate the ultimate validity of our propositions. We can rely on water boiling at 100 degrees Centigrade,<<In revising this comment, I note with amusement that it had escaped me that 100 degrees C. is by definition the temperature at which water boils! I have seen it boil at about 84 degrees C. on the Baltoro Glacier, and determined my height above sea-level by observing the boiling point so often that I had quite forgotten the original conditions of Celsius.>> although, for mathematical accuracy, water never boils twice running at precisely the same temperature, and although, logically, the term water is an incomprehensible mystery. To return to our so-called axiom; Two straight lines cannot enclose a space. It has been one of the most important discoveries of modern mathematics, that this statement, even if we assume the definition of the various terms employed, is strictly relative, not absolute; and that common sense is impotent to confirm it as in the case of the boiling water. For BolyaI. Lobatschewsky, and Riemann have shown conclusively that a consistent system of geometry can be erected on any arbitrary axiom whatsoever. If one chooses to assume that the sum of the interior angles of a triangle is either greater than or less than two right angles, instead of equal to them, we can construct two new systems of Geometry, each perfectly consistent with itself, and we possess no means whatsoever of deciding which of the three represents truth. I may illustrate this point by a simple analogy. We are accustomed to assert that we go from France to China, a form of expression which assumes that those countries are stationary, while we are mobile. But the fact might be equally well expressed by saying that France left us and China came to us. In either case there is no implication of absolute motion, for the course of the earth through space is not taken into account. We implicitly refer to a standard of repose which, in point of fact, we know not to exist. When I say that the chair in which I am sitting has remained stationary for the last hour, I mean only “stationary in respect to myself and my house”. In reality, the ear th’s rotation has carried it over one thousand miles, and the earth’s course some seventy thousand miles, from its previous position. All that we can expect of any statement is that it should be coherent with regard to a series of assumption which we know perfectly well to be false and arbitrary. It is commonly imagined, by those who have not examined the nature of the evidence, that our experience furnishes a criterion by which we may determine which of the possible symbolic representations of Nature is the true one. They suppose that Euclidian Geometry is in conformity with Nature because the actual measurements of the interior angle s of a triangle tell us that their sum is in fact equal to two right angles, just as Euclid tells us that theoretical considerations declare to be the case. They forget that the instruments which we use for our measurements are themselves conceived of as in conformity with the principles of Euclidian Geometry. In other words, them measure ten yards with a piece of wood about which they really known nothing but that its length is one-tenth of the ten yards in question. The fallacy should be obvious. The most ordinary reflection should make it clear that our results depend upon all sorts of condition. If we inquire, “What is the length of the thread of quicksilver in a thermometer?”, we can only reply that it depends on the temperature of the instrument. In fact, we judge temperature by the difference of the coefficients of expansion due to heat of the two substances, glass and mercury. Again, the divisions of the scale of the thermometer depend upon the temperature of boiling water, which is not a fixed thing. It depends on the pressure of the earth’s atmosphere, which varies (according to time and place) to the extent of over twenty per cent. Most people who talk of “scientific accuracy” are quite ignorant of elementary facts of this kind. It will be said, however, that having defined a yard as the length of a certain bar deposited in the Mint in London, under given conditions of temperature and pressure, we are at least in a position to measure the length of other objects by comparison, directly or indirectly, with that standard. In a rough and ready way, that is more or less the case. But if it should occur that the length of things in general were halved or doubled, we could not possibly be aware of the other so-called laws of Nature. We have no means so-ever of determining even so simple a matter as to whether one of two events happens before or after the other. Let us take an instance. It is well known that the light of the sun requires some eight minutes to reach the earth. Simultaneous phenomena in the two bodies would therefore appear to be separated in time to that extent; and, from a mathematical standpoint, the same discrepancy theoretically exists, even if we suppose the two bodies in question to be only a few yards one more remote than the other. Recent consideration of these facts has show the impossibility of determining the fact of priority, so that it may be just as reasonable to assert that a dagger-thrust is caused by a wound as vice versa. Lewis Carroll has an amusing parable to this effect in “Through the Looking-Glass”, which work, by the way, with its predecessor, is packed with examples of philosophical paradox. <<If I strike a billiard ball, and it moves, both my will and its motion have causes long antecedent to the act. I may consider both my Work and its reaction as twin effects of the eternal Universe. The moved arm and ball are part of a state of the Cosmos which resulted necessarily from its momentarily previous state, and so, back for ever. Thus, my Magical Work is only on of the cause-effects necessarily concomitant with the cause-effects which set the ball in motion. I may therefore regard the act of striking as a cause-effect of my original Will to move the ball, though necessarily previous to its motion. But the case of Magical work is not quite analogous. For I am such that I am compelled to perform Magick in order to make my Will to prevail; so that the cause of my doing the Work is also he cause of the ball’s motion, and there is no reason why one should precede the other, See Book 4, Part III. for a full discussion. (Since writing the above, I have been introduced to “Space, Time and Gravitation”, where similar arguments are adduced.)>> We may now return to our text “Every number is infinite”. The fact that every number is a term in a mathematical continuum is no more an adequate definition than if we were to describe a picture as Number So-and-So in the catalogue. Every number is a thing in itself,<<I regret to find myself in disagreement with the Hon. Bertrand Russell with regard to the conception of the nature of Number.>> possessing an infinite number of properties peculiar to itself. Let us consider, for a moment, the numbers 8 and 9. 8 is the number of cubes measuring one inch each way in a cube which measures two inches each way; while 9 is the number of squares measuring one inch each way in a square measuring three inches each way. There is a sort of reciprocal correspondence between them in this respect. By adding one to eight, we obtain nine, so that we might define unity as that which has the property of transforming a three-dimensional expansion of two into a two-dimensional expansion of three. But if we add unity to nine, unity appears as that which has the power of transforming the two-dimensional expansion of three aforesaid into a mere oblong measuring 5 by 2. Unity thus appears as in possession of two totally different properties. Are we then to conclude that it is not the same unity? How are we to describe unity, how know it? Only by experiment can we discover the nature of its action on any given number. In certain minor respects, this action exhibits regularity. We know, for example, that it uniformly transforms an odd number into an even one, and vice versa, but that is practically the limit of what we can predict as to its action. We can go further, and state that any number whatsoever possesses this infinite variety of powers to transform any other number, even by the primitive process of addition. We observe also how the manipulation of any two numbers can be arranged so that the result is incommensurable with either, or even so that ideas are created of a character totally incompatible with our original conception of numbers as a series of positive integers. We obtain unreal and irrational expressions, ideas of a wholly different order, by a very simple juxtaposition of such apparently comprehensible and commonplace entities as integers. There is only one conclusion to be drawn from these various considerations. It is that the nature of every number is a thing peculiar to itself, a thing inscrutable and infinite, a thing inexpressible, even if we could understand it. In other words, a number is a soul, in the proper sense of the term, an unique and necessary element in the totality of existence. We may not turn to the second phrase of the text: “there is no difference”. It must strike the student immediately that this is, on the face of it, a point blank contradiction of all that has been said above. What have we done but insist upon the essential difference between any tow numbers, and show that even their sequential relation is little more than arbitrary, being indeed rather a convenient way of regarding them for the purpose of coordinating them with out understanding than anything else? On a similar principle, we number public vehicles or telephones without implication even of necessary sequence. The appellation denotes nothing beyond membership of a certain class of objects, and is indeed expressly chosen to avoid being entangled in considerations of any characteristics of the individual so designated except that cursory designation. When it is said that there is no difference between numbers (for in this sense I think we must understand the phrase), we must examine the meaning of the word ‘difference’. Difference is the denial of identity in the first place, but the word is not properly applied to discriminate between objects which have no similarity. One does not ask, “What is the difference between a yard and a minute?” in practical life. We do ask the difference between two things of the same kind. The Book of the Law is trying to emphasize the doctrine that each number is unique and absolute. Its relations with other numbers are therefore in the nature of illusion. They are the forms of presentation under which we perceive their semblances; and it is to the last degree important to realize that these semblances only indicate the nature of the realities behind them in the same way in which the degrees on a thermoelectric scale indicate heat. It is quite un-philosophical to say that 50 degrees Centigrade is hotter than 40 degrees. Degrees of temperature are simply conventions invented by ourselves to describe physical states of a totally different order; and, while the heat of a body may be regarded as an inherent property of its own, our measure of that heat in no way concerns it. We use instruments of science to inform us of the nature of the various objects which we wish to study; but our observations never reveal the thing as it is in itself. They only enable us to compare unfamiliar with familiar experiences. The use of an instrument necessarily implies the imposition of alien conventions. To take the simplest example: when we say that we see a thing, we only mean that our consciousness is modified by its existence according to a particular arrangement of lenses and other optical instruments, which exist in our eyes and not in the object perceived. So also, the fact that the sum of 2 and 1 is three, affords us but a single statement of relations symptomatic of the presentation to us of those numbers. We have, therefore, no means whatsoever of determining the difference between any two numbers, except in respect of a particular and very limited relation. Furthermore, in view of the infinity of every number, it seems not unlikely that the apparent differences observed by us would tend to disappear with the disappearance of the arbitrary conditions which we attach to them to facilitate, as we think, our examination. We may also observe that each number, being absolute, is the centre of its universe, so that all other numbers, so far as they are related to it, are its appendages. Each number is, therefore, the totality of the universe, and there cannot be any difference between one infinite universe and another. The triangle ABC may look very different from the standpoints of A, B, and C respectively; each view is true, absolutely; yet it is the same triangle. The above interpretation of the text is of a revolutionary character, from the point of view of science and mathematics. Investigation of the lines here laid down will lead to the solution of these grave problems which have so long baffled the greatest minds of the world, on account of the initial error of attaching them on lines which involve self-contradiction. The attempt to discover the nature of things by a study of the relations between them is precisely parallel with the ambition to obtain a finite value of Pi. Nobody wishes to deny the practical value of the limited investigations which have so long preoccupied the human mind. But it is only quite recently that even the best thinkers have begun to recognize that their work was only significant within a certain order. It will soon be admitted on all hands that the study of the nature of things in themselves is a work for which the human reason is incompetent; for the nature of reason is such that it must always formulate itself in proportions which merely assert a positive or negative relation between a subject and a predicate. Men will thus be led to the development of a faculty, superior to reason, whose apprehension is independent of the hieroglyphic representations of which reason so vainly makes use.<<See “Eleusis”, A. Crowley Collected Works, Vol. III. Epilogue.>> {This then will} be the foundation of the true spiritual science which is the proper tendency of the evolution of man. This Science will clarify, without superseding, the old; but it will free men from the bondage of mind, little by little, just as the old science has freed them from the bondage of matter. This science is the proper and particular study of initiates, and its principia are formulated in the Book of the Law. This Book may therefore be regarded as indicating a complete revolution in human affairs, for it advances mankind in the most radical manner. The road of attainment to self-realization is made open as never before has been done in the history of the planet.

Fourth Year Training The Work of the Cup; obtaining the Blood of the Saints, which is the obtaining of spiritual power. Fifth Year Training The development of the spiritual egregore that is her ‘ally’—the assumption of the godform of Babalon. Sixth Year TrainingThe Work of Wickedness, per AL

AL III.43: “Let the Scarlet Woman beware! If pity and compassion and tenderness visit her heart; if she leave my work to toy with old sweetnesses; then shall my vengeance be known. I will slay me her child: I will alienate her heart: I will cast her out from men: as a shrinking and despised harlot shall she crawl through dusk wet streets, and die cold and an-hungered.” Although this verse is specifically directed tot he Scarlet Woman, there is a sense in which it is useful to all Aspirants, and it must be taken in a very literal sense. We have already remarked that there are no contradictions in the Book. You have been told not to pity; you have been told that compassion is the vice of kings; you must act as if you believe these assertions to be facts, if you want to become a Thelemite. See LXV, v, 52-56. Many of your ordeals shall be of pity and compassion. You must remember that pity is vanity and compassion is confusion, or you will run the risk of wasting your dedication on the most worthless people. “Old sweetnesses”: see AL I, 49; AL II, 5, 52. These verses must be understood in the most literal sense, and complied with punctiliously. Let the dead bury their dead, and follow 666! “I will alienate her heart”: I will confuse her intelligence. “I will cast her out from men”: Even those for whom she showed pity or compassion will scorn her. In fact, they will be first to do so. “I will slay me her child”: Remember the Sign I.R.! This is a hint for Members of a certain Grade. Nor do you forget AL III, 16. AL III.44: “But let her raise herself in pride! Let her follow me in my way! Let her work the work of wickedness! Let her kill her heart! Let her be loud and adulterous! Let her be covered with jewels, and rich garments, and let her be shameless before all men!” “Pride”—see A.C.’s Commentary to AL II, 77. “Work of wickedness”—it should be clear by now that what we call virtue many others call wickedness. Our own atavism rises against us in the path of Spiritual Revolution. Our ‘conscience’ will tell us that we are being wicked when we struggle to free ourselves or others. Face the Phantom, then. You will be called wicked. He was. Glory in it! “Kill her heart”: this refers to the Yoga practice of “Slaying the Cakkrams’, in this case the Anahatta. “Loud and adulterous”—see Liber Aleph, 116-118. “Covered with jewels”—Cakkrams active. “Rich garments”—Purple, gold and scarlet auric colors. “Shameless before all men”—See AL II, 52, and the Commentaries thereto. Also remember that all children are shameless. If you are ashamed of yourself, change yourself; if you are ashamed of what you do, why do it? But if you are sure of yourself and of your deeds, why shame? Again, read Emerson’s essay “Self-Reliance.”! AL III.45: “Then will I lift her to pinnacles of power: then will I breed from her a child mightier than all the kings of the earth. I will fill her with joy: with my force shall she see & strike at the worship of Nu: she shall achieve Hadit.” THE OLD COMMENT 43-45. The two latter verses have become useless, so far as regards the person first indicated to fill the office of “Scarlet Woman”. In her case the prophecy of v. 43 has been most terribly fulfilled, to the letter; except the last paragraph. Perhaps before the publication of this comment the final catastrophe will have occurred. ( {?} in 20 {?}, An V.) It or an even more terrible equivalent is now in progress. ( {?} in {?}, An VII.) (P.S. — I sealed up the MSS of this comment and posted it to the printer on my way to the Golf Club at Hoylake. On my arrival at the Club, I found a letter awaiting me which stated that the catastrophe had occurred). Let the next upon whom the cloak may fall beware! THE NEW COMMENT It is impossible to discuss such passages as these until time has furnished the perspective. The accounts of certain magical experiments in this line will be found in “The Urn.” This ‘child’ is not necessarily to be identified with him who ‘shall discover the key of it all.’ This verse can be fully understood only by the Scarlet Woman or Magisters. However: “Pinnacles of power”—Spiritual Power. See Liber 90, v. 43. “Child mightier than all the kings of the earth”: The Crowned and Conquering Child, of course. The Babe of the Abyss. “Joy”—10+70+10=90. See Liber Tzaddi “The worship of Nu”—See Liber NV. Also, Artemis Iota. “She shall achieve Hadit.”—See Liber HAD.

Seventh Year Training Psychological Studies; mind control, sympathetic magick Eighth Year Training Historical studies Ninth Year Training Medical Studies Tenth Year Training Political Administration; training for support functions for the department of the Reverend Mother.

Proverbs for the Scarlet Witch

Do not be quick to reveal judgment. Hidden judgment often is more potent. It can guide reactions whose effects are felt only when too late to divert them. These are illusions of popular history which the slave religions must promote: Evil men never prosper; only the brave deserve the fair; honesty is the best policy; actions speak louder than words; virtue always triumphs; a good deed is its own reward. We tend to become like the worst in those we oppose. There’s no secret to balance. You just have to feel the waves. We witness a passing phrase of eternity. Important things happen but some people never notice. Accidents intervene. You are not present at episodes. You depend on reports. And people shutter their minds. What good are reports? History in a news account? Preselected at an editorial conference, digested and excreted by prejudice? Accounts you need seldom come from those who make history. Diaries, memoirs and autobiographies are subjective forms of special pleading. Archives are crammed with such suspect stuff. If you believe certain words, you believe their hidden arguments. When you believe something is right or wrong, true of false, you believe the assumptions in the words which express the arguments. Such assumptions are often full of holes, but remain most precious to the convinced. Here lies a toppled god His fall was not a small one. We did but build his pedestal, A narrow and tall one. Religion is the emulation of the adult by the child. Religion is the encasement of past beliefs: mythology, which is guesswork, the hidden assumptions of trust in the universe, those pronouncements which men have made in search of personal power, all of it mingled with shreds of enlightenment. And always the unspoken commandment is ‘Thou shalt not question!’ But we question as a matter of course. The work to which we have set ourselves is the liberating of the imagination, the harnessing of imagination to humankind’s deepest sense of creativity.

On the Scarlet Women

On the Thought of the Beast: Is this an Office only; that of one ‘Great Beast’ and that alone? Or is every man a Beast/Lion with every woman a Scarlet Whore? The former gives us one option; renewing a papacy that would be to make the same error as the Roman Catholic Church; its perennial authority enslaving the souls of its congregation. The latter brings us to the holy oracle that is the function of the Scarlet Woman; concubine of the Beast, who is one possibility of Logos. As every man and every woman is a star, so also, she is a Logos; but the quality of her nature is passive in contrast to her Beast. Her function then becomes to reflect and amplify his light where it does not already shine; into the night or ‘outside the thought’ of God (using the Gnostic vernacular).

She being the generative force, the role of the Scarlet Woman is to translate into action, the thought of her ‘Beast’—she becomes the instrument through which his idea assumes sensible form; both a motivator and an instigator, as much an enforcer and protector—according to her individual nature. Some give this title to all Crowley’s concubines; but few really fulfilled anything of the function of the Office of the Scarlet Woman. While obviously, a certain amount of the Beast’s energy moves to the Scarlet Concubine in a regular, conjugal relationship, the woman herself must be connected with manifesting the work that is the Will/Logos (bud-Will) of her Beast. Or she must be using him to actuate her own design by using his energy as it moves through her (this being the case of a Beast who’s own nature is passive; though he still be a Sun—the energy of manifesting).

These are holy avatars of the Sakti or sacred force of the Universal Mind; that primordial energy that animates matter and is sometimes called the ‘Divine Feminine.’ Is it no wonder that the patron God of the Scarlet Woman is Ra-Hoor-Khuit (as it was for Alostrael)? RHK is the force and vigor of one’s arms; the sway of the Sakti force is what he as the Beast moves through her in his transmission of the L.V.X. In this way, the Scarlet Woman is the ‘agent of change’ in the alchemical connections invoked by the Beast and in accordance with her particular nature. It is her detachment that unleashes the raw potency of her force, as she reigns over whole of her domain.

Of those women given the title of her office (as many as eleven have been presented by others), only six remotely fulfill this function; and with some controversy in that Crowley himself denies that one of his lovers fulfilled the office and that we have selected. Several of these women often took dictation from Crowley, which required a belief in the Great Beast; the Scarlet Woman being his amplifier. But this is where we say that even amongst our selection these should be considered to possibly be not so. Really, those who connected Crowley with the various personalities evoked through their workings are the only true ‘definite’ office holders. Rose Kelly connects Crowley with Aiwass and the generation of Liber AL; he’s connected to various mages (Abuldiz, Amalantra) through others. And in a third category, Alostrael is instrumental in his Ipsissimus Initiation with even a fourth category; being the generation of a Magickal Childe as was conceived of Achad by his working (though unintentional) with Hilarion. These several women are:

H KOKKINE GYNE of TO MEGA THERION

Rose Edith Kelly
Leilah Waddell
Mary Desti Sturges
Jeanne Robert Foster
Roddie Minor
Leah Hirsig

Rose Edith Kelly Ouarda First made contact w/Aiwass The Book of Lies	Leilah Waddell Laylah A muse who inspired leading to the writing of Book 4	Mary Desti Sturges Virikam Achieved link w/Abuldiz
Jeanne Robert Foster Hilarion “the Camel” The Magickal Mother of Fr. Achad’s revelation of the Key to AL	Roddie Minor Ahitha “the Womb of God” Made contact with Amalantra	Leah Hirsig Alostrael Assisted in Crowley’s Ipsissimus Initiation

And we can possibly rule out Laylah; but for that she was clearly Crowley’s magickal partner who figured potently into his personal Qabalah as expressed through Liber 333, as much as she took dictation from him. In all, a standard for this first, archetypal and ‘Great Beast’ was that his Scarlet Women needed to act as a conduit to his creative force; that they focused and defined the energy before it manifested; and once manifested, they nurtured its countenance in accord with the particular nature of each, her Khu; being more than a mere muse for the mage, as they were also its oracle. And as an oracle, the magickal childe is the third party that expresses itself through their joint effort; that the Beast itself does not function as a pope—but that divine Logos that is channeled through his passion (an impersonal energy) and into her receptacle.

4

KEFALH D

PEACHES

Soft and hollow, how thou dost overcome the hard

and full!

It dies, it gives itself; to Thee is the fruit!

Be thou the Bride; thou shalt be the Mother here-

after.

To all impressions thus. Let them not overcome thee;

yet let them breed within thee. The least of the

impressions, come to its perfection, is Pan.

Receive a thousand lovers; thou shalt bear but One

Child.

This child shall be the heir of Fate the Father.

COMMENTARY (D)

Daleth is the Empress of the Tarot, the letter of

Venus, and the title, Peaches, again refers to the Yoni.

The chapter is a counsel to accept all impressions;

it is the formula of the Scarlet woman; but no impression

must be allowed to dominate you, only to fructify you;

just as the artist, seeing an object, does not worship it,

but breeds a masterpiece from it. This process is

exhibited as one aspect of the Great Work. The last

two paragraphs may have some reference to the 13th

Aethyr (see The Vision and The Voice).

49

KEFALH MQ

WARATAH-BLOSSOMS

Seven are the veils of the dancing-girl in the harem of

IT.

Seven are the names, and seven are the lamps beside

Her bed.

Seven eunuchs guard Her with drawn sword; No

Man may come nigh unto Her.

In Her wine-cup are seven streams of the blood of the

Seven Spirits of God.

Seven are the heads of THE BEAST whereon she

rideth.

The head of an Angel: the head of a Saint: the head of

Poet: the head of An Adulturous Woman: the

head of a Man of Valour: the head of a Satyr: and

the head of a Lion-Serpent.

Seven letters hath Her holiest name; and it is

This is the Seal upon the Ring that is on the Forefinger

of IT: and it is the Seal upon the Tombs of

them whom She hath slain.

He is Wisdom. Let Him that hath Understanding

count the Number of Our Lady; for it is the

Number of a Woman; and Her Number is

An Hundred and Fifty and Six.

COMMENTARY (MQ)

49 is the square of 7.

7 is the passive and feminine number.

The chapter should be read in connection with Chapter 31, for

IT now reappears.

The chapter heading, the Waratah, is a voluptuous scarlet

flower, common in Australia, and this connects the chapter with

Chapters 28 and 29; but this is only an allusion, for the subject

of the chapter is OUR LADY BABALON, who is conceived as the

feminine counterpart of IT.

This does not agree very well with the common or orthodox

theogony of Chapter 11; but it is to be explained by the

dithyrambic nature of the chapter.

In paragraph 3 NO MAN is of course NEMO, the Master of

the Temple. Liber 418 will explain most of the allusions in this

chapter.

In paragraphs 5 and 6 the author frankly identifies himself

with the BEAST referred to in this book, and in the Apocalypse,

and in LIBER LEGIS. In paragraph 6 the word “angel” may

refer to his mission, and the word “lion-serpent” to the sigil of

his ascending decan. (Teth = Snake = spermatozoon and Leo in

the Zodiac, which like Teth itself has the snake-form. Q first

written ! = Lingam-Yoni and Sol.)

Paragraph 7 explains the theological difficulty referred to

above. There is only one symbol, but this symbol has many

names: of these names BABALON is the holiest. It is the name

referred to in Liber Legis, 1, 22.

It will be noticed that the figure, or sigil, of BABALON is a

seal upon a ring, and this ring is upon the forefinger of IT. This

identifies further the symbol with itself.

It will be noticed that this seal, except for the absence of a

border, is the official seal of the A\A\. Compare Chapter 3.

It is also said to be the seal upon the tombs of them that she

hath slain, that is, of the Masters of the Temple.

In connection with the number 49, see Liber 418, the 22nd

Æthyr, as well as the usual authorities.

A Note on Alostrael

Of all Crowley’s concubines, Leah Hirsig was clearly the most intelligent and she took a commanding role In Crowley’s magick. She stands behind the Cefalu abbey and begins to define the nature of an island and war engine as proscribed in Liber AL. These two symbols find themselves emergent in several of the formal visions she’s either directly connected with or that she gleans through her use of Arturo Sabatini as a material basis. She also spends a lot of effort invoking Ra-Hoor-Khuit during this period; though most of her visionary work begins with Pentagram rites and later, sryings of Yi hexagrams. Her oracle counsels Crowley and she makes contact with several beings; though her work fails to produce dialogue with those spirits she contacts. But she’s opened a door to a sophisticated work for she who would pursue a path as Scarlet Woman. And the work of manifesting this “Aeon” is clearly not complete. Indeed, she might be said to be the Voice of her particular community—in contrast with being some major and universal voice.

Though as a universal voice, Alostrael stands out in her work at the abbey at Cefalu. Her diary there immediately shows her ruminations on an ‘island’ and a ‘war-engine’ that seems to be connected with the way in which an abbey should conduct its efforts and go about its work. Her self-composed invocation of Ra-Hoor-Khuit that demonstrates her recognition his force and vigor is in sync with the undulating passion of Our Lady Babalon. We find her struggling under the weight of her responsibilities and even her struggle to understand the character that a Scarlet Woman should have in her disposition towards people—in terms of detachment and especially, the work of wickedness that is her charge. Here she writes: “I see quite clearly that all I have been doing for the last few months was to “tate,” not to “love.” I mistook this for “the work of wickedness” –O.P.V. set me right on this thou[gh] I more or less suspected the wickedness was akin to witchery – be-witching. Didn’t I call myself “Hag” and Witch and all the rest of them. Perspective is absolutely necessary.”