I am not concerned to deny the reality of all “magical” phenomena; if they are illusions, they are at least as real as many unquestioned facts of daily life; and, if we follow Herbert Spencer, they are at least evidence of some cause.
Now, this fact is our base.
In addition to the quotes here on this tumblog, you may want to check out older posts tagged Quote and Aleister Crowley Quote over on the main Hermetic Library blog.
I thought I might mention those, and you may be interested in looking. When I first started posting quotes, I did so on the social network page for the library, then I migrated to posting to the main blog for a while. All in all, there’s quite a number of quotes that don’t appear here on this tumblog. Essentially, I would post quotes from whatever material I was working on at the time, partially to interest people in the material on the site but also as a way for me to have another look at the content to see if I could catch any errors I’d missed while working through it all.
I’ve slowly been going back and adding the quotes that had originally posted to the social networking page retroactively to the main library blog. Eventually the idea is that the older quotes should all end up there; at least up to the point where I started this tumblog specifically for quotes from the extensive Libri of Aleister Crowley materials, and other related sources, about topics related to Thelema and more.
“This is the creation of the world, that the pain of division is as nothing, and the joy of dissolution all.”
— Ch I, 30 in Liber Al vel Legis, the Book of the Law by Aleister Crowley
See also the New Comment by Aleister Crowley, here quoted in part:
“This verse is written for men who are still in division, and sore about it; the pain is only in their idea of it. One should compare this thought with the Freudian psychology, which regards all separation from the ‘Mother’ as heroic but painful. But has a hero really no compensations? Besides, separation is itself a relief, just so soon as the strain becomes irksome, as in parturition.
As to ‘the joy of dissolution’ the reference is to Samadhi, the trance in which Subject and Object become one. In this orgiastic ecstasy is experienced at first; later, the character of the consciousness changes to continuously calm delight, and later still, the delight deepens in a manner wholly indescribable. The technical terms used by Oriental Initiates to denote these conditions are untranslatable; in any case, they serve rather to darken counsel.”
The Dream delightful is then a Pageant of the Fulfilment of the true Will, and the Nightmare a symbolic Battle between it and its Assailants in thyself. But there can be only one true Will, even as there can be only one proper Motion in any Body, no matter of how many Forces that Motion be the Resultant. Seek therefore this Will, and conjoin with it thy conscious Self; for this is that which is written; “Thou hast no right but to do thy Will. Do that, and no other shall say nay.” Thou seest, o my Son, that all conscious Opposition to thy Will, whether in Ignorance, or by Obstinacy, or through Fear of others, may in the end endanger even thy true Self, and bring thy Star into Disaster.
And this is the true Key to Dreams; see that thou be diligent in its Use, and unlock therewith the secret Chambers of thine Heart.
Know firmly, o my son, that the true Will cannot err; for this is thine appointed course in Heaven, in whose order is Perfection.
A Dream of Horror is therefore the most serious of all Warnings; for it signifieth that thy Will, which is Thy Self in respect of its Motion, is in Affliction and Danger. Thus thou must instantly seek out the Cause of that subconscious Conflict, and destroy thine Enemy utterly by bringing thy conscious Vigour as an Ally to that true Will. If then there be a Traitor in the Consciousness, how much the more is it necessary for thee to arise and extirpate him before he wholly infect thee with the divided Purpose which is the first Breach in that Fortress of the Soul whose Fall should bring it to the shapeless Ruin whose Name is Choronzon!
| — | Aleister Crowley, Volupté from White Stains |
| — | Aleister Crowley, Volupté from White Stains |
| — | Aleister Crowley, Volupté from White Stains |
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