The Devil’s Sabbath: The Mass of the Rebis

神秘密鍵の書: A Personal Account by Sib. ע / R.A.D.

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This article is part of a series. Check out the other parts here:

• Breaking the Binary in the New Aeon
• Gnostic Mass Heresy: Breaking OTO’s Binary

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Thesis: Liber XV was written by an Androgyne Author (Baphomet XI°) inspired by the Androgyne Archetype (Atu XV. The Devil, Baphomet).

• Atu XV is the “Key” that explains the Dogma (Theory) of becoming Androgyne (Devil).
• Liber XV is the “Gnosis” through Ritual (Practice) of becoming one with the Divine (God).
• Atu XV and Liber XV are the “Magick in Theory and Practice” of the New “XV” Formula.

The functional purpose of Liber XV: The Gnostic Mass is for Magicians to Perfect themselves through Gnosis, by attaining Unity with God. This Perfect Union is symbolized by Baphomet, the emblem of Atu XV. The Devil, who Crowley describes as: “The Androgyne who is the hieroglyph of Arcane Perfection.”

Regarding the Androgyne and its significance within Thelema, in Alchemy the Rebis (Latin: Res bina, dual or double matter) is the end product of the Alchemical Magnum Opus, or “Great Work.” This Divine Androgyne (Hermaphrodite ☿︎) is considered to be the reconciliation of Matter and Spirit, having a balance of both the Male and Female qualities in one, with the heads of both a man and a woman conjoined within a single body.

The Sun ☉︎ and the Moon ☽︎ conjoined (as seen on Crowley’s Mark of the Beast), the Red Lion and White Eagle, Shiva-Shakti, Yin-Yang, etc. also correspond to the Rebis’s Male-Female halves that become united as One through the process of the Great Work.

Many Priestesses identify with Babalon (the secret name of Nuit), who Crowley describes as being the Feminine/Androgyne “equal” of Pan (Baphomet), not just complementary “opposites” of each other:

“Babalon is the Feminine (or Androgyne) equivalent–not merely complement–of Pan.”

The Equinox IV:2 The Vision & The Voice, 2nd Æthyr (p.241)

7 + 8 = 15 (XV)

BABALON (7 Letters)

BAPHOMET (8 Letters)

Babalon & Baphomet: 2 Deities in 1 Devil: Atu XV (15)

XV (15) is the Number of The Devil in The Book of Thoth/Egyptian Tarot, and also the Number of The Gnostic Mass, Liber XV (15).  A possible connection between The Devil XV and The Gnostic Mass XV is found in the idea of “The Devil’s Sabbath,” also known as the “Witches’ Sabbath,” or the “Sabbath of the Sorcerers.” The aim of these Sabbaths and Masses may all be symbolic of the same Great Arcanum.

Aleister Crowley believed himself to have been Éliphas Lévi in his past life, Lévi having died on May 31, 1875 and Crowley having been born on October 12, 1875.

Chapter XV of Éliphas Lévi’s Doctrine of High Magick is on the subject of Black Magick. Crowley’s description of the 4 attributes of The Devil [Light, Life, Love, and Liberty] appears in Liber ABA, Book 4, Part III, Magick in Theory and Practice, under Chapter XXI, which is also on the topic of Black Magick and Pacts with the Devil.

4 Attributes of The Devil – Baphomet

From Liber ABA, Magick in Theory and Practice

• AYIN [ ע ] = “Eye” = Eye of Hoor/Horus = Light
• X = YOD [ י ] = 10 ] = Hadit = Life
• V = HEH [ ה ] = 5 ] = Nuit = Love
• Capricorn = Pan/Goat; Khem = Liberty

Chapter XV of Éliphas Lévi’s Ritual of High Magick is titled The Sabbath of the Sorcerers. Crowley’s Liber XV is Ecclesiæ Gnostiæ Catholicæ Canon Missæ: The Gnostic Mass. The Mass opens by proclaiming the Law of Light, Life, Love, and Liberty, which are the same 4 qualities Crowley attributes to The Devil in Chapter XXI of Magick in Theory and Practice.

4 Virtues of the Law of Θελημα

Liber XV: The Gnostic Mass

• Horus is Light = Deacon
• Hadit is Life = Priest
• Nuit is Love = Priestess
• Khem (Pan) is Liberty = +/- Children

Notice that in Éliphas Lévi’s image of Baphomet, that he is a Goat (Capricorn, Pan) that is seated upon the Summit of the Earth. The Priestess also spends most of her time in the Gnostic Mass enthroned upon the Altar, which is also referred to as “the summit of the Earth,” implying that she is symbolic of Baphomet, who also occupies that station at the Zenith of the Zodiac (Capricorn).

The Knights Templar were believed to have idolized Baphomet as their central figure of worship, just as Liber XV is the central ritual of the O.T.O. This implies that the Gnostic Mass is a continuation of the Templars’ idolization of Baphomet, another connection between Atu XV and Liber XV.

During the Gnostic Mass, the Priestess is led to the East by the Priest, where she is “set upon the summit of the Earth,” like Baphomet in Lévi’s image. Crowley also describes Capricorn as “the goat that leaps with lust upon the summits of the Earth” in his description of Atu XV. The Devil card in The Book of Thoth (p.105).

“The Summit of the Earth” is the place of the Sea Goat Capricorn at the Zenith of the Zodiac; the place of Baphomet (Pan) in Lévi’s image of Atu XV; and the place of the Priestess (Babalon; bears the Graal with the Blood of the Saints) in Liber XV. They are all Androgyne and all correspond to each other.

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The Formula of the New Æon is: Two sexes in one.

Æon of Isis – Matriarchal Age. One sex.

Æon of Osiris – Patriarchal Age. Two sexes.

Æon of Horus – Two sexes in one person.

Liber ABA, Book 4, Part III, Ch. V: The Formula of I.A.O.

Every man and every woman is a Star; not a gender.

Every person is: “Male-Female, Quintessential, One.”

Every person is a: “Man-being veiled in Woman-form.”

Every person is Hadit [Motion, Man-being] veiled by Nuit [Matter, Woman-form]

• Your body, made of Matter [Nuit], is the “Woman-form” you need to be a Priestess.

• Your heart, filled with Motion [Hadit], is the “Man-being” you need to be a Priest.

Aleister Crowley did not identify exclusively as a man. He identified as being both man and woman (Androgyne: “Male-female, Quintessential, One”), and this is written explicitly in Chapter 2 (p.45) of his Confessions:

“He has been able to philosophize about nature from the standpoint of a complete human being; certain phenomena will always be unintelligible to men as such, others, to women as such. He, by being *both* at once, has been able to formulate a view of existence which combines the positive and the negative, the active and the passive, in a single identical equation.”

[0 = 2 : (–1 / ⚋) + (+1 / ⚊) = 0 / ☯️]

“God is above sex; and therefore neither man nor woman as such can be said fully to understand, much less represent, God. It is therefore incumbent on the male Magician to cultivate those female virtues in which he is deficient, and this task he must of course accomplish without in any way impairing his virility. It will then be lawful for a Magician to invoke Isis, and identify himself with her; if he fail to do this, his apprehension of the Universe when he attains samadhi will lack the conception of maternity.”

Liber ABA, Book 4, Part III, Chapter I, “The Principles of Ritual”

Note: It is *incumbent* on every Magician to cultivate the virtues of the opposite sex “in which they are deficient.” It is then lawful for male Magicians to invoke a Goddess (Isis, Nuit, etc.) and female Magicians to invoke a God (Osiris, Hadit, etc.), and to identify themselves as having Unity with them.

• A man could achieve this “completion” by invoking and identifying with Nuit as a Priestess in Liber XV.

• A woman could achieve this “completion” by invoking and identifying with Hadit as a Priest in Liber XV.

What good is an “incomplete” Magician doing by only serving in the officer role that’s within the comfort zone that “imprisons their soul”?

In an Æon where the sexes are becoming equal, and people are becoming more “epicene,” why is it still normal to expect women to only be Priestesses, and to restrict all those who aren’t women (men, non-binary, etc.) from ever serving equally in that role? Why is it acceptable to restrict all women from becoming Priests, when the rubric of Liber XV itself says that all of the other Officers are “part of the Priest himself”? Aren’t we all then, symbolically, the Priests of our own lives?

Premises

Atu XV. The Devil is the Divine Androgyne, Baphomet.

Liber XV is designed to attain Unity with God, Gnosis.

The Formula of I.A.O. in the New Æon (V.I.A.O.V. = 93) is symbolic of the new “epicene” concept: “Two sexes in one person.”

“He [Horus] rules the present period of 2,000 years, beginning in 1904. Everywhere his government is taking root. Observe for yourselves the decay of the sense of sin, the growth of innocence and irresponsibility, the strange modifications of the reproductive instinct with a tendency to become *bisexual* or *epicene*.”

Introduction to The Book of the Law, IV. The New Æon

Note: epicene is an antiquated term for androgynous.

• Men only as Priests defeats the purpose of completion. What more is a man cultivating as a Priest?

• Women only as Priestesses defeats the purpose of completion. What more is a woman cultivating as a Priestess?

Men must complete themselves to be Androgyne.

Women must complete themselves to be Gynander.

This Incompleteness Imprisons the Soul:

“This constitutes a profound Riddle of Holiness. Those only understand it who combine in themselves the extremes of Moral idea, identifying them through transcendental overcoming of the antinomy. They must have gone further yet, beyond the fundamental opposition of the sexes. The male must have completed himself and become androgyne; the female, and become gynander. This incompleteness imprisons the soul. To think “I am not woman, but man,” or vice versa, is to limit one’s self, to set a bar to one’s motion. It is the root of the “shutting-up” which culminates in becoming “Mary inviolate” or a “Black Brother.”

Equinox IV:1, Commentaries on the Holy Books, Liber Cordis Cinti Serpente vel LXV, described as “An account of the relations of the Aspirant with his Holy Guardian Angel,” Ch. V, Verse 44

The idea of this “incompleteness” that “imprisons the soul” is also found in traditional Tarot card designs for Trump XV. The Devil (Rider-Waite-Smith, Tarot de Marseille, etc.), depicting a naked Man and Woman who are bound and “imprisoned” by the Devil, a winged horned Androgyne figure that stands between the two of them.

This can be interpreted several ways, but one possible way to look at it, especially as it relates to the idea of the Androgyne/Rebis/Baphomet, is that the Devil represents the “entrapment” of the Spirit in Matter, caused by the apparent Duality of the Material World (Life/Death, Good/Evil), and the Separation of the Sexes (Male/Female).

The appearance of the Androgyne/”Devil” may seem frightening, foreign, forbidden, evil, and demonic to the exoteric and uninitiated. As humans, even our spiritual sense of gender is very attached to our egos. Many people imagine God as a man, and even when we envison our souls in the afterlife, we still tend to think of them as having the gender we have in this life as the one we will keep in our “One, Individual, and Eternal” Life as well.

Transcending that “last drop” of gender duality and ego is one of the hardest tasks a Magician has to undertake in order to have the self-awareness and Understanding (Binah) to proclaim that they are Androgyne (Babalon) and therefore One with God.

Given the importance Crowley placed on cultivating the qualities of the opposite sex as being an “incumbent” part of every Magician’s Great Work; and that he left us a mysterious ritual with the ability to do exactly that for every person who is willing to serve in it; with no instructions (from him directly) on any gender requirements for it… It would seem that the function of the Gnostic Mass would ideally work best and most accurately if there were no additional restrictions put on it (even with good intentions) outside of what is directly written in the rubric itself.

Given the importance of this ritual to the O.T.O., E.G.C., and the Future of Thelema, there may have been a [blatantly obvious: “XV”] reason Baphomet didn’t specify those restrictions on gender anywhere in the rubric, or leave any specific clarifications on it. Maybe he expected Thelemites to experiment with the New Æon Formula to figure out what the new functions of the Priest and Priestess should be for ourselves.

A Personal Account

What is the Devil known for? “Fear” is usually one of the first words that come to mind. Queers know fears very well. Queerphobia. Transphobia. Biphobia. Homophobia. Anything queer, or effeminate, or that breaks the rules of patriarchal gender norms targets you for being treated like a “Devil” who doesn’t belong.

These “-phobias” relate to the present E.G.C. policies as well. While likely unintentional, they are still discriminatory toward non-binary and genderqueer people. These policies were enacted in 2019, but prior to that, E.G.C. novice clergy were able to choose which officer role they wanted to work toward ordination in in the Priesthood.

The rule of thumb for non-binary and genderqueer clergy was that you had to “pick one and stick with it,” and so for a few years, the E.G.C. had some small pockets of gender diversity with non-binary and genderqueer clergy serving in public Gnostic Masses across the U.S.A.

What did some people see, in a good way, when they saw someone assigned female at birth (AFAB) step out of the Tomb as a Priest, or saw someone assigned male at birth (AMAB) set upon the Summit of the Earth as a Priestess, serving in a public Gnostic Mass? Many saw visibility, respect, love, and acceptance, and it made all the difference to the officers who were able to contribute to that experience that their Congregations felt.

Others saw only a “Devil” in us and the work we were doing. As one of these “Queer Clergy,” I particularly remember being ridiculed and mocked online when the 2019 policy change happened, by people referring to me as an example of what’s no longer allowed, saying things like: “A dude with a beard can’t be a Priestess.”

The people who took pleasure in seeing us lose something that was spiritually meaningful to us didn’t get to see or appreciate the joy, or love, or pride, or passion, or devotion, or visibility, or acceptance we brought to the Gnostic Masses we served in. It was more important to them that we “looked wrong,” and that outweighed everything else we had done right in their eyes. They didn’t care about what it had meant to us when they decided to “shut up” those offices from us, and force us all into either becoming the new “Queer-Catch-All,” Deacon-Sacerdotes, or finding acceptance elsewhere.

The rest of the hard work and devotion we had put in for years didn’t matter to them. It didn’t matter because, more importantly, they saw something that looked much worse than anything else: a Future where public Gnostic Masses might look slightly more “queer” (due to its officers’ corporeal appearances).

When I served as a Priestess, I didn’t shave my beard or try to change my physical appearance. For me, doing “Drag” wasn’t doing justice to the office, even if it “looks” more feminine by socially defined standards of what “men” and “women” should “look like.”

In Queer culture, Drag is a parody of how arbitrary male/female “gender performance” is, and how easily anyone can do either role, because it’s an imaginary construct that most people believe is fixed and innate. The Patriarchal attitudes that defined these rigid binary “gender roles” between the sexes (which keep women unequal) also shame men who do anything effeminate (such as being a Priestess), or who love and have sex with other men. The “Patriarchal Age” has had similar attitudes and repercussions toward women who don’t conform to their defined roles, such as Hypatia and Jeanne d’Arc. Crowley understood this as a fellow queer person, who lived under the oppressive and queerphobic attitudes of his time.

There is a fear of seeing Priests equally functioning as Priestesses, and Priestesses equally functioning as Priests. People aren’t ready for that yet. The thought of Frater Bob from the Mason Lodge having his knees kissed while on the altar feels repulsive and wrong to them, even though they’re perfectly fine having Soror Sally from the Eastern Star show up every other Sunday to do the same thing, because she’s a woman, and that’s what the women do, not the men. Now if Sally wanted to be a Priest in a public Mass, she also needs to understand that Aleister Crowley didn’t have women in mind when he wrote Liber XV: The Gnostic Mass, as it’s obviously a male-centric ritual, having been written by a man, where only the men can be Priests. Sally should just accept what she’s told, and go write her own “Women’s Mass” and see who shows up for it.

Nobody said Change would be easy to accept or to comprehend. I’m sure some readers will cringe at the thought of seeing Bob upon the Altar, or come up with a million excuses as to why Sally doesn’t have a right to be a Priest of Hadit when his flame burns just as bright in her heart as it does in everyone else’s. Let’s not forget the young gay guy who dropped in after reading about all these brilliant ideas from Aleister Crowley. He was talking about wanting to be a Priestess, but luckily we now have the Deacon-Sacerdote office where all the misfit queers can go if we decide they aren’t “man-looking” enough to be a Priest, or “woman-looking” enough to be a Priestess.

There is also a tendency for people to feel “Territorial” over their gender-determined offices as queer people ask to be accepted in them. Think of how territorial men have been in restricting women and transgender people from serving in the Priesthoods of the past and present, over completely ignorant beliefs about women. Things are equally tense in the Pagan community, where there is controversy over whether or not transgender women are welcome in women-only sacred spaces. As Crowley predicted, things are becoming more “bisexual” and “epicene,” and it makes no sense to push back against Nature when she’s been making it very clear that this is the direction things are Going.

The E.G.C.’s new policies reflect a fear of this Change. Allowing this new, free-flowing, non-fixed, non-binary Change in the function of the Priest and Priestess would eliminate the “bar” that’s been placed there to stop it, by restricting its Motion. Lifting that final Restriction puts another nail in the Patriarchal Age’s coffin, by establishing what the nature of the Priest and Priestess will be in this New Age, as opposed to what it was in the past.

I think the world knows by now that someone in a Blue and Gold Dress likely symbolizes a Priestess, and someone in a Scarlet Robe and Headdress likely symbolizes a Priest. Worries over the Congregation’s “confusion” is not the problem anymore. The policymakers’ uncertainty about whether or not to allow these kinds of clergy to continue serving publicly or not is where the problem is now. A simple solution would be: Do What Thou Wilt.

Queer people are used to being demonized, so it was nothing new for us when the E.G.C. policy change happened; just disappointing to know that even within our spiritual community, our identities still aren’t treated as being valid and equal. When I see LGBTQ+ Clergy serving in the role that resonates with their soul in the Gnostic Mass, I see love under will. When people with prejudices see (or even think about seeing) LGBTQ+ Clergy serving in these ways, the Devil Himself might as well manifest on the Altar, because those who are looking for Devils in people they personally dislike will always find one. Crowley famously wrote that:

“The Devil does not exist. It is a false name invented by the Black Brothers to imply a Unity in their ignorant muddle of dispersions. A devil who had unity would be a God.”

Despite stating the Devil doesn’t exist, Crowley also took on the names Baphomet, To Mega Therion, The Great Beast 666, etc. Having been demonized himself, Crowley knew (as many queer people know) that to those who hated and misunderstood him, they were always going to think of him as a Devil, so he might as well reclaim those labels and embrace them. He seems to have expressed his True Will in this process, the names he chose being emblematic of his Great Work.

“Rejoice therefore, O Initiate, for the greater thy trial the greater thy Triumph. When men shall revile thee, and speak against thee falsely, hath not the Master said, “Blessed art thou!”?”

Liber Librae sub figurâ XXX: The Book of the Balance

Functionality

According to the E.G.C. Manifesto, written by W.B. Crow, authorized by Crowley in 1944 e.v., the primary purpose of Liber XV: The Gnostic Mass is to express this new thesis that brings balance to the sexes:

“The Masters have decided that the time has come for the administration of the Sacraments of the Æon of Horus to those capable of its comprehension.

1. The sexes are equal and complementary.

2. ‘Every man and every woman is a star.’–AL 1:3.

3. The priestess must now function as well as the priest.

The expression of the above thesis in public ritual has begun with the establishment of the Gnostic Mass.”

Note: The 3rd line could also be read:

“The priestess must now function [also as] the priest.”

It’s expected that the Priests and Priestesses of the New Æon will have new “functions” in the Æon of Horus, that may greatly differ from what we’ve expected of male Priests during the Patriarchal Age (Osiris), and female Priestesses during the Matriarchal Age (Isis).

It’s problematic to keep clinging to these antiquated binary models of what the gender-specific functions of the Priest and Priestess were in the past, while still trying to grasp a better Understanding of what their new function should be in the Present. We have to let go of these relics from the past in order for progress to move forward into the Future.

“Behold! the rituals of the old time are black. Let the evil ones be cast away; let the good ones be purged by the prophet! Then shall this Knowledge go aright.”

Liber AL vel Legis, The Book of the Law II:5

I believe Crowley writing Liber XV: The Gnostic Mass was his attempt at purging something good that had been corrupted. This ritual was designed with the ability to Break the Binary of Duality, including the illusions of Man/God, Life/Death, Good/Evil, Male/Female, etc.

If utilized this way, it helps every Magician to achieve the task that it is “incumbent” upon them to complete:

It makes men and women into Gods, by deepening their Understanding through direct experience of the “mysteries” of their opposite, thereby completing themselves by cultivating the virtues of those opposites “in which they are deficient.” To truly know another as your equal, you have to Understand what it’s like to be in their place, and Liber XV allows for this Gnosis.

There is still magick, but no real growth, by doing the Gnostic Mass with a self-imposed (or policy-imposed) Restriction on being able to serve in 1 of the 5 offices.

Imagine the 5 officer roles forming a Pentagram. ⛤

That 1 deficient office is where you’d need magick the most. A “complete” human being who has fully cultivated all 5 parts of themself has a Perfect Pentagram. A person who has one point restricted/off-limits only has completion in 4 of the 5 points of Perfection. A 5-pointed star with 1 point missing is lopsided and incomplete. To be One with God, you must be complete; you have to be Both Priest and Priestess; you must “grow to bear the Lance and the Graal!” as it says in The Book of Thoth:

“Know naught! All ways are lawful to innocence. Pure folly is the key to initiation. Silence breaks into rapture. Be neither man nor woman, but both in one. Be silent, babe in the egg of blue, that thou mayest grow to bear the Lance and Graal! Wander alone, and sing! In the King’s palace his Daughter awaits thee.”

The Book of Thoth, “The Fool” (p.253-254)

You can be a Man and only be a Priest.

You can be a Woman and only be a Priestess.

But what are you missing? Why aren’t you Both in One?

You set a bar to your own Motion by stopping there.

Why would you want to stay as a restricted, gender-bound, “Mary Inviolate” or “Son of Iniquity”?

“Of the Black Brothers, o my Son, will I write these Things following. I have told thee already concerning Change, how it is the Law, because every Change is an Act of Love under will. So then He that is Adept Exempt, whether in our Holy Order or another, may not remain in the Pillar of Mercy, because it is not balanced, but is unstable. Therefore is the Choice given unto him, whether he will destroy his Temple, and give up his Life, extending it to Universal Life, or whether he will make a Fortress about that Temple, and abide therein, in the false Sphere of Daath, which is in the Abyss. And to the Adepts of our Holy Order this Choice is terrible; by Cause that they must abandon even Him whose Knowledge and Conversation they have attained. Yet, o my Son, they have much Help of our Order in this Æon, because the general Formula is Love, so that their habit itself urges them to the Bed of our Lady B A B A L O N. Know then the Black Brothers by this true Sign of their Initiation of iniquity, that that they resist Change, restrict and deny Love, fear Death. Percutiantur.”

-Liber Aleph א vel CXI: The Book of Wisdom or Folly, chapter 104: On the Sons of Iniquity, FILIIS INIQUITATIS

Change is Love, and love is the Law, because every Act of Willful Change (Magick) is an Act of Love under will.

The true Signs of a Black Brother’s Initiation of Iniquity:

• They Resist Change,

• They Restrict and Deny Love,

• They Fear Death.

They Resist, Restrict, Deny, and Fear Change [Love].

Gnosis is Unity with the equal duo of Babalon and Pan. If you are Both in One, you are equally man and woman in One; and equally Priest and Priestess in One: The Androgyne of Arcane Perfection.

There should be no difference detected between the one and the other. If you still sense this difference, “I am this and not that,” then there is still Great Work (Rebis) to be done on Perfecting that deeper Understanding (Binah בינה) of the True Nature of your “One, Individual, and Eternal” Life.

“The Brothers of A∴A∴ are Women; the Aspirants to A∴A∴ are Men.”

The Book of Lies, Γ Ch. 3

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Key Numbers

[Roman Numeral = Tarot Atu]

0 = 2 : [(–1) + (+1)] = 0

4 is The Emperor [ צ ] IV

5 is Nuit [ ה ] : Circle [ ○ ]

9 is The Hermit [ י ] IX

10 is Hadit [ י ] : Point [ • ]

13 is Death [ נ ] XIII

15 is The Devil [ ע ] XV

17 is The Star [ ה ] XVII

26 is God [ יהוה ], “A Devil with Unity”

61 is Ain/000/Nothing [אין]

333 is Choronzon [ חורונזון ]

156 is Babablon [ באבאלען ]

616 is バフォメット [ בפומת ]

666 is ΤΟ ΜΕΓΑ ΘΗΡΙΟΝ [ אלהיסטיר ה כרעולהי ]

Note that even the shape of Yod ( י ) is a point • like Hadit, and the shape of Heh ( ה ) is an arch ○ like Nuit, whose unity creates their child Horus, symbolic of the Son/Sun and the Stars (“Every man and every woman is a star.”), a point within the circle ☉︎

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“Greeting of Earth and Heaven!”

Spirit Principle : Heaven ☰〈天〉

(-1, Nuit) + (+1, Hadit) = 0 Khem ☯️

Matter Principle : Earth ☷〈大地〉

Nuit + Hadit = Horus

Liber XV: Gnostic Mass Symbolism

• The Priest is Hadit (White, Red, Gold)

• The Priestess is Nuit (White, Blue, Gold)

• The Deacon is Horus The Sun (White, Yellow)

• The Children are Khem/Pan [“All”] (White & Black)

The Priestess, Deacon, Positive Child, and Negative Child are all parts of the Priest. We are all the Priests of our own lives, including those who don’t identify as men. Therefore every person, regardless of gender, should be capable of serving as a Priest.

The Devil 護法魔王尊 [悪魔]

Crowley took the name BAPHOMET as the Outer Head of the Order (O.H.O.) of Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.). He attributed Baphomet to Atu XV. The Devil.

On the symbolism of Atu XV. The Devil, he wrote:

“He is “the Devil” of the Book of Thoth, and His emblem is BAPHOMET, the Androgyne who is the hieroglyph of Arcane Perfection. The number of His Atu is XV, which is Yod He, the Monogram of the Eternal, the Father one with the Mother, the Virgin Seed one with all-containing Space. He is therefore Life, and Love. But moreover his letter is Ayin, the Eye; he is Light, and his Zodiacal image is Capricornus, that leaping goat whose attribute is Liberty. (Note that the “Jehovah” [26 : YHVH : יהוה ] of the Hebrews is etymologically connected with these.)”

Liber ABA, Book 4, Part III MTP, Ch. XXI, “Of Black Magick: of the Main Types of the Operations of Magick Art: and of the Powers of the Sphinx”

4 Attributes of The Devil – Baphomet

• AYIN [ ע ] = “Eye” = Eye of Hoor/Horus = Light

• X = YOD [ י ] = 10 = Hadit = Life

• V = HEH [ ה ] = 5 = Nuit = Love

• Capricorn = Pan/Goat; Khem = Liberty

Atu XV therefore has the same 4 attributes of the Law of Thelema proclaimed at the beginning of Liber XV:

• “I proclaim the Law of Light, Life, Love, and Liberty in the name of I.A.O.”

4 Virtues of the Law of Θελημα

• Horus is Light = Deacon

• Hadit is Life = Priest

• Nuit is Love = Priestess

• Khem (Pan) is Liberty = +/- Children

Gnosis is the attainment of Unity (XV) with God (יהוה). Every Gnostic Mass ends with its Communicants proclaiming:

• “There is no part of me that is not of the Gods.”

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Further evidence is still necessary to make the case that the New Æon’s Liber XV formula is Androgyne (Atu XV), as opposed to being male-centric (Patriarchal) or female-centric (Matriarchal), and what its implications will be on the new functions of the Priest and Priestess in this Age if that is True.

Tzaddi צ

“All these old letters of my Book are aright; but [Tzaddi צ ] is not the Star. This also is secret: my prophet shall reveal it to the wise.” –Liber AL I:57

Old Æon problems require New Æon solutions:

• [Tzaddi] צ is not the Star. ❌ XVII

• [Heh] ה is not the Emperor. ❌ IV

• [Tzaddi] צ is now the Emperor. ✅ IV

• [Heh] ה is now the Star. ✅ XVII

To the best of my Understanding, the Gnostic Mass is not a “male-centric” (Osiris, patriarchal) ritual or a “female-centric” (Isis, matriarchal) ritual, but an equally balanced “Male-Female-Centric” Ritual (Horus; the prepubescent, epicence child; “Both sexes in one”), and is numbered “XV” after Baphomet because of that.

It’s not “Liber Male” or “Liber Female” but “Liber XV” [Male-Female], as the X (10) also represents the male/Hadit as Yod, and the V (5) also represents the female/Nuit as Heh, which creates “Yod-Heh” (10+5 = XV), another glyph of the Divine Androgyne “Male-Female/Mother-Father” symbolism.

The Male-Female XV Balance is a critical change in the New Æon, and its [Yod+Heh] Formula now adds up to [26] because:

“[Tzaddi צ ] is not the Star.”

Liber AL I:57

13.
• Old Æon XV Formula [9+4] = 13

• IV. The Emperor is ה Heh : XVII. The Star is צ Tzaddi

[Yod IX] 9 + [Heh IV] 4 = 13: XIII. Death ☠

26.
• New Æon XV Formula [9+17] = 26

• XVII. The Star is ה Heh : IV. The Emperor is צ Tzaddi

XV = 10+5 = Yod+Heh = IX. Hermit + XVII Star

Tarot: [Yod IX] 9 + [Heh XVII] 17 = 26 יהוה God [YHVH]

IX + XVII = 9 + 17 = 26: New XV [ צ is not the Star ✅]

26 = Eternal Life; Unity with God; Gnosis; Samādhi

26 = Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh [ יהוה ] [Tetragrammaton] 🕊️

26 = 1 + 6 + 9 + 10 = 26 [Middle Pillar]

26 = Cube: 6 sides + 8 Points + 12 Edges 🕋

• CHAOS [ י ]

• BABALON [ ה ]

• BAPHOMET [ ו ]

• ΘΕΛΗΜΑ [ ה ]

= 26 Letters [ יהוה ]

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Summary

New Æon XV Formula

15 : XV

Yod+Heh

♂️+♀️ = ⚧️

9 [Hermit: י Yod] + 17 [Star: ה Heh ; not צ Tzaddi]

26 = Eternal Life, Unity with God, Gnosis, Samādhi

26 = Tetragrammaton, Yahweh, Jehovah [ יהוה ]

26 = Middle Pillar on the Tree of Life:

26 = 1 Kether + 6 Tiphareth + 9 Luna + 10 Malkuth

26 = Cube: 6 sides + 8 Points + 12 Edges

26 ÷ 2 = 13 (Old Æon XV Formula) = XIII. Death ☠

26 = CHAOS + BABALON + BAPHOMET + ΘΕΛΗΜΑ

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The Formula of the New Æon is: Two sexes in one.

Æon of Isis – Matriarchal Age. One sex.

Æon of Osiris – Patriarchal Age. Two sexes.

Æon of Horus – Two sexes in one person.

-Liber ABA, Book 4, Part III, Ch. V: The Formula of I.A.O.

Manifesto of the E.G.C. (1944):

“The world has entered the New Æon, the Age of the Crowned and Conquering Child. The predominance of the Mother (Æon of Isis) and of the Father (Æon of Osiris) are of the past.

Many people have not completely fulfilled these formulæ, and they are still valid in their limited spheres; but the Masters have decided that the time has come for the administration of the Sacraments of the Æon of Horus to those capable of comprehension.

The sexes are equal and complementary.

“Every man and every woman is a star.”–AL 1:3.

The priestess must now function as well as the priest.

The expression of the above thesis in public ritual has begun with the establishment of the Gnostic Mass which, while adhering to the vital elements of the most ancient and true tradition, fixes its attention on, and aims most firmly in, the Future.”

The Æons

1. The Matriarchal Age: The Veiled One

• The Ancient Æon of Isis’s XV [Yod-Heh] Formula was Matriarchal and Simple (One Sex):

 [♀️] = [☥] = The Predominance of the Mother 🚺

2. The Patriarchal Age: The Slain One

• Heh was Atu IV. The Emperor

• The Old Æon of Osiris’s XV [Yod-Heh] Formula was Patriarchal and Divided

Two Separate Sexes: 13 = Duality; Devil/Death; “O/N”:

Hermit ♂️ (male) + Emperor ♂️ (male) =  [♂️]

[♂️] = [☩] = The Predominance of the Father

• Notice the lack of the Feminine ♀️ Principle. In Liber LIX: Across the Gulf, Crowley recounts his past life as Ankh-af-na-khonsu at the time of the prior Equinox of the Gods during the 26th Dynasty in Egypt. In his youth, Ankh-af-na-khonsu was made the first (and only) male “Priestess of the Veiled One” at the end of the Matriarchal Æon of Isis. After the Equinox of the Gods, he was made High Priest of the Slain One, marking the beginning of the Patriarchal Æon of Osiris, and he abolished the office of the Priestess for the rest of that Æon. As the Prophet of the New Æon of Horus, he restored the office of Priestess as being “equal and complementary” to the office of the Priest, as seen in The Manifesto of the E.G.C. and in Liber XV: The Gnostic Mass.

3. The Age of the Crowned and Conquering Child

• Heh is Atu XVII. The Star

• The New Æon of Horus’s XV [Yod-Heh] Formula is Androgyne and United

“Both sexes in One”: 26 = Unity; Eternal Life; God/Life; “ON”; Tetragrammaton; Middle Pillar:

Hermit (male) ♂️ + Star (female) ♀️ = [♂️+♀️] = [⚧️]

[⚧️] = [🔯] = The Predominance of the Child ☯️

• Notice that the New Æon’s Formula is not a heterosexual pairing of a man and a woman [♂️]+[♀️], but Both [Male-Female] in One epicine Child: [⚧️]

“The Perfect and the Perfect are one Perfect and not two; nay, are none!”

Liber AL I:45

0 = 2

Children are prepubescent/epicene:

• not fully male or female [“not two”]

• but both [“one Perfect”]

• and neither [“nay, are none!”] at once.

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True Wisdom

The Magi : “Wise Ones” : A∴A∴

BAPHOMET XI°

Baptism of Wisdom = βαφη μητȢς

BPOMT [בפומת] = SOPIA [שופיא] = ΣΟΦΙΑ = Sophia

Father Mithras

TEM.OHP.AB.

Father of the Temple of Universal Peace Among Men

Maphtah Bet Yahweh [מפתח בית יהוה]

The Key to the House of God [26]

The Æon of Horus’s XV Formula isn’t heterosexual (a man and a woman); It’s Androgyne (Male-Female; Both Sexes in One Person) ⚧️

The Magi of the Past (9° = 2□), the first 7 Names in “The Saints” Collect of Liber XV, understood this Esoteric Secret of Immortality that transcends the Duality of Good and Evil, God and Devil, Life and Death, and used it Wisely.

The function of the Magus is to proclaim a new Law by virtue of one Word in which resides a Formula of Wisdom:

0. Lao-Tzǔ 道

1. Siddhârtha अनत्ता

2. Krishna ॐ

3. Tahuti (Thoth) Amoun

4. Mosheh (Moses) יהוה

5. Dionysus (Christ) Ι.Α.Ω. / I.N.R.I.

6. Mahmud (Mohammed) الله

7. To Mêga Therion (Perdurabo) Θελημα

Knowing this Secret means becoming aware of your own Immortality, and that of others, through full Understanding [Binah בינה] of your True Self, your True Will, and your True Life, that is “One, Individual, and Eternal, that Was, and Is, and Is to Come.”

If Mankind were Enlightened in this Universal Truth, it woud no longer see differences in toxic ways between men/women, good/evil, culture, creed, etc. Through the Wisdom [Chokhmah חכמה] of Understanding the Interconnectedness and Divine Will within All, the Human Race could Manifest the World-Old Dream of Universal Brotherhood [A∴A∴] and Peace would Prevail on Earth.

“Let there be no difference made among you between any one thing & any other thing; for thereby there cometh hurt.”

There is no religion higher than Truth.

“In the true religion there is no sect, therefore take heed that thou blaspheme not the name by which another knoweth his God; for if thou do this thing in Jupiter thou wilt blaspheme יהוה and in Osiris יהשוה. Ask and ye shall have! Seek, and ye shall find! Knock, and it shall be opened unto you!”

Liber Librae sub figurâ XXX: The Book of the Balance

“Here is Wisdom. Let Him that hath Understanding count the Number of the Beast: for it is the Number of a Man; and His Number is Six Hundred Threescore and Six.” [666]

The Book of Revelation 13:18, KJV

“Here 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.” [156]

Liber CCCXXXIII [333]: The Book of Lies Ch. 49.

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“All words are sacred and all prophets true; save only that they understand a little; solve the first half of the equation, leave the second unattacked.”

Liber AL I:56

Restrictions on the full expression of Liber XV are the only thing keeping it “looking like” the Old Æon XV Formula, which is “still valid in its limited sphere,” but only one half ½ [13] of the New Æon’s whole [26] XV equation/Formula of the Mass.

This symbolizes how we are moving away from the imbalanced, “divided” Patriarchal Age and moving into the balanced, “holistic” Present Age.

Old Æon “13” is ½ of New Æon “26”, just as Nuit (Heh, 5, divided for love’s sake, Duality) is ½ of Hadit (Yod, 10, the chance of union, Unity), and Choronzon (333) is ½ of The Beast (666), symbolic of being divided (a Devil), as opposed to having Unity (a God).

Before 1904, Tzaddi was incorrectly attributed to XVII. The Star, and IV. The Emperor was Heh.

Further evidence is found in The Book of Thoth that this switch of Heh to The Star, and Tzaddi to the Emperor, is the correct attribution and self-evident.

After 1904, Heh is now XVII. The Star, and IV. The Emperor is now, correctly, Tzaddi, the TZ/TS sound that symbolizes patriarchal male authority/seniority, as in: Cæsar, Tsar, Sirdar, Senate, Senior, Signor, Señor, Seigneur, etc. (The Book of Thoth, p.77)

Tzaddi (Tz, צ Atu IV. The Emperor), whose negative interpretation can symbolize the male-centric, misogynistic, tyrannical rulers of the Patriarchal Age (Old Æon of Osiris), … is not the Star. ★

Heh (H, ה Atu XVII. The Star), whose positive interpretation can symbolize the male-female balance, free will, and equality (“Every man and every woman is a Star”) of the Present Age (New Æon of Horus), … is the Star.

The Emperor (Heh of the past) is symbolic of the Aeon of Osiris, the “Patriarchal Age,” that the Æon of Horus now overthrows by establishing the Law of Thelema and the Equality of the Stars (Heh of the present).

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V.I.T.R.I.O.L.

• VISITA INTERIORA TERRAE RECTIFICANDO INVENIES OCCULTUM LAPIDEM

• “Visit the interior parts of the earth: by rectification thou shalt find the hidden stone.”

[The Philosopher’s Stone/Stone of the Wise]

Excerpt from The Book of Thoth:

“Its initials make the word V.I.T.R.I.O.L., the Universal Solvent. This “hidden stone” is also called the Universal Medicine. It is sometimes described as a stone, sometimes as a powder, sometimes as a tincture. It divides again into two forms, the gold and the silver, the red and the white; but its essence is always the same, and its nature is not to be understood except by experience.”

Author’s Interpretation:

• Stone = Philosopher’s Stone/Stone of the Wise
• Powder = Universal Medicine/Solvent [万病の霊薬]
• Tincture = Elixir of Life/Immortality/Amrita

“The initials of the alchemical motto given above form the word Vitriol. This has nothing to do with the sulphates of either hydrogen, iron or copper, as might be supposed from modern usage. It represents a balanced combination of the three alchemical principles, Sulphur, Mercury and Salt. These names have no connection with substances so named by the vulgar; they have already been described in Atu I [Magus], III [Empress], and IV [Emperor].”

Author’s Interpretation:

• Salt = Tamas = Priestess [Empress] = Love 愛
• Mercury = Sattva = Deacon [Magus] = Light 光
• Sulphur = Rajas = Priest [Emperor] = Power 力

“The counsel to “visit the interior of the earth” is a recapitulation (on a higher plane) of the first formula of the Work which has been the so constant theme of these essays. The important word in the injunction is the central word RECTIFICANDO; it implies the right leading of the new living substance in the path of the True Will. The stone of the Philosophers, the Universal Medicine, is to be a talisman of use in any event, a completely elastic and completely rigid vehicle of the True Will of the alchemists.”

The Book of Thoth, Atu XIV. Art (p.104)

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Implications for Future E.G.C. Policies on Liber XV

“The aims of the O.T.O. can only be understood fully by its highest initiates; but it may be said openly that it teaches Hermetic Science or Occult Knowledge, the Pure and Holy Magick of Light, the Secrets of Mystic attainment, Yoga of all forms, Gnana Yoga, Raja Yoga, Bhakta Yoga and Hatha Yoga, and all other branches of the secret Wisdom of the Ancients.

In its bosom repose the Great Mysteries; its brain has resolved all the problems of philosophy and of life.

It possesses the secret of the Stone of the Wise [stone], of the Elixir of Immortality [tincture], and of the Universal Medicine [powder].

Moreover, it possesses a Secret capable of realizing the world-old dream of The Brotherhood of Man.

It also possesses in every important centre of population a hidden Retreat (Collegium ad Spiritum Sanctum) where members may conceal themselves in order to pursue the Great Work without hindrance.

These houses are secret fortresses of Truth [真], Light [光], Power [力] and Love [愛], and their position is only disclosed under an oath of secrecy to those entitled to make use of them.

They are also temples of true worship, specially consecrated by Nature to bring out of a man all that is best in him.”

Liber LII: Manifesto of the O.T.O. – BAPHOMET XI°

Seeing these connections between Atu XV (The Devil, Androgyne, Baphomet) and Liber XV (The Gnostic Mass, Priest/ess, Unity with God), I’ve found it difficult to accept that the O.T.O.’s central ritual, numbered after an Androgyne [Baphomet], and written by an Androgyne [BAPHOMET XI°], has so many E.G.C. policies on it that restrict the free will of those who are non-binary and genderqueer from being able to train and serve publicly in the role that they will to be ordained in.

The ritual itself is numbered “XV” after the archetype of the Androgyne, so it would seem to make sense that, as the future of the Æon of Horus progresses, and the sense of binary gender erodes (as Crowley predicted it would, becoming “epicene”), the officers of the Gnostic Mass will also eventually no longer be restricted by their gender, because it will ultimately no longer matter (that may take 5 years or it may take 500 years, but people are already using “they/them” pronouns, and marking their gender as “X” on their driver’s licenses).

Realistically, most individuals will still want to be ordained in the office that aligns with their Will and sense of gender identity. Even if the E.G.C. allowed a few queer people the Liberty to choose an office that isn’t restricted by binary gender policies, everything would still essentially “look the same” as it does now: men will still want to be Priests, and women will still want to be Priestesses, so having a few queer clergy at a few local bodies wouldn’t make a noticeable difference. Instead, it would demonstrate that the O.T.O./E.G.C. is truly accepting of queer identities, and isn’t ashamed of us having visibility in public Gnostic Masses.

The only word of Sin in this Æon is “Restriction,” and this statement is made right after Liber AL I:40.

It’s important that the O.T.O. aim to affirm and retain queer initiates, as they have a lot to offer to the Order. Having this visible diversity and acceptance of queer people in the Mass, regardless of which gender a person may appear to “look like,” would only bring in more people to the Order/Church, and in 2020 e.v., I highly doubt it would deter or offend any non-queer people from having a good impression of both the Church and the Order… and if it does deter or offend them, are people with those prejudices the types of people the O.T.O. wants to attract and initiate if it claims to accept and embrace all people’s diversity?

The current E.G.C. Manual’s restrictions on an officer’s gender (assuming only cisgender and transgender men who “look like” men can be Priests; and only cisgender and transgender women who “look like” women can be Priestesses), as the determinant for which Priest or Priestess role an individual can serve in publicly and be eligible for ordination in, is problematic and needs to change:

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“The role of Priest shall be filled by a man, and the role of Priestess shall be filled by a woman. For purposes of this document, “man” means an individual who was assigned the male gender at birth, or a transgender person identifying as male; and “woman” means an individual who was assigned the female gender at birth, or a transgender person identifying as female. ‘Identifying’ herein means the transgender individual identifies as that particular gender in their daily life as well as in their spiritual practice.” (p.15)

E.G.C. Manual (Revised Oct. 15, 2019 e.v.)

[The irony isn’t lost on me that this policy happens to be on p.15 (XV) of the new manual. The Secret Chiefs may have been trying to tell us something.]

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Conclusion

It never states anywhere in Liber XV (or any of Crowley’s other writings) that “The role of the Priest must be filled by a man, and the role of the Priestess must be filled by a woman.” Given the importance of this ritual to the O.T.O., if mandating the officers’ gender was a requirement, I find it hard to believe that Crowley never specified that anywhere.

I point that out because when queer people bring this up, they’re accused of wanting to “change the rubric,” when in reality our request for inclusion wouldn’t change a single letter of the rubric exactly as written. Queer people aren’t asking to change anything about the Gnostic Mass. The only thing queer people are asking for is to amend the gender restrictions on p.15 of the new E.G.C. Manual, which weren’t written or mandated by Crowley.

The archetype of the Androgyne is present in everything Crowley/Baphomet wrote about the nature of gender in the New Æon. I have yet to find an example where he says that all human gender is a fixed binary, all men are permanently male, and all women are permanently female, and there is no in-between.

I served publicly and privately as a Priestess (who was assigned male at birth) with the E.G.C./Gnostic Catholic Church for over 2 years (2017-2019 e.v.), before the above E.G.C. policy was enacted that restricted me and other non-binary and genderqueer clergy from continuing to publicly serve in the officer roles we’d devoted ourselves to training in for ordination. We were also no longer eligible for ordination in those offices, even if we were willing to continue our training in “closeted” private (non-public, initiates-only) Gnostic Masses.

Even though “XV” implies that the Gnostic Mass is Universal and Androgyne (its New Æon Formula equally encompassing the One True spiritual nature of all people, regardless of their gender, sexuality, etc.), women have been told that Liber XV is not about them, so they should write their own Mass with “their own formula”; gay people have been told to write their own Mass with “their own formula”; non-binary/genderqueer people have been told to write their own Mass with “their own formula”; etc.

The Formula of Liber XV: The Gnostic Mass is Universal and All-Inclusive.

Believing there might be hope for Change someday, I wrote this idea for a new policy that I thought might be a solution to amending p.15 of the current E.G.C. Manual to be more inclusive of Non-Binary and Genderqueer clergy:

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“The role of Priest shall be filled by a person who is willing to embody the masculine principle, symbolizing the active, positive ( +1) aspects of Motion in the Universe, representative of Hadit.

The role of Priestess shall be filled by a person who is willing to embody the feminine principle, symbolizing the receptive, negative ( -1) aspects of Matter in the Universe, representative of Nuit.

For purposes of this document, any person who is willing to embody these principles shall be able to serve as a Priest or Priestess in public performances of Liber XV: The Gnostic Mass, and eligible for ordination in the office they will to be ordained in upon being initiated as a Knight of the East and West (K.E.W.).”

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☩ The LORD bless you.

☩ The LORD enlighten your minds and comfort your hearts and sustain your bodies.

☩ The LORD bring you to the accomplishment of your true Wills, the Great Work, the Summum Bonum, True Wisdom and Perfect Happiness.

Love is the law, love under will.

Sibling ע Ayin / R.A.D.

☉︎ in 5° ♏︎ : ☽︎ in 6° ♈︎ : ☿︎ : Ⅴⅴⅰ

October 28, 2020 e.v. • 6:16 PM EST

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This article is part of a series. Check out the other parts here:

• Breaking the Binary in the New Aeon
• Gnostic Mass Heresy: Breaking OTO’s Binary

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Thelemic Union is open to all articles that are relevant to Thelema in some way. Send your submissions to thelemic[dot]union[at]gmail[dot]com