[Sunday, Jan. 11, 1914 e.v.]
Sunday Jan. 11. I saw a most remarkable fulfilment of the prophecy of Hermes. Also 2 other excellent matters have come to fruition. Further, one of the Brethren of O.S.V. and L.T. has inherited money, which is a great indirect benefit to that cause we have at heart. We then invoked Hermes, and obtained a good result.
On Monday Fra. L.T. was indisposed.
On Tues. the Brethren performed 'The Mass of the Phoenix' in the house of a friend, P.D.F. An instruction was moreover given to the Fra. O.S.V., to which he will duly pay heed.
On Wednesday Fra. L.T. being again indisposed, O.S.V. decided to go on Thursday to the forest with him to seek health. This they did, and by the favour of the gods obtained it. Now therefore on Monday Jan. 19 according to the counsel and reproof of Hermes did they again address themselves to the invocation of Juppiter; and this is Die Lunae.
The Esoteric Record [of the Eighth Working]
The God Hermes having been invoked O.S.V. beheld him, in his character of the messenger, young, bearing the Caduceus. He stands upon the Altar of the East, poised upon his right toe. He is made of fixed light, the colour thereof being pale gold.
Lampada Tradam lifted up his voice and said' "What sayeth He?"
O.S.V.: I am the messenger of the gods, and I send you wreaths.
Famed among men shall become this thy scripture.
L.T.: Will it be successful in its object?
O.S.V.: Yea: verily and amen.
The whole method is right, but we shall improve in details. L.T.'s mental attitude should be more poetic. The Mass of the Phoenix on Tuesday depends entirely on the feeling of mental superiority thus induced.
L.T.: Is there any message for O.S.V. of a personal character?
O.S.V.: He will have news, perhaps even tomorrow morning; rather startling in character; to be included under the general heading of good.
L.T.: Will L.T. get news?
O.S.V.: News is coming to him.
O.S.V.: Soft news; like the body of a dove. From England.
L.T.: Are the gods pleased with the Ceremonies?
O.S.V.: Yea; they rejoice exceedingly. This Rite is to be the mainstay of the work. Anything can be obtained by this method. Suitable persons will present themselves for initiation into it. Women are not to be admitted, except in those rites where feminine gods are invoked. They must not be admitted to the invocations of male gods.
L.T.: What is the immediate task?
O.S.V.: The four-fold invocation of Juppiter should have been performed four times; this week, however, it has been interfered with by The Mass of the Phoenix. You will therefore employ it in experiments, invoking Priapus, Bacchus, Mars, unless you find suitable women. You must be very careful with Mars, if you invoke Him. If it is still necessary to invoke Juppiter, begin on Monday, four times a week, for four weeks. But why should it be necessary? Abramelin squares may be used as Versicles. This (i.e. quasi instrumentum gaudii)
[1] was the use of the child in the Abramelin operation. Respectability is the greatest of all blinds. The general key in reading ancient documents of a magical nature, is to suspect the worst. O.S.V. seems to get his fame alright, and this will leave him very peaceful.
Any amount of news coming for both of us; but O.S.V. has more than L.T. The news is like parcels of dove's wings, of a delicate purple grey or black goose quill; there is also news from the West of England; from Glasgow, or its neighbourhood; and from America.
L.T.: Are any officers wanted?
O.S.V.: No. No one is to be initiated until after the public orgie.......
I am now seeing the purple and grey background as if the force were developing. Around those clouds flash forth violet rays in the indigo. In the centre of all is the golden Mercury. Now He comes forward, kissing me on the mouth, laying his Caduceus on my Phallus. And he lifted up his voice, saying: "Unto all kingdoms shall thou utter the word". Now He puts his tongue into my mouth. It is not like the tongue of a man, but of a serpent or an ant-eater. He runs it all over my brain, making the skull luminous, transparent, phosphorescent. Moreover He spake winged words:
"I will give thee the wisdom the serpent, but thou must cleanse thy brain. Purge thyself in the sun. It is the love of others that will purify thee most. This needest thou: the devotion absolute of men four, and women four. And all these four men will be deformed, and these four women will come from the four quarters of the earth — the four continents whose names begin with A"
Windram. Infantile Palsy. Australia. L.W.
Newbury. Spinal Curvature, Asia. ? Ratan Devi.
varicocele, bent arm. Africa. ? Rose.
Cowie. Deaf and Dumb. America. ? J.F. or vircikemm.
Kennedy? Foot Deformity.
I see the most wonderful range of mountains with orange clouds of sunrise flaming upon them. Yet the crest of the mountain curls over as it rolls onward, like the crest of a wave. With one foot on this crest stands Mercury again, around him soft flames of orange, and green, and purple. And these words spake he from golden mouth:
"Thou art mine. Thou comest always unto me. Always in every grade am I thy guide; and even at this hour do I burn up thy dust. Moreover, thou shalt behold a certain earnest of thy work, and that right early."
This Mercury is poised upon a winged wheel that uttereth lightnings. He droppeth ostrich plumes for rank, and twists of flax to signify that the fate of certain men will be in my hands.
I now see a purple planet in space, radiating light from a luminous ring, and also from its poles.
With regard to Reincarnation, the heliocentric theory is right. As we conquer the conditions of a planet, we incarnate on the next planet inward until we return to the Father of All, when our experiences link together, become intelligible, and star speaks to star. Terra is the last planet where bodies are made of earth; in Venus they are fluid; on Mercury aerial; while in the Sun they are fashioned of pure fire. It is most important to develop the fluid body, to pack away all your powers in it. He insists on the importance of a pure body, instancing Frater T'agathon as an example of a failure to do this.
I now see the eight-fold star of Mercury suddenly blazing out, it is composed of four fleur-de-lys with rays like antlers, bulrushes in shape between them. The central core has the cypher of the Grand Master, but not the one you know. Upon the cross are the Dove, the Hawk, the Serpent, and the Lion. Also one other symbol, yet more secret.
Now I behold fiery swords of light. All this is upon a cosmic scale. All the distances are astronomical. When I say "Sword" I have a definite consciousness of a weapon many millions of miles in length. The field of my vision is as much enlarged as if I had been practising Batrachophrhenobookosmomachia for ten years.
Now follow numerous questions of O.S.V. to L.T.; indicated only by initials. The same question was asked repeatedly in different forms, but always answered in the same sense until the last question.
[L.T.]: I have never seen such a lot of beautiful skyscapes. There are pink clouds like flights of birds, actually in flight, now they are like flying serpents, their colours are mingled with purple and green. Anhalonium visions must be very similar to this.
He didn't go on, because he had come to tell us things, for a particular purpose.
The Temple was then closed; Fra. Lampada Tradam was then clairvoyant, as he thinks, or obsessed, as O.S.V. thinks, and makes the following statement, which O.S.V. considers demonic, on the grounds that many of the statements are contrary to public morality.
L.T. begins by saying that this Rite is a huge force that we unloose. By the time that we have 20 people working at it, it will become very dangerous. International complications are to be feared.
[2] This was the original form of worship. It is important not to initiate any persons under the age of 30, unless for some special reason. The obvious dangers of the Rite appall L.T. He says that those who adopt this Rite will either succeed completely or fail utterly. There is no middle path for it is impossible to escape the ring of divine Karma created.
In any series of Rites the roles of the celebrants should not be interchangeable. O.S.V. is to be priest only in invocations of feminine gods. The occult reason for this is that only the black gods are hermaphrodite. (!!)
The exception to this rule is in cases of divine possession.
The supreme Rite would be to bring about a climax in the death of the victim. By this Rite one would attain the summit of Magical Art. Even better would be to slay a girl, preferably a willing victim. After violating her, she should be cut into 9 pieces.
[3] These should not be eaten, but divided as follows: — head, arms, legs, and quadrisected trunk. The names of the gods appropriate are to be written on the skin, the arms are then to be flayed, and burnt in honour of Pan or Vesta, the legs (treated in the same manner) should be offered to Priapus, Hermes, or Juno. The right shoulder is sacred to Jupiter
[4], the left buttock to Venus. The head should not be flayed, but burnt simply, and that in honour either of Juno or Minerva.
The Rite should not be employed on ordinary occasions, but rarely, and then for great purposes; it should not be disclosed to any man.
In the opinion of O.S.V. and L.T. these instructions partake of the character of black, or at least grey, magic. The reader is requested to note that the Temple had been formally closed before they were obtained.
The following questions were then asked by O.S.V. and answered by L.T.
Q: What will be the result of Yardley's mission?
A: Successful on the whole, but not entirely.
Q: Shall I know soon?
A: Within 14 days; say 10 or 11.
(Hermes returns; and kisses L.T. on lips, navel and Phallus.)
Q: Will L. get K's dances on?
A: Yes.
Q: How soon?
A: Within three months.
L.T. will be released within two months from everything: he will get into a new stratum of Karma. He is going away eastwards. In June he marries; but returns to the Great Work in September. — (P.S. All quite wrong without a single exception.)
Its conditions are quite altered. L.T. having acquired a great fortune.
O.S.V. goes away on a long journey to the East, leaving L.T. in charge X. This results in serious trouble with regards to Krishnamurti.
Let O.S.V. not allow 493 to enter into Scorpio.
O.S.V.: What is 493?
L.T. Connected with water and with Cremers. It is she that stirs up strife.
O.S.V.: What is 493?
A: It is connected with O.S.V.'s dealings with Cremers. O.S.V. has told her too much.
Q: What is 493?
A: A book, of a Mercurial nature, stolen by Cremers. Don't let that get into Scorpio. (? Energized Enthusiasm which got into ) (The questioner in a fit of despair abandons the unequal contest.)
Cremers will either write to L.T. or communicate indirectly with him. (P.S. All this is entirely wrong.)
Hermes now gives a gold ring to L.T. for O.S.V. The bezel of this ring is a ruby, with a white fleur-de-lys on each side of it. The ring is gold.
Opposite the ruby are the initials S.T.R. This ring is the crown of the Phallus, the Yoni of Thoth, the collar of the Ape of Thoth.
Concerning the Rites, O.S.V. is always to be first to scry. L.T. is to write down in the scrying. L.T. is always to be the priest. These Rites are never to be done for more than six successive nights,
[5] and four is a better number. The Rites should never begin earlier than nine o'clock at night, and should never last longer than three hours and a half.
These are the colours of certain gods: —
Priapus — Yellow and purple.
Iacchus — Scarlet and green.
Venus — Blue, white and gold.
Minerva — White and silver with a little dark blue.
Pan — Crimson.
The floor should be white, but, on festivals and special occasions, black and white, or red and white squares.
Further instructions will be given from time to time.
Music may be employed in the Rite, but in a subordinate manner. It should be soft and stringed.
Celebrants of the Rite should not be bare-headed, but should wear head-dresses of white, or such other colour as may be indicated.
After five weeks other directions will be given. Until then work as aforesaid.
I now see the figure drawn hereunder.
[6] It is familiar to O.S.V. as the sign of a certain grade, and the name of it is S.T.R.
Hermes now touches L.T.'s lips with his Caduceus, and gives this last message to O.S.V. "Beyond nothing is Everything." He then kisses L.T., and departs.
