BANISHING, DUALISM, and the WORLD (Part One)
by AREXZ 1496

At the time of this writing (03-29-90 e.v.), it has been six months
since the debacle of the Thelema Lodge Raid.  This event has suely been the
cause of a lot of thought throughout the Order, and I myself have been
pondering Grady's $64,000 question,"Why does the gnosis always get busted?".
In this article I will examine the problem from a magical point of view,
particularly with respect to the Order, and present a possible solution.
First, a disclaimer:  "If, in this view, old cherished truths,
dogmas, creeds and forms appear as only partialities, or even malignant
because of their overvaluation or distortion, that is the price that must be
paid for the wider horizon needful for growth and life."(Parsons, "The
Children") The freedom of the Fool has ever been the Goal of the Magician.  
This Freedom can and should include freedom from harassment and persecution.
Indeed, it must, as the Fool represents the non-dual condition of the Self 
in union (at-one-ment) with the World.
    Yet the rite of passage form the original Fool to the practicing Magician 
is the performance of the ritual of banishing, establishing the duality of 
within and without the circle.  Despite the introduction of duality, the 
creation of the circle is an absolutely necessary first step for the 
practicioner of the Magical Path.  This is an apparently valid application of 
the formula of IAO, a deliberate divergence from the original pristine 
condition, through a state of division, to a fuller understanding of the 
Mysteries. Now, let us examine the process of transmission of magical practice
as a method of linkage between part, present, and future.  At some past time,
a ritual, say the LBR, is developed by a particular magician within a 
particular political climate.  These particulars are reflected in the content 
of the ritual, even though its form may be universl.  Then, at a time we shall 
arbitrarily call the present, the ritual is adopted by a modern-day magician.  
But with what result?
    There will be little argument that with sufficient practice, the
modern-day magician acquires a deepening understanding of the knowledge of the 
originating magician, perhaps even the combined knowledge of all past and
present practicioners of the particulat rite.  But what of the other side of
the coin, the magician's environment?  It is my contention that the continued
intensive use of a rite re-creates and/or reinforces the political climate
prevailing at the time of original creation of the rite.
    Let's put it another way: Is it really any surprise that the Fool, having 
surrounded himself with Judeo-Xtian symbols or "Names of God" in the macrocosm 
of the World?  That having placed his faith in the authority of the Emperor 
rather than the inspiration of the Star, and having built a House of God based 
on His plan, the Fool then finds the Tower shaking beneath his feet?  As it is 
written,"...the Eighties cower before me, & are abased...".(AL.III.46) So much 
for blind repetition and fear of change!  Having recognized the nature of this 
Devilish situation (IAO), we are then in a position to allow the Teacher to 
reveal the virtue of the Star (IAF), and complete the transition from the 
Eighties to the Nineties.  (Careful analysis of these symbol and formulae, and 
their interrelation is suggested).
The problem having been defined, let us turn to Liber AL for suggestions as to 
a solution. "Behold! the rituals of the old time are black.  Let the evil ones 
be cast away..."(AL.II.5), and "there is a veil: that veil is black..Tear down 
that lying specter of the centuries: veil not your vices in virtuous words..."
(AL.II.52), and "there is help and hope in other spells..." (AL.II.70).
    The meesage is clear.  While the Hebrew Qabalah and the Hebraic "Names of 
God" may (or may not) be a necessary theoretical foundation for the magical 
path, they are not suitable for practical use in Thelemic Magick.  We must 
cast away the rituals of the old (Judeo-Xtian) time, and fix our attention on, 
and our aims most firmly in the (Thelemic) Future.
    We must create and use our own Thelemic formulae, be they Greek, Anglo-
Saxon, or Modern English ones.  For it is a simple fact that the Future does 
not yet exist!  Oh, we may adopt Gnostic Formulae such as IAF and ABRAHADABRA.
We may attribute them to the Tree of Life and use them in our rituals.  But we 
will not find our future in any existing grimoire or system. True Magick is an 
evolving and experimental science. In order to carry on its business of 
teaching, the creation of a new system of Thelemic Magick must become a 
priority for the Order.  Perhaps another prophet shall arise and hand it to us
on a silver platter, but I doubt it.  Rather we will all be contributing and 
someone, I don't know who, will have to coordiate the mess.  There will be 
disagreement and there will be compromise, but hopefully in the end we will 
have produced a simple system of Thelemic Magick based on the Tree of Life, 
Graeco-Gnostic, and perhaps even English formulae. Perhaps Crowley provided 
the Star Ruby (and other Thelemic rituals) for use in the period of 
transition.  It not only provides a Symbol on which to concentrate our 
Collective Mind, thereby aiding agreement, it is also suggestive of the basic 
nature of Thelemic Magick.
    For example, the Ruby is clearly grounded in Yesod rather than Malkuth.  
Combining this with the idea of the emptiness of phenonmena in Buddism and 
the findings of quantum physics suggests a "Tree" with an observer-created 
universe at Da'ath and no Malkuth.  The Tree then takes the form of a perfect 
double cube and/or two interpenetrant hexagrams. Futhermore, the polarities of 
the Ruby are identical to those in the Tibetan T[......??????.......] No 
matter how profound these insights may be, it is important to remember that 
the Star Ruby, like any ritual, is merely a bridge.  While it may help us 
across the abyss we are currently faced with, it will not take us across the 
next.  The next step will require use to use our insight, Intuition, and 
Imagination to project our own future for the benefit of mankind.  [Part II 
will examine the global implications of this work. Correspondance may be 
addressed to AREXZ 1496 c/o PO Box 4090, Chico, CA 95927