Some Short Definitions on a Few Basic Magical Concepts

De Libertate Mentis (from Liber Aleph)

“There shall be no property in Human Thought. Let each think as he will concerning the Universe;

but let none seek to impose that Thought upon another by any Threat of Penalty in this World or any other World....

I charge thee therefore that thou permit none to tyrannize any other in Thought,

or to threaten, or in any other wise to blaspheme the great Liberty of Our Father the Sun

in the Grand Cosmos, or of His Viceregent in the Little.”

What follows are short collections of personal thoughts on a collection of subjects.

Some are answers to questions I've either asked or been asked. All are my opinion and your mileage may vary.

Faith vs Certainty or Gnosis vs Knowledge

"Certainty not faith, while in life upon death, peace unutterable, rest ecstasy." - Liber Al

If you know you are correct beyond a shadow of a doubt, then your faith is based on knowledge and you have certainty. Some say that faith isn't present in Thelema, but it is faith in our will and faith in the universe itself that often propels us forward. In order to take that step, or leap, you must have faith that your foot will land on solid ground, but only when it does do you have certainty.

Action is always equal to, and opposite, reaction. Once a single thought is formed, its opposite immediately exists. Only through duality can unity occur. Therefore you cannot have certainty without blind faith. Balance is key in a any magical workings and within the life of the Magician itself. Balance in ritual can be achieved through the marriage of opposites. Duality and the marriage of opposites can be studied further in the Book of Thoth under the Lovers card and in Crowley's "The Book of The Balance".

You must to gain control of your Malkuth by putting your faith in Kether; One controls you while you control the other.

1 = 10 the circle is you - blind faith

Hadit is the square, or the elemental tides you learn to control

Have blind faith in the Universe to provide for you, or just in the idea that everything has a purpose or direction, and is occurring in accordance with your Will.

Rather than faith, think of it as a giving over to Love.

"Without the taming power of love, we would still be animals, for it is love that lifts us into the triad above the abyss so that we may become our true spiritual selves." - Soror Meral

Self-love affects your sense of Self and your immediate existence. Self-love is truly selfless when you exist as a spiritual being, doing his Will, for the good of humanity.

We see ourselves as a person, a human being searching for a spiritual union or awakening, when what we really are is a spiritual being that has been dealing with a human awakening since birth. In viewing yourself through a more spiritual lense you can better connect with that spiritual part of yourself and begin to discover why you are here and what your purpose, or True Will, actually is.

Nuit vs Babalon

According to Liber AL, our highest spiritual motive is to dedicate our actions unto Nuit. Nuit is All. The infinite. Nuit already is everything, whereas Babalon is the process of experiencing everything. Not consuming it, but being open to the experience of it. She doesn't turn anything away because she is open to all experiences and so, the opposite of each one of those experiences as well. She is also at peace with all she experiences because she views them equally. Which is something we must all do, come to terms with, learn from, heal - whatever it takes - to become at peace with all we have experienced in life, no matter if it's viewed as being good or bad. We must take the lessons we have received from all of our experiences and use those to transform ourselves into better versions of ourselves. You create the world you live in. You might argue that you can't control what happens to you, that you can only control your reactions. It is by controlling your reactions you ultimately do control what happens to you. It is cyclical.

As above so below. If Nuit is the above, then Babalon is the below represented in the female form.

Babalon is also the gateway to the Sun, to God. She is the Priestess sitting on the alter opening herself to the Goddess, for through the Goddess the Priest communes with God. Which is the goal of every magical operation, communion with God (or the divine) to get closer to our HGA, our true wills and the great work. The Priestess communes with the divine on the alter through the invocation. They share and transmute the energy to the cakes and wine, and so to the people in the congregation.

The Magical Child Idea

The Magical Child is the energetic product of the magical operation. Any magical operation. It's nature depends on the operation and the magician. For example, a magical child is energetically created every time people have sex. If the magicians having sex do not give it a specific purpose or direct that energy, then it has none. If you do an earth invocation for example, or make a sigil to obtain a job, then the energetic cumulation of your ritual is in effect a Magical Child and has the specific purpose you gave it. It is not, an entity within itself and therefore only takes on the purpose or Will of the magician. The creation of a Magical Child can be as simple or as complex as the operation being done, but in a sense, it is always created.

The Formula of The Tetragrammaton

The tetragrammaton, י ה ו ה in Hebrew and YHVH in Latin script, is the four-letter biblical name of the God of Israel.

The formulae of the Tetragrammaton, like that of the Tree of Life, represent manifestation, the production of Something from Nothing. The Four letters of the Tetragrammaton represent four basic and definitive stages of this process. First, the Yod of the Tetragrammaton represents the emanation of a general, all-encompassing spiritual Substance out of Divine Nothingness. Yod is the the most divine aspect of the Force, the God invoked. Second, the first Heh of the Tetragrammaton represents the definition of particular qualities within this general Substance. The adding of the first Heh to the Yod is the marriage of the Father to the co-equal, the Mother. Yod is a reflection of Hadit and the first Heh of Nuit. Vav represents the separation and recombination of these particular qualities to form various basic compounds and ideal Forms which comprise the basic guidelines according to which material existence is ultimately manifested. This would be the production of Ra Hoor Khuit. Manifestation itself is represented by the final Heh. Which could be represented by Babalon and The Beast or the most basic manifestation, woman and man. This basic outline applies to all applications of the formula of the Tetragrammaton.

Magical Implements

First I want to say that magical implements aren't always necessary. You have everything you need already in your own hand. Each finger represents a different element.

Air is the lightest,and so it is the little finger.
Fire goes straight to the heart, hence the ring finger.
Earth, the heaviest, is the middle finger.
Water is equal to or cancels out fire and so it is the pointer finger.
The thumb represents Spirt, which moves freely to touch them all.

Some implements are considered tools and others weapons depending on their use in the temple. The four most common implements are of course the Dagger, Disk, Wand and Cup. Most people are also aware of the Sword and Lance. Sometimes we take for granted the other tools in our temple space and do not view them as implements at all. These can include, but are not limited to, the Bell, the Incense, the Altar itself, the Chain, the Scourge, the Lamp and the Mirror. Other items can also be used as magical implements such as a single living rose or even metal keys. Below I have included a short description of certain implements. For more on magical implements consult Magick Book 4 Part II.

The Altar - is the foundation of the operation, stability, Yesod supporting the Ruach.

The Circle & Triangle - The spheres of operation of the Magician and his work which is in Malkuth, the Kingdom, the Realm of Assiah. The triangle being outside the circle is the place of spirit.

The Wand - is a symbol of the element of Fire, the intelligible expression of the Will of the creative energy of the Magician.

The Dagger - is a symbol of the element of Air. It is usually used in banishings, the primary use is to disperse

The Disk - is symbol of the element of Earth. The Magician eats bread from the disk, Babalon the Gate of the Sun.

The Chalice - is a symbol for the element of Water the weapon of the Magus, representing NUIT and heaven.

The Lamp - is not a weapon. When hung from above it illuminates the whole work. When carried in the hand it symbolizes Love that must be carried by the Magican.

Mirror - is the primary tool of self-reflection.

Keys - keys open things. Use them to open doorways, your heart or your mind.

The magician's most powerful magical implement, in my opinion, is his magical diary.