Knowledge & Conversation Revisited

This text is taken from the Horus-Maat Lodge of the
O.T.O.public newsletter
SILVERSTAR . It
revisits the work needed to obtain Knowledge & Conversation of the H.G.A/D
in modern times .
It is written by Shade Oroboros 817 and reveals a number of beneficial
incites on the Crowley version and how it may practically translate to more
modern resources.

and remember y'all: INVOKE OFTEN and to EXCESS!!! Exceed, exceed...the
word of sin is RESTRICTION.

LVX baby!
As it is...so be it
China

>
> > >
> > Knowledge & Conversation of the Holy Guardian Spirit, & the Emerald
> > Tablet of Alchemy
> >
> > By Shade Oroboros 817
> >
> >
> > "There is a single main definition of the object of all magical Ritual.
> > It is the uniting of the Microcosm with the Macrocosm. The Supreme and
> > Complete Ritual is therefore the Invocation of the Holy Guardian Angel; or,
> > in the language of Mysticism, Union with God."
> >
> > - Magick in Theory & Practice, Aleister Crowley
> >
> > "What dignifies the yogic practices is that the belief system itself is
> > not truly religious. There is no Buddhist God per se; it is the Self, the
> > individual mind that contains immortality and ultimate truth. I think that
> > that true Self, that original Self, that first Self, is a real mensurate
> > thing, tangible and incarnate; and I'm going to find the fucker." -
> > from the film Altered States
> >
> > The secret name of your Angel is the Word that expresses the
> > nature of your being, and the Holy Guardian Angel is the symbol and focus of
> > a process of Self-becoming. As an essential magickal act you begin a Vision
> > Quest to unite with an entity outside of yourself, and with the process of
> > that quest you completely change the way you experience the world around
> > you. Each event becomes charged with deeper meaning, as the universe becomes
> > an oracular, intelligent, communicating awareness. Mysticism of whatever
> > religion is ultimately about the Union with God by whatever Name; where does
> > an intermediary such as an Angel factor in to this equation or occasion? The
> > word 'Angel' means 'Messenger': this being is a ray of light passing between
> > the individual and the cosmos, a guiding truth upon the way, a link. We can
> > question whether the experience is inner or external, until we realize there
> > is no real difference. Looking at the world's major religions, so many have
> > had visions of angels hovering around their beginnings; and angels bring
> > revelations. The angel Gabriel announced the birth of Christ to Mary and
> > dictated the Koran to Mohammed, and the angel Moroni allegedly gave the Book
> > of Mormon to Joseph Smith.
> >
> > This ritual process of the Knowledge & Conversation of the Holy
> > Guardian Angel is the very centerpiece of Crowleyan magical initiation: the
> > discovery of the True Will, the holy and immortal core of being. It is
> > largely based upon the ceremonies of the Book of the Sacred Magick of
> > Abra-Melim the Mage, perhaps the most elegant and coherent of the surviving
> > medieval grimoires, which called for the magus to spend six months in
> > seclusion and ever-increasing invocation resulting in contact with the
> > entity destined as their eternal companion and guide. Only after the bond of
> > this union was sealed by the discovery of the true name of this spirit could
> > the magician proceed to the conjuration of the demonic forces that would
> > accomplish his desires. For his own purposes Crowley employed an ancient
> > Greco-Egyptian text subsequently modified by the Golden Dawn and revised by
> > the Beast himself as Liber Samekh: Theurgia Goetia Summa Congressus cum
> > Daemone sub figura DCCC; it is truly a powerful invocation, and over a
> > period of time builds up a highly charged momentum of consciousness (for my
> > own version, see A New Revision of the Rite of the Bornless One in Silver
> > Star I). In addition to commentaries upon this, his other writings contain
> > constant references to the process, notably this important revision of the
> > Abra-Melim procedure:
> >
> > "And thus shall he do who will attain unto the mystery of the knowledge
> > and conversation of his Holy Guardian Angel:
> > First, let him prepare a chamber, of which the walls and the roof shall
> > be white, and the floor shall be covered with a carpet of black squares and
> > white, and the border thereof shall be blue and gold.
> > And if it be in a town, the room shall have no window, and if it be in
> > the country, then it is better if the window be in the roof. Or, if it be
> > possible, let this invocation be performed in a temple prepared for the
> > ritual of passing through the Tuat.
> > From the roof he shall hang a lamp, wherein is a red glass, to burn
> > olive oil. And this lamp shall he cleanse and make ready after the prayer of
> > sunset, and beneath the lamp shall be an altar, foursquare, & the height
> > shall be thrice half of the breadth or double the breadth.
> > And upon the altar shall be a censor, hemispherical, supported upon
> > three legs, of silver, and within it an hemisphere of copper, and upon the
> > top a grating of gilded silver, and thereupon shall he burn incense made of
> > four parts of olibanum and two parts of stacte, and one part of lignum
> > aloes, or of cedar, or of sandal. And this is enough.
> > And he shall also keep ready in a flask of crystal within the altar,
> > holy anointing oil made of myrrh and cinnamon and galangal.
> > And even if he be of higher rank than a Probationer, he shall yet wear
> > the robe of the Probationer, for the star of flame showeth forth Ra Hoor
> > Khuit openly upon the breast, and secretly the blue triangle that descendeth
> > is Nuit, and the red triangle that ascendeth is Hadit. And I am the golden
> > Tau in the midst of their marriage. Also, if he choose, he may instead wear
> > a close-fitting robe of shot silk, purple and green, and upon it a cloak
> > without sleeves, of bright blue, covered with golden sequins, and scarlet
> > within.
> > And he shall make himself a wand of almond wood or of hazel cut by his
> > own hands at dawn at the Equinox, or at the Solstice, or on the day of
> > Corpus Christi, or on one of the feast-days that are appointed in The Book
> > of the Law.
> > And he shall engrave with his own hand upon the plate of gold the Holy
> > Sevenfold Table, or the Holy Twelvefold Table, or some particular device.
> > And it shall be foursquare within a circle, and the circle shall be
> > winged, and he shall attach it about his forehead by a ribbon of blue silk.
> > Moreover, he shall wear a fillet of laurel or rose or ivy or rue, and every
> > day, after the prayer of sunrise, he shall burn it in the fire of the
> > censor.
> > Now he shall pray thrice daily, about sunset, and at midnight, and at
> > sunrise. And if he be able, he shall pray also four times between sunrise
> > and sunset.
> > The prayer shall last for the space of an hour, at the least, and he
> > shall seek ever to extend it, and to inflame himself in praying. Thus shall
> > he invoke his Holy Guardian Angel for eleven weeks, and in any case he shall
> > pray seven times daily during the last week of the eleven weeks.
> > And during all this time he shall have composed an invocation suitable,
> > with such wisdom and understanding as may be given him from the Crown, and
> > this shall he write in letters of gold upon the top of the altar.
> > For the top of the altar shall be of white wood, well polished, and in
> > the centre thereof he shall have placed a triangle of oak-wood, painted with
> > scarlet, and upon this triangle the three legs of the censor shall stand.
> > Moreover, he shall copy his invocation upon a sheet of pure white
> > vellum, with Indian ink, and he shall illuminate it according to his fancy
> > and imagination, that shall be informed by beauty.
> > And on the first day of the twelfth week he shall enter the chamber at
> > sunrise, and he shall make his prayer, having first burnt the conjuration
> > that he had made upon the vellum in the fire of the lamp.
> > Then, at his prayer, shall the chamber be filled with light insufferable
> > for splendour, and a perfume intolerable for sweetness. And his Holy
> > Guardian Angel shall appear unto him, yea, his Holy Guardian Angel shall
> > appear unto him, so that he shall be wrapt away into the Mystery of
> > Holiness.
> > All that day shall he remain in the enjoyment of the knowledge and
> > conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel.
> > And for three days after he shall remain from sunrise unto sunset in the
> > temple, and he shall obey the counsel that his Angel shall have given unto
> > him, and he shall suffer those things that are appointed.
> > And for ten days thereafter shall he withdraw himself as shall have been
> > taught unto him from the fullness of that communion, for he must harmonize
> > the world that is within with the world that is without.
> > And at the end of the ninety-one days he shall return into the world,
> > and there shall he perform that work to which the Angel shall have appointed
> > him.
> > And more than this it is not necessary to say, for his Angel shall have
> > entreated him kindly, and showed him in what manner he may be most perfectly
> > involved. And unto him that hath this Master there is nothing else that he
> > needeth, so long as he continue in the knowledge and conversation of the
> > Angel, so that he shall come at last into the City of the Pyramids.
> > Lo! two and twenty are the paths of the Tree, but one is the Serpent of
> > Wisdom; ten are the ineffable emanations, but one is the Flaming Sword."
> > - from the 8th Aethyr of The Vision & The Voice
> >
> > Since few of us in these decadent times possess the resources for such
> > an elaborate operation, it is important to form a personal method of
> > carrying out the true spirit of this process. Create an alter or shrine in a
> > fine and private place, adorn it with the symbols that have deep meaning for
> > you, and write and evolve your own invocations, combined with traditional or
> > newly devised practices. Crowley himself performed much of his own
> > Abra-Melim working internally, while riding across China on horseback (after
> > spending a small fortune on actually buying and equipping a house called
> > Boleskeine, in Scotland near Loch Ness). Looking over ancient records of
> > angelic material I am struck by how general or universal it often seems, and
> > I think that one of the most striking elements of Crowley's thought is the
> > way that he transformed this concept toward an individual, personal, unique
> > angel, instead of the relatively undifferentiated angels of a more
> > collective age. Indeed, by medieval times Christianity had become quite
> > suspicious of angels, although the earliest Gnostic sects were often quite
> > enthused by them and the ancient Coptic Church in Egypt preserved an
> > enormous amount of angelic magick.
> >
> > To embark upon this process is perhaps the quintessential initiation
> > of western magick. It hearkens back through time to the shamanic Vision
> > Quest, where the seeker goes alone into the wilderness, fasting and
> > sleepless, and chants until their personal ally or guide appears to them in
> > animal form or otherwise and reveals the pattern and secrets of their life
> > to come. In the later rites of the classical era the arcane initiate would
> > perform a conjuration to invoke a paredros, a semi-divine companion or
> > helper, similar to the daimon or higher genius of Socrates and some other
> > philosopher-sages. Such guides were potent in magick and divination, and in
> > Christian times merged with the concepts of guardian angels or patron
> > saints. A remarkable recent case is that of Carl Jung, whose guide Philemon
> > led him into the Gnostic and alchemical reality that formed the basis for
> > all of his work. Some modern christian fundamentalists have charged that
> > this was in fact an evil devil deluding him; then again, the same source
> > believed that the Dalai Lama, Native Americans, Hollywood's film industry,
> > the media, and the ecological and women's movements are all parts of a vast
> > satanic communist conspiracy.
> >
> > This operation is a core element of modern ceremonial magical practice:
> > the training and skills of the sorcerer are entirely focused upon this
> > essential act of union with the guiding force or entity that fully
> > epitomizes their nature and their personal mission. It is the deliberate
> > manifestation of the True Self, combined in a very dramatic and transforming
> > union with its complementary opposite as the Other, and opening the psyche
> > to a more complete understanding of the universe. Through this process every
> > aspect of being is united in the alchemical Great Work of personal
> > exploration, analysis, and discovery. Crowley somewhere states that he
> > retained the disconcertingly archaic terminology of the Knowledge &
> > Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel because of its apparent absurdity.
> > At the same time it is also a rather sublime conception, demanding from the
> > cosmos a clear declaration that there is more to our existence than mere
> > consumerism and reproduction. With this alien contact, the sorcerer steps
> > fully into the separate reality; as I said before, the very word 'Angel'
> > means 'Messenger'. Crowley also considered the existence of a pair of such
> > entities for each individual: the agathodaemon or good spirit, and the
> > kakodaemon or evil one. His notion was that one should first invoke for
> > whichever side of the personality most needed strengthening.
> >
> > "...each human being 'possesses' - or, to be more precise, 'is composed
> > of' - two Angels. On his right stands the Angel spirit; guardian, guide and
> > companion. On the left is the guided spirit, the receptive soul. Thus the
> > total self is composed of a reunion of a celestial Angel with a 'fallen'
> > Angel; they are the two wings of the soul." - Angels, Peter
> > Lamborn Wilson
> >
> > For me this helps reconcile the internal and external elements of the
> > HGA, as I tend to view the Universe as subsumed in the Self. In terms of
> > Liber AL this informing angel might be seen as Ra-Hoor-Khuit and the
> > receptive soul as Hoor-par-kraat, reconciled in the human form of the
> > prophet Ankh-f-n-Khonsu depicted on the Stele of Revealing. A brief
> > side-thought on the notion of Thelema as it relates to Tantra: if we see
> > Shiva as Hadit and Kali/Shakti as Nuit/Babalon, then their sons would be the
> > lotus-throned and elephant-headed deity Ganesh as Hoor-par-kraat, and the
> > warrior child-god Skanda who rides upon a peacock bearing a spear as Ra-Hoor
> > Khuit. In Hindu tantras, the Atman (or Self) is identical with the Brahman
> > (or God). The question of whether a true self really exists is a subject of
> > much debate in Asian traditions. Hinduism does accept the soul-spark of the
> > Atman as a seed passing through many cycles of existence, while Buddhism
> > ultimately sees this as a false sense of self, a limited ego which
> > eventually must dissolve along with the rest of the illusory universe. The
> > magical view may reconcile the two, utilizing the Self or even multiple
> > selves as vehicles for as long as it is useful and artistically fulfilling,
> > and then finally surrendering all beliefs with the crossing of the Abyss. If
> > in the paradigm of Chaos we are again merely a brief constellation of
> > identities without an ultimate center (a notion I still have some
> > reservations about) then the operation of invoking the Holy Guardian Spirit
> > may still serve to coalesce the various levels of the mind around a central
> > core or axis of being, which is a pretty useful concept for a magician.
> > Gurdjieff believed that the creation of the soul was a conscious and
> > deliberate process that few humans have attempted, let alone accomplished.
> > As an unfolding series of insights this illumination involves stripping away
> > the veils of rigid belief that conceal the nature of the Original Self or
> > True Will. A central concept of Maatian magick is N'Aton, the collective and
> > universal consciousness of future humanity, which we are eventually to
> > awaken; and for me this is one more way of understanding the unity of the
> > personal or individual self and the complete and universal Self. The Atman
> > and the Brahman are one, the Self is the seed or spark of God.
> >
> > One central key to this process may be the ritual of the Eucharist:
> > the invocation of a spiritual force into a cup of consecrated wine or water
> > and its consumption. To call an outside power and then absorb it into one's
> > Self is among the most instinctively powerful actions devised by humans, and
> > its applications are infinitely flexible. Shamans often regard eating or
> > drinking as a way of absorbing a force, and Egyptian sorcerers carried
> > magick in their bellies. Other rites and techniques that I have used include
> > almost every aspect of ritual practice. I open all ceremonies by invoking
> > the Guardian Spirit, and employ candle-flames as a centering point for
> > invocation, because a dancing fire is to me the living presence of the
> > Light. We may note in passing that the candle unites all four elements, as a
> > solid magical wand that liquefies and becomes a gas to feed the flame.
> > Genuine beeswax is recommended. At all meals I bless my food, and charge all
> > drinks as a sacrament. Mirrors and reflections are also gateways, because
> > the experience of seeing myself as another breaks down any limited
> > conceptions of what I am. One of the earliest ways I envisioned this Angel
> > was as my own DNA in female rather than male form, a perfect opposite or
> > twin with which to unite, to celebrate the sacred marriage. Any sexual act
> > can be an invocation of the Angel, as Jung's concept of the Anima or Animus
> > who appears in myth or dream seems often to be a veiling of the personal
> > angel. Yogic breathing meditation calms the mind and makes the process
> > accelerate. In addition to fire and reflections, other symbols of the HGA
> > are the Sun as the center of radiance in our solar system, and the Heart as
> > the center of life in a human: the blood as light and heartbeat as the
> > drum-rhythm of creation. Opening to Love is an element of this practice, and
> > for years I have tried my best to practice a Sufi heart meditation: "Turning
> > one heart to all faces, seeing one face in all hearts." Castaneda located
> > the 'assemblage point' between the shoulder blades, obviously related to the
> > heart chakra as well. Above all, as Crowley says, "Invoke Often", changing
> > the song as your understanding evolves.
> >
> > The context of this process is also important. There are still circles
> > of magicians in this world, and in our most active period my friends and I
> > existed in a whirlwind of wide ranging study of a number of esoteric
> > traditions, and regularly met for frequent rituals as well as doing solitary
> > work in our own ways. Working in groups increases magical power and
> > accelerates synchronicity. All of us were actively invoking our angels, most
> > often with the ancient practice known as the Ritual of the Bornless One,
> > which Crowley rewrote as the above-mentioned Liber Samekh. Eventually I
> > reached a point where I was singing the strange names it contains like
> > mantras in daily life. As a renewal at various points I did take magickal
> > oaths to achieve this union, and such formal vows are very useful tools to
> > open a momentum leading to success. I eventually did a very intense period
> > of sixty formal workings of this rite with an ever-increasing intensity and
> > frequency, attempting to earth each in Art. Sixty is the number of Samekh,
> > ascribed to the angelic Art card of the Tarot and the vertical path linking
> > Moon & Sun on the central pillar of the tree of life, and suggesting their
> > marriage in the symbol of an eclipse. At the same time some very extreme
> > events were taking place amid the circle of my friends as well (among them
> > the founding of the Horus/Maat Lodge), and I think that the energy which
> > group ritual incites, combined with my own will, led finally to an climactic
> > all-night session where the whole of my experiences were synthesized into a
> > new understanding of angelic contact. I recorded this as my own holy book,
> > which is a text I still grapple with (Liber Ipsemet: The Book of the True
> > Self in Silver Star V). A further result of this event was a fairly long
> > aftermath of inner silence; the constant babble of inner dialog actually
> > stopped, and I lived in this world in a very different way for a period of
> > some weeks, and can upon occasion return to this state at will.
> >
> > I believe one of the secrets of this process is that uniting with the
> > Angel in a sense implies becoming that Angel, participating in an awakening,
> > a genuine transformation or enlightenment. Union with the HGA is a working
> > to perfect the Self, and the world would perhaps be a better place if we
> > were all our own angels rather than our devils. While living in this state
> > everything becomes sacred, music a communion and color a sacrament. What I
> > have always sought in my life and in my magick is this peak experience, the
> > moment of vivid intensity that lifts everyday experience out of its limits
> > and charges the instant with genuine meaning. We all go through our routines
> > in daily life, and much of what we do is so automatic and unaware that we
> > are virtually asleep. The angel of revelation blows the trumpet that
> > awakens, which resurrects us from death into joy, from nightmare into dream.
> > I suppose what I am trying to say here is that I like to think that I have
> > become a better person because I have devoted time to fully exploring
> > myself, to shining some light into my darkness. I certainly will not claim
> > to be perfect, but I have a pretty good sense of what my strengths and
> > weaknesses are. I know myself better, try my best to do the right thing,
> > maintain compassion for all without losing my rage against injustice. I am
> > more complete and more creative. This is again what Jung termed
> > individuation, and it is a ceaselessly unfolding process.
> >
> > How does this cosmic spirit maintain communication? With
> > synchronicities, coincidences, flashes of insight; the book or tool or
> > quotation that appears unexpectedly at the perfect time, the word from a
> > friend or teacher that makes all seem clear. Connections made in unexpected
> > ways, that let one grasp for a moment the cosmic joke. And of course there
> > are my 'transmitted manuscripts'; how do I address that here? I've always
> > thought of myself as a writer, deeply appreciating words and books; my
> > talents did not seem to lie in music or other arts beyond the occasional
> > burst of drawing, or some play with photography and collages. In the course
> > of these operations of using the Ritual of the Bornless One to achieve union
> > I would have frequent flashes of symbolism, mythic imagery, or even
> > sensations of elemental presences glimpsed in the corner of the eye. Not
> > necessarily vast fiery visions or spirit voices in general, just a sort of
> > unfolding understanding that I tried to earth in writing after each rite,
> > which in the best events would flow freely and spontaneously through me;
> > often these pieces do actively bring the same state of consciousness back.
> > There were a few remarkable exceptions to my 'no voices' comment: once while
> > I was dreaming a very loud voice did indeed intone the name on an Angel so
> > loudly that it woke me from sleep with the vivid conviction that this was
> > The Name. I felt that this was a major result, and always try to remember
> > and analyze my dreams as best I can, considering them as messages.
> >
> > So how else can your HGA communicate? Via a constant flow of new
> > insights. On a good day, I create a work of art. When I return to it later,
> > I find new meanings in it, and realize that my younger self reflects my
> > older self, that time exists only to convey meaning, experience only to
> > confer joy. The same holds true for decoding the artworks of others; art is
> > the immortality of the undying Spirit that passes through the changing world
> > of the human body. Mythology, books, painting, music, fashion, cooking,
> > technology, children, all the ways we imprint ourselves into history form
> > the tapestry woven by a unity split into multiplicity for the purpose of
> > play. Imaginative use of cultural codes like the Tarot, Runes, or the I
> > Ching help convince one that the reflecting mirror of reality, what the
> > alchemists called reading the Book of the World, will never cease to amaze.
> > And on a more immediate level every living being you meet can speak with
> > that same voice, if you listen very carefully. Truth can come from the most
> > unlikely sources, sometimes.
> >
> > "According to a very interesting legend, the thrones left vacant by the
> > fallen Angels are reserved for the elect among men; St. Francis of Assisi is
> > supposed to have been awarded the throne of Lucifer himself." -
> > Angels, Peter Lamborn Wilson
> >
> > Magick in its higher modes ultimately aims towards this integration
> > and transformation of the Self, the full exploration and utilization of the
> > potentials of one's own being. Whether or not we see this process as a
> > purely internal series of projections within the overactive imagination, it
> > still serves as a vehicle for the achievement of higher states of
> > consciousness or esoteric trances. In alchemical thought the process of
> > transforming base matter into gold was always paralleled by the
> > corresponding purification and rebirth of the alchemists themselves, a
> > metaphor for the evolution of the soul or the immortal body of light. In
> > these permutations of the psyche we touch upon the central concepts of
> > alchemy, and the ancient codex known as the Emerald Tablet of Hermes
> > Trismegistus encodes many formulas of such operations. This mysterious text
> > appears to come from a 12th century Latin rendition of a 10th century Arabic
> > translation of a 4th century Greek text which may be based on an even
> > earlier original. I include it in full here, as a summary of the
> > transformations engaged in the Great Work:
> >
> > "True, without falsehood, certain and most true, that which is above is
> > as that which is below, and that which is below is as that which is above,
> > for the accomplishment of the miracles of the One Thing.
> > Just as all things proceed from One alone by the mediation of One alone,
> > so also they have their birth from this One thing by adaptation.
> > The Sun is its father, the Moon its mother, The Wind carries it in its
> > belly, and its nurse is the Earth.
> > This is the Child of all perfection, or consummation of the whole world.
> >
> > Its power is perfect and integrating, if it be converted into earth.
> > Thou shalt separate the earth from the fire, the subtle from the gross,
> > softly, and with great ingenuity and prudence.
> > It rises from earth to heaven, and descends again from heaven to earth,
> > and receives the power of the superiors above and the inferiors below.
> > So thou hast the glory of the whole world, and all darkness and
> > obscurity flee before you.
> > This is the strong force of all forces, overcoming every subtle and
> > penetrating every solid thing.
> > So the little world is created according to the prototype of the great
> > world.
> > From this and in this way, marvelous applications and adaptations are
> > made, of which this is the manner.
> > For this reason am I called Hermes Trismegistus, for I possess the
> > wisdom of the three parts of the philosophy of the whole world.
> > Perfect is what I have said concerning the Operation of the Sun."
> >
> - Tabula Smaragdina
> >
> > This text speaks of the union of the microcosm and the macrocosm,
> > the mutations of the elements, and the great magical power of the invisible
> > fire in the furnace or Alkahest which heats the vessel or Egg or Athanor
> > containing the chaotic Primal Matter of the Great Work, which is in turn
> > identical with the unperfected state of the alchemist. The secret fire is
> > also the light of the Holy Guardian Spirit. Traditionally these progressive
> > levels of the alchemical process are revealed by a changing sequence of
> > colors, beginning with blackening of decay and dissolution called the
> > Nigredo (death's black raven, the Body). The occult substance is purified
> > and refined to the silvery universal medicine of Albedo (the white swan, the
> > Soul) and then kindled to the fiery gold of the Rubedo (the red phoenix or
> > Spirit) that is the Philosopher's infamous Stone. These three states are
> > also known as the salt/mercury/sulfur of alchemical art, or the
> > tamas/sattvas/rajas of the tantrik gunas. They reflect the major
> > developmental stages in the endless transformations of individual
> > consciousness: the darkness of inward-turning depression and despair, the
> > brightening process of awakening to full awareness, and the glorious
> > red-gold of fully illuminated Being. They are also seen as the changing
> > colors of the holy Nile River as various shades of soil wash through it in
> > the yearly cycle of the flooding or inundation that once brought fertility
> > to Egypt. There are many other colors recorded in this mysterious work,
> > notably the transitional stage of iridescence termed the Peacock's Tail.
> > Alchemy like Magick or Astrology speaks in a complex and evocative code of
> > symbols whose meaning unfolds through study and practice, paralleled in the
> > east by what the tantriks call Twilight Language, which both conceals and
> > reveals the process of initiation. I have only touched lightly upon
> > alchemical symbolism here, as it is often obscure to the point of
> > surrealism; yet it remains one of the true foundations of the western
> > mystery tradition.
> >
>