Description: The HEART OF THE MASTER byAleister Crowley Edited and Introduced by Frater V.V.V.Witha detailed description of the genesis of the work, its content and magickalsignificance in TheAeon of THELEMA Heart of theMaster representsa seminal moment in Crowleys’ career and, as his Proclamation of the Grade ofIpsissimus, should be considered one ofthe most important works Aleister Crowley ever produced. Limited to:200numbered copies bound in half leather and marbled paper boards “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law” In 1924, after almost a lifetime of intense study anddetermined experimentation, Crowley passed through “The Supreme Ordeal” of theIpsissimus Grade while staying in Paris. The Grade of Ipsissimus being the highest of a series of ten magickalattainments in an ancient system Crowley inherited from The Hermetic Order ofThe Golden Dawn into which he had been admitted in 1898. (froma Golden Dawn notebook by W.B.Yeats) Crowley had initially sworn the Oath of the IpsissimusGrade in May of 1921 but like most initiations, it took time to fullyrealize. Crowley wrote, “Fromthe Winter Solstice 1923 to the Spring Equinox 1924, I underwent a supremeinitiation whose object was to fit me for undertaking this commissionpersonally. At one period it wasnecessary for me to ascend from the most tenuous regions of pure air through aseries of vast caverns so devised that nothing human could possibly passthrough them into the regions of pure fire. To accomplish this it was necessary that I should be exhaustedphysically to the utmost point compatible with continued life.” Crowley was now an Ipsissimus and determined as ever tofulfill the tasks charged to him by the Secret Chiefs. Yet he felt stagnated, was living in povertyand struggling to survive. EnterDorothy Olsen… Born in 1892, Dorothy wasa young American woman travelling in Europe when she first met Crowley, who was17 years her senior. She joined the A.’.A.’. and took the motto Soror Astrid. Almost immediately she drew Crowley’sinterest and much to Leah’s displeasure he found in Dorothy the spark of lifeand a fresh Magical current that revived and aroused him. By the autumnal equinox, Leah had renounced her title asthe Scarlet Woman and Crowley immediately appointed Dorothy to thisOffice. It would now be Soror Astrid whoaided Crowley in receiving the Word of the Equinox; their first together thatFall was “OM”, received on September 20th. Leah had been officially replaced. Two days later Crowley announced that theSecret Chiefs were sending him and his new Scarlet Woman on retreat in Tunis;Leah collapsed in grief. The following day Crowley and Dorothy boarded a train toMarseille, and from there they planned to catch a ferry en route to Tunis. All went as expected and according toCrowley’s journals, they set sail at noon on the 24th of September. During their voyage and “in the midst of the Mediterranean Sea” Crowley was inspired to makethe following proclamation, his first as a true Ipsissimus: TO MAN Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. My Term of Office upon the Earth being come in the yearof the foundation of the Theosophical Society, I took upon myself, in my turn,the sin of the whole World, that the Prophecies might be fulfilled, so thatMankind may take the Next Step from the Magical Formula of Osiris to that ofHorus. And mine Hour being now upon me,I proclaim my Law. The Word of the Law is THELEMA The Heart of the Master isdivided into three parts; The Vision, The Voice and The Temple of Truth. Though the inspiration for this work was avision, it is not considered a Class A document and was instead released inClass B (those of ordinary scholarship). Yet the circumstances of its reception are remarkable and somewhatunique, bordering on what may be considered a truly “inspired” text. Crowley records in his journal: “Atnight went into trance, and beheld the Vision called the Heart of theMaster. At one moment I nearly fainted:and just then Brother Bar-On sawphysically in the courtyard an inverted cone of blue light…” Building on the stages of Samadhi trance in the firstpart (The Vision), Crowley goes on to elaborate the ten sephiroth and 22 pathsof the Tree of Life (The Voice) and completes the work in a third part (TheTemple of Truth), here we are provided with a synopsis of the philosophicalfoundations of the Great White Brotherhood leading up to THELEMA. Those said to have been guiding the Spiritualevolution of Man since time immemorial…. The final section of this book is entitled “The Mystery ofSin” which is arguably among themost brilliant summations of the Law of Thelema ever written. Its instructions regarding “sin” areprecise. Those new to Thelema, and evenaccomplished Students, often struggle with the concept of how one goes aboutaccomplishing their True Will and no clearer or concise instruction can bepointed to then what is written here. Itis highly recommended that the Aspirant return with regularity to its study.
Price: 85 GBP
Location: Grantham
End Time: 2024-11-22T17:30:49.000Z
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Returns Accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Author: Aleister Crowley
Special Attributes: Limited Edition
Binding: Leather
Publisher: Hell Fire Club