TQ Commentary on
Liber B vel Magi sub figura I
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law
The Book of the Magus contains 646 words. 646 = 212221 = the 3rd
hexagram of the I Ching; 'Difficulty at the Beginning', a very apt title for
this Book, since it is numbered 1, and is therefore the 'first' of the Holy
Books, but also because the Hebrew letter Bet is the first letter of Berashith,
meaning 'in the beginning'.
The
3rd I Ching hexagram follows upon the pure Yang and the pure Yin hexagrams, in
the King Wen sequence. Thus is the Magus also the first deviation from the
purity of the Yang and Yin, or should I say that the utterance of a Word
finally creates an aspect of the infinite that can be grasped by the Intellect.
The letter Bet is associated with Mercury in the Book of Thoth
Tarot. In the TQ, Mercury is attributed to the 14 trigram: 112.
This is the classic I Ching trigram known as 'the Gentle, or the
Penetrating'. Assuming that the TQ assignment is correct, then one would expect
to see the 14 trigram play some important role in this text.
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> Liber B vel Magi
> sub figura I
>
> 00. One is the Magus: twain His forces: four His weapons.
These are the Seven Spirits of Unrighteousness; seven vultures of evil. Thus is
the art and craft of the Magus but glamour. How shall He destroy Himself?
The very first verse introduces the number 7 as an organizing
principle. This can easily be related to the first 7 trigrams of Liber XXVII:
0, 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 18.
The Magus is Zero, his ‘forces’ are Yang & Yin, (9 and 18),
and his ‘weapons’ are the other four trigrams, thus 1, 2, 3, & 6 are the
Elemental weapons, i.e., Wand, Cup, Dagger, and Coin. So, while recognizing
that there are twelve possible orders of the 4 Elements, the TQ attributions
are based on the order found in this Book.
Gematria evidence for this idea is found in the total of 'Seven
Spirits of Unrighteousness; seven vultures of evil' = 651 = 7 x 93.
These 7 are the manifest expression of the Word of the Aeon,
Thelema.
This Will is also found in the original bifurcation:
'One' = 47 & 'Twain' =
46. Their total is 93.
We then note that the names which ‘one’ and ‘twain’ relate to are:
Magus = 77, forces = 66; their total is 143 = The Book of the
Law.
So the Magus and his forces are equivalent to the threefold Book
of Law (for 1 + 2 = 3), while the numbers related to the Magus and forces are
equivalent to the most important number of that Book; 93.
Not to ignore the word 'four', we have a combination of numbers
and things numbered;
one = 47, twain = 46, four = 61, for a total of 154 = 7 x 22.
Magus = 77, forces = 66, weapons = 79; their total is 222.
Using the Transitional Triad, we get
154 = 012201
222 = 022020
068 = 002112
68 = the word MAGICIAN, and 002112 has the 2 trigram, (the
forces), above the 14 trigram, (Mercury/Magus).
The word Magus (= 77) appears 9 times in the Book, and may thus
represent the nine chambers wherein his influence penetrates, represented by the
trinity of triads mentioned below.
9 x 77 = 693, symbolic of the 6-lettered word whose value is 93:
Thelema.
> 0. Yet the Magus hath power upon the Mother both directly and
through Love. = 664
This is an obvious reference to the Golden Dawn arrangement of the
Tree of Life. The path of
Bet/Mercury/the Magus card, goes from Ratzon to Binah, which is the
Mother. But the sphere of the Magus is
in Hokmah, which is also connected to Binah, via the path of Dalet, which is
Venus, or Love.
> And the Magus is Love, and bindeth together That and This in
His Conjuration. = 718.
The path of Bet, the letter of the Magus card, joins two of the
spheres of the supernal triad of the Tree of Life, (Ratzon and Binah). But the sphere of the Magus himself, as a
grade of the Order of A.A., is in Hokmah.
Thus the Magus is connected to all three spheres, and binds them
together.
This gematria evidence points to the assignment of I Ching
hexagram-pairs to the three spheres of the supernal triad. The difference-values of these 3 pairs of
Antigrams adds up to 718. For details,
see my essay on the Looking-Glass Tree of Life.
> 02. By His Wisdom made He the Worlds; the Word that is God is
none other than He. = 664 = first half of verse 0.
> 03. How then shall He end His speech with Silence? For He is
Speech.
Speech = 50.
The proper divisors of 50 are 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50;
the sum of these is 93.
Thus his Speech is identical with the Word of the Aeon.
Silence = 68 = Magician. The way to end his speech, Thelema, with
Silence/68, is shown above; he must integrate himself, his forces and his
weapons, with their enumeration.
> 04. He is the First and the Last. How shall He cease to
number Himself?
The total of this verse is 524 = 201102. This is one of the two
most beautiful hexagrams, for it contains trigrams 19 and 11 in upper and lower
position, and these are the only trigrams that are opposites as well as
reversals of each other. Hexagram 524 therefore represents how he will cease to
number himself; he will make his antigram and his reversal the same thing, so
there is no way to wreck the integrity of the original number by manipulating
its structure in the normal ways.
The antigram and reversal of 524 is 316. These differ by 208, so
that the numeration of the Magus is completed by examining this number. 208 is simply the ordinal position of the
number 524 along the 'number-line' of paired Antigrams:
208 = Nuit + Hadit + Ra-Hoor-Khuit.
> 06. Nevertheless it is written; for there be times of
darkness, and this as a lamp therein.
Written = 77 = Creation = Wisdom = Dagger = Magus
> 07. With the Wand createth He.
>
> 08. With the Cup preserveth He.
>
> 09. With the Dagger destroyeth He.
>
> 10. With the Coin redeemeth He.
Wand + Cup + Dagger + Coin = 60 + 31 + 77 + 36 = 204.
As Khidr has pointed out, this is the number of levels in the
Great Pyramid of Giza.
Note that Dagger = 77, and is thus the primary weapon of the Magus, as it relates to the ‘Word’ in the
sense of the Air Element.
With the Wand createth He. = 189 = Ankh-af-na-khonsu. He is the protypical Mage of this Aeon.
With the Cup preserveth He = 212 + 189 = 401 = Hebrew word ATh =
‘essence’, the First and the Last letters of their AlefBet.
This reinforces the idea that the Wand and Cup, representing as
they do the forces of Fire and Water, are really the ultimate pair of
opposites, the 1 and 2, the Yang and Yin. Note that the sum of Wand + Cup = 91,
the value at the root of all the Nuclear Hexagrams of Trigrammaton.
All 729 hexagrams can be reduced, by the process of Nucleation, to
one of 9 hexagrams, all of which are multiples of 91. Also, 91 is related to all four Elements by the Hebrew word AMEN,
again showing that all four Elements are really inherent in the first two.
With the Dagger destroyeth He. = 265.
By summing the first three elemental verses, we get 189 + 212 +
265 = 666. The Beast is manifest by the use of the Dagger, the natural weapon
of the Magus, as noted above.
666 = sum 1 to 36. By reducing this number to such a formula, the
word Coin becomes a symbol for the concentration of this power, for Coin = 36,
and thus subsumes all the functions of the previous three Elements. This is in
accord with the traditional understanding of Earth as a Passive element, while
the other three are Active.
With the Coin redeemeth He. = 219 = 3 x 73.
(Hebrew letter Gimel) G = 3, while GML = 73.
Multiplying Gimel by its value spelled in full gives us an
esoteric means of crossing the Abyss, for the function of the Coin is to
redeem, for which, see verse 1. And the
path of Gimel traverses the Abyss on the Tree of Life.
Thus the sum of these four verses is 885. The prime factors of 885 are 3 x 5 x 59, the
sum of which is 67 = Hebrew word Zain, which means a Sword, the weapon of a
Magus.
885 = 1012210, thus a septagram with the lower hexagram having the
value of 156, a number that needs no introduction.
> 15. Now the grade of a Magister teacheth the Mystery of
Sorrow, and the grade of a Magus the Mystery of Change, and the grade of
Ipsissimus the Mystery of Selflessness, which is called also the Mystery of
Pan.
>
> 16. Let the Magus then contemplate each in turn, raising it
to the ultimate power of Infinity. Wherein Sorrow is Joy, and Change is
Stability, and Selflessness is Self. For the interplay of the parts hath no
action upon the whole. And this contemplation shall be performed not by simple
meditation --- how much less then by reason? but by the method which shall have
been given unto Him in His initiation to the Grade.
>
> 17. Following which method, it shall be easy for Him to
combine that trinity from its elements, and further to combine Sat-Chit-Ananda,
and Light, Love, Life, three by three into nine that are one, in which
meditation success shall be That which was first adumbrated to Him in the grade
of Practicus (which reflecteth Mercury into the lowest world) in Liber XXVII,
"Here is Nothing under its three Forms."
These three verses need to be dealt with together, and can be
interpreted in a variety of ways. The three triads are, presumably, Joy,
Stability, Self, (for he discovers Sorrow, Change and Selflessness to really be
these), Light, Love, Life; and Sat-Chit-Ananda.
The words of the three triads total 153, 96, & 129. Their sum
is thus 378.
378 = 112000, the 14 or ‘Mercury’ trigram over the Zero trigram.
378 = The unveiling of the company of heaven.
But these all need to be resolved, and success in this practice is
spelled out in the text, as it was foreshown to him in the first verse of Liber
XXVII, which is here quoted. And this verse obviously deals with the Zero
Trigram, which is in the lower position of the 378 hexagram, showing that the
Magus, the 14 trigram, has accomplished the integration of the 0 and the 14.
This was told to him in the grade of Practicus, which has a specific
function. This function is the only parenthetical expression of the Book, and
the only occurrence of the word Mercury:
(which reflecteth Mercury into the lowest world) = 392 = 112112.
This is the doubling of the 14/Mercury trigram, it literally
'reflects Mercury into the lowest world' by taking the 14 trigram, (which is
above the Zero in the 378 hexagram), and reflecting it into the lower position
as well.
Conversely, we might say that the Practicus begins by having
Mercury reflected into the lowest world, and part of his development through
the Order deals with making Mercury absent below, replacing it with the Zero
trigram (One is the Magus), so that all the triads are integrated, and we are
left with the number 378.
It was expected that the 14 trigram should play an important role
in this Book, and this has proven to be true.
>
> 19. And woe, woe, woe, yea woe, and again woe, woe, woe unto
seven times be His that preacheth not His law to men!
Law = 14. Thus the Logos (manifestation) of the Law (14) is
Mercury.
Do what thou wilt = 14 letters.
Love is the law, love under will = 25 letters.
14 and 25 are the antigram pair that differ by 11.
Do what thou wilt = 123
Love is the law, love under will = 255
123 + 255 = 378. Again,
the Mercury/14 Trigram, over the Zero: 378 = 112000
And note how cleverly the Word of the Law, Thelema, is hidden
therein, for the initial letters of these 11 words: dwtwlitlluw = 93.
> 20. And woe also be unto Him that refuseth the curse of the
grade of a Magus, and the burden of the Attainment thereof.
TEG value of this verse is 1116 = 12 x 93.
> 21. And in the word CHAOS let the Book be sealed; yea, let
the Book be sealed.
Spelling CHAOS as a Greek word, and the rest as Trigrammaton
English Gematria, gives a total of 1480, which has a number of good Greek
equivalents; perhaps the most applicable one for this Book is ThRONOS SOPhIAS =
Throne of Wisdom.
Recall that the sphere of the Magus is in Hokmah, and this Hebrew
word means Wisdom, while the sphere of Binah is sometimes called the ‘Throne’.
The Throne of Wisdom might then be said to signify the path that connects these
two spheres, which is Dalet/Venus/Love, as mentioned above.
CHAOS may also be a formula along the lines of VITRIOL. Using only
capitalized words from this Liber B vel Magi, one can create a formula relating
to the Mystery taught by the Magus.
An anagram of CHAOS, in reverse:
Stability Of All His Change = 182 = 020202
Love is the law, love under will
R. Leo Gillis
A Trigrammaton English Gematria Dictionary of Liber B vel Magi.
His speech = 68
Silence? = 68
Wisdom = 77
written; = 77
Dagger = 77
Magus = 77
Stability, = 77
Of All Truth. = 89
this writing = 93
the mind = 93
a Magister = 93
Light, Love, Life, = 96
His weapons = 97
Ipsissimus, = 110
fulfil the wheel; = 114
speak Truth, = 114
Sat-Chit-Ananda, = 129
ultimate power = 132
By His Wisdom = 133
Here is Nothing = 139
the burden = 144
the Attainment = 144
Change is Stability, = 150
Selflessness = 152
Original Nature = 155
Nerodha-Samapatti. = 165
His Original Nature = 173
the First and the Last. = 182
the Mystery of Pan. = 188
With the Wand createth He. = 189
the grade of Practicus = 189
the grade of a Magus, = 195
reflecteth Mercury = 196
understandeth; = 200
the curse of His grade = 200
He must speak Truth, = 200
this saying is Of All Truth. = 204
the grade of a Magister = 206
the curse of the grade = 207
the mind of a Magister. = 208
His initiation to the Grade. = 209
Understanding = 210
seven vultures = 211
His weapons fulfil the wheel; = 211
With the Cup preserveth He. = 212
the Mystery of Change, = 213
Unrighteousness; = 216
combine Sat-Chit-Ananda, = 219
With the Coin redeemeth He. = 219
the Grade of Ipsissimus, = 223
the Mystery of Sorrow, = 226
That which existeth without Form. = 231
And this saying is Of All Truth. = 256
the trance Nerodha-Samapatti. = 257
With the Dagger destroyeth He. = 265
the ultimate power of Infinity. = 266
seven vultures of evil. = 269
the mystery of Incarnation, = 272
the Mystery of Redemption. = 286
the Mystery of Selflessness, = 307
By His Wisdom made He the Worlds; = 307
How shall He cease to number Himself? =
311
refuseth the curse of the grade = 311
the curse of the grade of a Magus, = 311
He attain to That which existeth without
Form. = 318
How then shall He end His speech with
Silence? = 327
for there be times of darkness, = 327
beware of abstinence from action. = 327
send forth Illusion and Falsehood = 343
in the word CHAOS let the Book be sealed;
= 347
the Word that is God is none other than
He. = 357
By a Magus is this writing made known = 373
Let Him beware of abstinence from action.
= 374
a Magister teacheth the Mystery of Sorrow,
= 376
Seven Spirits of Unrighteousness; = 382
Here is Nothing under its three forms. =
386
(which reflecteth Mercury into the lowest
world) = 392
this is the Opening of the Grade of
Ipsissimus, = 398
Let the Magus then contemplate each in
turn, = 404
the art and craft of the Magus but
glamour. = 412
Sat-Chit-Ananda, and Light, Love, Life,
three by three = 419
according to His Original Nature will that
law be shapen, = 430
the interplay of the parts hath no action
upon the whole. = 434
In the beginning doth the Magus speak
Truth, = 437
How then shall He end His speech with
Silence? For He is Speech. = 444
this matter toucheth the mystery of
Incarnation, = 444
One is the Magus: twain His forces: four
His weapons. = 452
With the Cup preserveth He. With the
Dagger destroyeth He. = 477
Thus is the art and craft of the Magus but
glamour. = 479
the grade of a Magister teacheth the
Mystery of Sorrow, = 489
there be times of darkness, and this as a
lamp therein. = 502
by the Buddhists it is called the trance
Nerodha-Samapatti. = 522
He is the First and the Last. How shall He
cease to number Himself? = 524
That which was first adumbrated to Him in
the grade of Practicus = 534
The one uttereth clearly, and the other
understandeth; = 547
the curse of His grade, and the burden of
His attainment, = 555
Sorrow is Joy, and Change is Stability,
and Selflessness is Self. = 583
in the word CHAOS let the Book be sealed;
yea, let the Book be sealed. = 591
contemplate each in turn, raising it to
the ultimate power of Infinity. = 593
the Word is falsehood, and the
Understanding darkness. = 600
the Mystery of Selflessness, which is
called also the Mystery of Pan. = 602
He is Speech. He is the First and the
Last. How shall He cease to number Himself? = 605
the Magus hath power upon the Mother both
directly and through Love. = 624
the grade of a Magus, and the burden of
the Attainment thereof. = 631
yet the Word is falsehood, and the
Understanding darkness. = 640
And in the word CHAOS let the Book be
sealed; yea, let the Book be sealed. = 643
Seven Spirits of Unrighteousness; seven
vultures of evil. = 651
the method which shall have been given
unto Him in His initiation to the Grade. = 653
one may declare gentleness and quietness,
being an Hindu; = 654
How then shall He end His speech with
Silence? For He is Speech. He is the First and the Last. = 656
Wherein Sorrow is Joy, and Change is
Stability, and Selflessness is Self. = 658
Yet the Magus hath power upon the Mother
both directly and through Love. = 664
By His Wisdom made He the Worlds; the Word
that is God is none other than He. = 664
the Magus is Love, and bindeth together
That and This in His Conjuration. = 666
the Seven Spirits of Unrighteousness;
seven vultures of evil. = 676
Thus is the art and craft of the Magus but
glamour. How shall He destroy Himself? = 708
And the Magus is Love, and bindeth
together That and This in His Conjuration. = 718
combine Sat-Chit-Ananda, and Light, Love,
Life, three by three into nine that are one = 718
He must speak Truth, that the Falsehood
thereof may enslave the souls of men. = 725