Do what thou wilt shall be thw whole of the Law
Liber XXVII is both simple and complex, an equation of
far-reaching
proportions.
One could never hope to exhaust its possibilities in a few days. But the
journey of a thousand hexagrams begins by casting the first line.
********************************************************************
> Liber Trigrammaton sub figura XXVII
> Being the Book of the Trigrams of the Mutations of the Tao
with the Yin and the Yang
The prophet calls this Book, "An account of the cosmic
process."
>
> *
> *
> *
>
> Here is Nothing under its three forms. It is not, yet
informeth all things.
The Tao-Path is not the All-Tao. The Name is not the Thing
named.
The first trigram is the null set. It is nearly what is called
the 'qabalistic zero', except that it contains all the potential energy of the
Universe. It thus has some properties, even if they are unfathomable. For the
purposes of theoretical qabalah, it has three forms. These forms will either
remain empty, and contain a Tao, or they will contain the Yang and the Yin.
The Chinese scholars presumed that the levels of a trigram
represented Heaven above, Humanity in the middle, and Earth at the bottom. Thus
a trigram is approached from the bottom, with a sense of humility and
connectedness to nature. This is a
philosophical perspective.
From a mathematical perspective, the ‘three forms’ represent the
values of 1, 3, and 9, or to be more precise, 3 to the zero power, 3 to the
first power, and 3 to the second power, for it is with exponential numbers that
all graphing of quantities takes place. These should not be confused with the
actual numbers 1, 3, and 9. They are only 'in potentia'. When a Yang or Yin is
present in them, then these potentials will become realized.
At the Beginning, there is no dimension, or lack thereof.
>
> *
> *
> ---
>
> Now cometh the glory of the Single One, as an imperfection
and stain.
As by tradition, the initial change occurs at the bottom. This
verse states that its trigram has the value of 1. This one is a 'stain',
insofar as the Tao has receded, and the absolute continuity of Zero has been
abolished. The leap from nothing to something is inexplicable. The ARI
attempted to describe it as the Creator withdrawing from its plenitude, to
leave enough space for the universe to manifest within. The physicists describe
it as the great singularity, which existed before time and space, and simply
exploded in the Big Bang. But neither them nor us can ever explain how, let
alone why, this happened. Nor should we
want to.
The pure Tao existed aloof and transcendant, except insofar as
it had nothing to transcend. It is exactly equivalent to the old qabalistic
notion of Atzilut; the World of Emanation, or Nobility.
In the progress to the number 1, the cosmos has expanded (or
contracted, as the case may be), into the next 'world', Briah – the World of
Creation, the world where something comes from nothing.
Now there can be said to be a definite entity in existence, so
that ontology begins here. This ‘Single One’ may be described geometrically as
a Point, and this has Zero dimension.
The imperfection of this One creates a ripple in the uniform
fabric of the Universe, and thus is a center of gravity. And no matter how
small, this point will accrete material over time, although time has not yet
been established, for there is as yet no distance. It would be true to say that
the One is only slightly less inscrutable than the Nought, and that all can be
said of it is based on what happens afterwards.
>
> *
> *
> - -
>
> But by the Weak One the Mother was it equilibrated.
Yin must immediately complement Yang, for without balance the
Universe would not be stable. The concept of the Antigram is thus engendered
immediately, for the function of the Mother is to 'equilibrate' the
imperfection of the Single One.
If this number 2 is to be the second point, then geometrically
speaking a line has been established between the Yang and the Yin, and thus
Dimension One has been created. The ends of this line are the poles of Yang and
Yin; the line itself is the Zero trigram, which is the relationship between
them.
The capital letters of this verse spell the word WOMB, and we
are
reminded that the Yin partakes of the nature of the feminine
>
>
> *
> ---
> *
>
> Also the purity was divided by Strength, the force of the
> Demiurge.
The
purity is the undifferentiated Tao. It is 'also' divided in the second
position, by a Yang line called Strength. This Yang manifests the latent value
of the number 3, and so this trigram is the foundation of the entire Book. As
the third point has been created, so a triangle is formed.
A triangle is the only self-stabilizing polygon; it is the
essence of all true Structure. Every edge is balanced by an opposite angle. The
triangle is thus the basis for the geodesic dome; by materials the strongest
structure it is possible to build, and by shape the smallest envelope to
conceal the greatest volume.
But we are not yet at a volumetric figure. With only three
points, we have only reached Dimension Two, the plane. And just as it was a great leap to go from
the Zero to the One, so too is it a great leap to go into the next dimension.
>
> *
> - -
> *
>
> And the Cross was formulated in the Universe that as yet
was not.
>
By the process of equilibration that has already been
established, this trigram must come next. It is the number 6, the Antigram of
3. The chain of linear progress has been broken. The process must now be
understood as non-linear. The cosmos is not built up by simply adding
singularity upon singularity. The consequences of such addition soon reach out
in all directions is what is known as a 'geometric' acceleration.
This trigram is the fourth point in the series, and must
therefore be raising the cosmos into Dimension Three, 3-D, a polyhedron, a
figure that contains something inside and excludes something outside. The
simplest of such figures is the Tetrahedron. This humble 'triangular pyramid'
has four points to be sure, but it simultaneously has six edges connecting the
four points. These edges correspond to the value of the trigram, 6. And each
edge is diametrically opposed, across the center of volume of the figure, with
another edge, at a right angle to it. Thus each edge can be said to be part of
a Cross.
The Cross mentioned in this verse is therefore the geometric
figure of perpendicular lines, but also represents the crossing over into a
non-linear evolution of the cosmos. It
is worth bearing in mind this humble Tetrahedron, which Plato attributed to the
Element of Fire, for we will see upon closer inspection that it will
accommodate the entire set of trigrams in this Book.
>
>
> ---
> *
> *
>
> But now the Imperfection became manifest, presiding over
the fading of perfection.
The ‘imperfection’ of the Single One is now capitalized, for it
has reached into the very sphere of Heaven, and has realized the latent
potential of the number 9. It is manifest, for it is the fifth point, and
therefore represents Dimension Four, which the great Einstein has described as
Time itself. Space and Time are now fully developed, and "the Pillar is
'stablished in the Void."
>
> - -
> *
> *
>
> Also the Woman arose, and veiled the Upper Heaven with her
body of stars.
This trigram being the sixth point, it realizes Dimension Five.
This dimension is beyond our normal sensory apprehension, and thus symbolically
her appearance veils the Upper Heaven, the realm that lies beyond our normal
understanding.
Again the equilibrium is maintained by the appearance of another
Antigram, the 18 as counterpoise to the 9. But this 18 has another virtue: all
the previous trigrams can subdivide it into each other; these first seven
trigrams are all of the family of the 18. And although it is trivial to say
that every number divides itself, the rest of its divisors total to 21, a
trigram that will assume greater importance as the process continues. For the
meantime, this trigram completes the set of the fundamental, or Elemental, set
of glyphs of Liber XXVII; and the sum of this group is 39, which in itself will
subdivide the two groups, or worlds, which follow upon it.
The trigrams thus presented to us so far represent all that is
necessary to construct the fundamental polyhedra, the ‘solids’ of Plato that
are the building blocks of the cosmos. And we are also given their correct
relationship to one another, for one may simply oppose 1 & 2, 3 & 6, 9
& 18, on opposite sides of a cube, and the rest of the corners and edges
will have values that are sums of two or three of these most fundamental
trigrams, until all the trigrams of this Holy Book are exhausted in their
fullness and create the Cube of Space.
>
>
> *
> ---
> ---
>
> Now then a giant arose, of terrible strength; and asserted
the Spirit in a secret rite.
A new realm is now entered into, the World of Yetzirah,
Foundation.
All the trigrams that follow will fill in the gaps between the
Elemental six.
The giant that arises is the number 4, and this number is of
terrible strength indeed, for it is seen as the four elements, the four
directions, their four dimensions, the four letters of the ineffable name, the
four sides of the pyramid. And the spirit it asserts is hidden within it, the
Quintessence, the fifth who is invisible; and therefore the ‘assertion’ be
made, for the fifth is not as yet.
Likewise did the Chinese create a square diagram of the universe
and place their moving agent of Spirit in the middle of it, and so too did the
Xtians insist that their Messiah had come like the letter of Spirit, Shin, into
the fourfold name of Yod He Vav He.
Truly the four is of great strength, and as the beginning of the
world of Foundation, where something is derived from something, it is
attributed to Aries, and The Emperor, whose secret name is, in the Greek, ARXH;
the first, the monarch.
>
>
> *
> ---
> - -
>
> And the Master of the Temple balancing all things arose;
his stature was above the Heaven and below Earth and Hell.
In the number five is the balance of all things found, as the
Chinese understood, with their five notes, five phases, five planets, five
directions, and five of almost everything. The strength of the giant cannot be
immediately balanced by its Antigram; before this occurs, the fifth who is
invisible must appear, thus no longer must the antigrams appear side by side in
the sequence of this Book.
Five points has the star of our lady Nuit, and this Star of the
Flame is exalted, to bring benediction to the universe. Thus does it appear as
the seal of the work of the Hierophant, whose special trigram this is, in his
office of Master of the Temple. See how
the Master has balanced all things; for he is the first to contain within
himself the Tao, Yang, and Yin, in the correct order of the hierarchy. And the
proper place of the Tao is in heaven, and the proper place of the One is within
every Star, and the proper place of the Dyad is in the experiences of Earth.
>
>
>
> *
> - -
> ---
>
> Against him the Brothers of the Left-hand Path, confusing
the symbols. They concealed their horror [in this symbol]; for in truth they
were
- -
---
*
But there are those who will attempt to go their own way,
insisting that the Dyad is in the heart of a star, and that the Earth is the
One. They will no more succeed in this than the mystic number 7 will succeed in
subdividing the circle. For the star of our Lady, with its five points, touches
upon the circle of the infinite with her soft feet, lovely hands, secret
centre, heart & tongue; but the seven points of the star can never resolve
themselves into a rational number, they spin on and on into eternity with no
resolution of their conflict, like the twin heads battling against one another.
Truly they confused the symbols, placing them in an order that
is not balanced, and in doing so they had shown themselves to be the opposite
of the Magister Templi. But they concealed their horror by claiming, Lo! we
have set up the Tao as our divine guide; while in truth they had set themselves
over the Tao as if they had transcended it.
>
> *
> - -
> - -
>
> The master flamed forth as a star and set a guard of Water
in every Abyss.
The Master, seeing this horror, set up a guard in the Abyss, so
that the Brothers could not pass. In so doing, he equilibrated the giant of
terrible strength, whose Fiery nature demanded Water as a counterpoise. Thus
were all the Bigrams completed, the tw0-line figures which represent the
numbers from 0 to 8.
>
> ---
> *
> ---
>
> Also certain secret ones concealed the Light of Purity in
themselves, protecting it from the Persecutions.
For ages past, in the number 10, has the light of purity been
hidden. It is only with this Book that this concealment has been partially
unveiled, as the following trigram will tell us.
Here in the 10 the Tao is hidden in the center for the first
time, just as the Pythagoreans knew that the first hiding of a point in the
center is found in the tetractys. (And so too did the Hebrews exalt this number
10 as the initial of the ineffable name, and the secret seed of the Hermit, and
the number of Spheres on the Tree ofLife)
>
> ---
> *
> - -
>
> Likewise also did certain sons and daughters of Hermes and
of Aphrodite, more openly
But what they once called Virgin (to hide her adultery), all can
now see is a divine whore with her legs spread open, ready to receive the seed
and to produce the fruit of the Womb. Her number is 11, as all their numbers
who are of us.
>
> - -
> *
> ---
>
> But the Enemy confused them. They pretended to conceal that
Light, that they might betray it, and profane it.
But again the Black Brothers insist on displacing the symbols,
shutting up the Scarlet Woman with lies and falsehoods about the number 19, as
if to insist that Allah insists that women are not the equal of men. But in
this they were sadly mistaken. They pretended to keep the wisdom intact, but
they continued to set up the Dyad over the Tao.
>
> - -
> *
> - -
>
> Yet certain holy nuns concealed the secret in songs upon
the lyre.
The Enemy was once again foiled by the wiles of woman, who
understands that the spice must flow, that the word of Sin is restriction, and
that the secret can be hidden in the open, as if there were no secret at all.
These holy nuns are the mistresses of the Lion, whose Antigram
they are; they are the whores which ride upon the Beast, and in their
love-chant ‘To Me’, the flame of the hearts of all is called forth.
>
> ---
> ---
> *
>
> Now did the Horror of Time pervert all things, hiding the
Purity with a loathsome thing, a thing unnameable.
But the Tao can still not withstand the onslaught, and is
dragged down into the sphere of the Earth. Where once it reigned, and then was
concealed, now it is degraded, slowly, to the point of extinction.
In the 12 is the horror of Time found, its expression in the
signs of the Zodiac, in the double hours of the day, in the years of the
Chinese calendar. And all of these represent as a whole the group of 12
trigrams wherein the Tao is slowly extinguished, but in this one most of all is
this horror expressed, for when the stars showed men how to mark time,
inevitably demands were piled on them, one over another, until civilization had
made them forget the nature of the Tao altogether.
>
> ---
> - -
> *
>
> Yea, and there arose sensualists upon the firmament, as a
foul stain of storm upon the sky.
But some were content to merely please the flesh, and pass their
days in leisure. Instead of the Tao as their divine light, in balance, as the
Magister had done, they chose to trample the Tao underfoot, and drink of the
bitter wine they created. But these at least understood that no harm can come
from mere sensual indulgence. It was only their ignorance of the Tao that
stunted their development. But they did possess the virtue of not veiling their
vices in virtuous words, as did the brothers of their Antigram:
>
>
> - -
> ---
> *
>
> And the Black Brothers raised their heads; yea, they
unveiled themselves without shame or fear.
And at last the Black Brothers openly recognize their own
nature. They have perverted the work of the Magister by turning it upside-
down. They set up duality as supreme, refusing to let go of themselves, and
instead subjugating the Tao to their will. For this is the 21, but the Brothers
saw it as all things being part of them, yet they forgot the 18, and did not
include themselves in the equation, and for this they will be forgotten.
>
> - -
> - -
> *
>
> Also there rose up a soul of filth and of weakness, and it
corrupted all the rule of the Tao.
And in the sign of the Fish was the final corruption of the Tao
accomplished. But as in the Moon Atu of the Book of Thoth, this light is merely
held in suspension, like the disk in the claws of the beetle, as it passes
through the pillars of the Duat. And in its companion card, the 8 of Cups,
Indolence, we see the nature of the Tao at its nadir, dead with lethargy and
miasma.
Only from this final suspension, the end of the world of
Yetzirah, can it begin its ascension to the zenith once more, and so too does
the Aeon of the Crowned and Conquering Child bring forth the light from the
darkness of the Age of the Dying God.
>
> ---
> ---
> ---
>
> Then only was Heaven established to bear sway; for only in
the lowest corruption is form manifest.
And so the world of Assiah, the material world, is finally
created, by the agency of the eight Pa Kua of the I Ching. The purity of the Tao has been obliterated,
or, as a monk might say, it has gone into hiding when there is no need of it.
The pictograms of the natural processes follow, all of which the
sages of old have told you, time and again. Each generation pays homage to
their forefathers, yet understands anew the trigrams of the ancients.
Among many associations that they possess, these trigrams are
the ruling Planets of the Five Phases of the ancients, counterpoised as
Antigrams in the same directions that the Yellow priests had placed them. And the first of these is the 13, the
center, the Phase of Spirit that is ruled by Saturn. The other planets then
follow:
>
> ---
> ---
> - -
>
> Also did Heaven manifest in violent light,
Mercury, the ruler of Water, in the North
> ---
> - -
> ---
>
> And in soft light.
Sol shining in the heavens, with its nuclear furnace at its
core.
>
> - -
> ---
> ---
>
> Then were the waters gathered together from the heaven,
Juppiter, the ruler of Air, in the East
>
> ---
> - -
> - -
>
> And a crust of earth concealed the core of flame.
Venus, ruler of Metal, in the West; (the Antigram of the East).
>
> - -
> ---
> - -
>
> Around the globe gathered the wide air,
Luna, the abysmal and dangerous one, who absorbs and reflects,
but gives no light of her own.
>
> - -
> - -
> ---
>
> And men began to light fires upon the earth.
Mars, ruler of Fire, in the South; (the Antigram of the North)
>
> - -
> - -
> - -
>
> Therefore was the end of it sorrow; yet in that sorrow a
sixfold star of glory whereby they might see to return unto the stainless
Abode; yea, unto the Stainless Abode.
Spaceship Earth, Gaia, the Motherland, Malkut. So far our only
home. But by this 26, multiplied sixfold, we may come to the 156, and by this
light see to return to the Zero, for there is nowhere else to go from here,
except nowhere.
Love is the Law, love under will.
R.Leo Gillis