Magus:

Gloria Deo Altissimo Ra-Hoor-Khuit.

(All kneel.)

Magus:

Khabs Am Pekht.

Assistant Magus:

Konx Om Pax.

Light in Extension.

(All repeat together.)

Holy art Thou, Lord of the Universe.

Holy, All Holy, Nuit and Hadit.

Holy art Thou, Lord of the Aeon.

(They rise. The Magus and Assistant Magus approach the Magus of Fire, the Assistant Magus bearing the incense. The Magus: takes the incense and throws it thrice upon the fire. The Magus of Fire then takes the censer and carries it round the Temple, censing the four quarters, and goes to his station, while the Magus and Assistant Magus go South and West of the Altar. The Assistant Magus then strikes upon the bell, and the Magus goes East of the Altar, facing West.)

333—333—333^[1]

Magus:

Unity uttermost showed

     I adore the might of thy breath,

Supreme and terrible God

     Who makest the Gods and death

To tremble before thee:

     I, I adore thee!

(The Magus returns to his station.)

Assistant Magus:

Brethren: Let us meditate upon the Supreme Unity: as it is written below the statue of Our Lady Isis.

(The Officers take their seats.)

"I am all that was, and that is, and that shall be; and no mortal hath lifted my veil."

(Here follows a few minutes of silent meditation.)

Magus:

Let us purify the Temple.

(The Assistant Magus performs the Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram.)

Magus of Fire:

Brethren: In order that the purpose of the ceremony now about to take place may be made plain to you all, I will read a brief explanation of Ecstasy written by Perdurabo.

    " 'There is a land of pure delight,

            Where saints immortal reign.'

so used some of us to sing in childhood, and we used to think of this land as far away, farther even than death that in those days seemed so far.

But I know this now: that land is not so far as my flesh is from my bones! It is even Here and Now.

If there is one cloud in this tranquil azure, it is this thought: that conscious beings exist who are not thus infinitely happy, masters of ecstasy.

There is nothing that you enjoy that I do not enjoy as much as you do; and I bear witness that nothing is worthy to be compared with ecstasy.

What is the path to this immortal land? To the Oriental, meditation offers the best path. To the Western, there is no road better than ceremonial. For ecstasy is caused by the sudden combination of two ideas, just as oxygen and hydrogen unite explosively.

But this religious ecstasy takes place in the highest centres of the human organism; it is the soul itself that is united to its God; and for this reason the rapture is more overpowering, the joy more lasting, and the resultant energy more pure and splendid than in aught earthly.

In ritual, therefore, we seek continually to unite the mind to some pure idea by an act of will. This we do again and again more and more passionately, with more and more determination, until at last the mind accepts the domination of the will, and rushes of its own accord to the desired object. This surrender of the mind to its Lord gives the holy ecstasy which we seek.

Now in the ceremony we put the mind of the spectator in tune with the pure idea, say, of nature and love which we call Venus. If he becomes identified with this idea the union is one of ecstatic bliss, and its only imperfection is due to the fact that the idea in question, whatever it may be, is only partial. Ecstasy is therefore progressive. Gradually the adept unites himself with holier and higher ideas until he becomes one with the Universe itself. To him there is no more death; time and space are annihilated; nothing is, save the intense rapture that knows no change for ever."

In the present ceremony any complete ritual is impossible, but we will endeavour to emphasize one idea, to bring it repeatedly before you, and in this way assist you to unite your minds to it; while you, for your part, must turn your minds to this idea and hold them fixed by the power of your will, cutting off all outside thoughts and using all your faculties to the one end of perfect concentration. The success of this ceremony to each of you individually will depend entirely upon this factor, so that it is impossible for me to emphasize too strongly the necessity of each of you taking your part in the ceremony with great earnestness, and concentrating your minds upon the one idea.

We will take as the central idea that aspect of the One expressed as Nature, Beauty, Compassion and Love. This idea has been symbolised in many ways. In the East we have the great Lord of Compassion, but the same idea is much more clearly expressed in the conception of the Great Mother of the Gods; this being also the form in which it is found in the West, where we have Isis, Astarte, Aphrodite, Venus, and in the Christian Church Mary Mother of God. Mother of Mercy and Compassion.

If such a conception should appear to you strange, bear in mind that we are but considering manifestations of the One, Atman, Allah, God, Self, or what you will. We acknowledge the One, as it is said: 'One only without a second;' but manifested in innumerable ways, and hence it matters not under what aspect or form, or through what manifestation we worship.

If, at first, our minds are united to lower and partial expressions, remember that this is but the first step on the path; and whatever be the name or the form of the object of our devotion, as we progress we shall, to quote the words of Vevekananda, 'see no distinctions. The mighty ocean of love will have entered into us, and we shall see not men, animals, and trees, or the sun, moon, and stars, but shall behold our beloved everywhere and in everything.'

Let us then concentrate our minds upon this one aspect, and whatever words may be used, or whatever symbols may be found in the ceremony, let us use them and apply them to the object of our devotion—God or Goddess, Incarnation or Avatar, Teacher, Prophet, or Master, it matters not, for God is all in all.

May all attain.

Amen.

(He returns to his station, and there casts incense upon the altar. He remains standing West of the Altar of Incense. The Magus and Assistant Magus rise and stand facing the Altar.)

Magus:

I adore Thee by the Twelvefold Certitude and by the Certainty thereof.

(Slight pause.)

Magus:

O Thou Sovran Warrior of steel-girt valour, whose scimitar is a flame between day and night, whose helm is created with the wings of the Abyss. I know Thee!

Assistant Magus:

O Thou four-eyed guardian of light, who kindleth to a flame the hearts of the downcast, and girdeth about with fire the loins of the unarmed.

(All present repeat together)

O Glory be unto Thee through all Time and through all Space: Glory and Glory upon Glory, Everlastingly. Amen and Amen and Amen.

Magus:

O Thou Sovran Light and fire of loveliness, whose flaming locks stream downward through the Aethyr as knots of lightning deep rooted in the Abyss. I know Thee!

Assistant Magus:

O Thou winnowing flail of brightness, the passionate lash of whose encircling hand scatters mankind before Thy fury like the wind-scud from the stormy breast of Ocean.

O Glory be unto Thee through all Time and through all Space etc.

Magus:

O Thou Sovran Singer of the revelling winds, whose voice is as a vestal troop of Bacchanals awakened by the piping of a Pan-pipe. I know Thee!

Assistant Magus:

O Thou dancing flame of frenzied song, whose shouts, like unto golden swords of leaping fire, urge us onward to the wild slaughter of the worlds.

O Glory unto Thee etc.

Magus:

O Thou Sovran Might of the most ancient forest, whose voice is as the murmur of unappeasable winds caught up in the arms of the swaying branches. I know Thee!

Assistant Magus:

O thou rumble of conquering drums, who lulleth to a rapture of deep sleep those lovers who burn unto each other, flame to fine flame.

O Glory be unto Thee etc.

Magus:

O Thou Sovran Guide of the star-wheeling circles, the soles of whose feet strike plumes of fire from the outermost annihilation of the Abyss. I know Thee!

Assistant Magus:

O Thou crimson sword of destruction, who chasest the comets from the dark bed of night, till they speed before Thee as serpent tongues of flame

O Glory be unto Thee etc.

Magus:

O Thou Sovran Archer of the darksome regions, who shooteth forth from Thy transcendental cross-bow the many-rayed stars into the fields of heaven. I know Thee!

Assistant Magus:

O Thou eight-pointed arrow of light, who smiteth the region of the seven rivers till they laugh like Maenads with snaky thyrsus.

O Glory be unto Thee etc.

Magus:

O Thou Sovran Paladin of Self-vanquished knights, whose path lieth through the trackless forests of time, winding through the Byss of unbegotten space. I know Thee!

Assistant Magus:

O Thou despiser of mountains, Thou whose course is as that of a lightning-hoofed steed leaping along the green banks of a fair river.

O Glory be unto Thee etc.

Magus:

O Thou Sovran Surging of a wild felicity, whose love is as the overflowing of the seas, who makest our bodies to laugh with beauty. I know Thee!

Assistant Magus:

O Thou outrider of the sunset, who deckest the snow-capped mountains with red roses, and strewest white violets on the curling waves.

O Glory be unto Thee etc.

Magus:

O Thou Sovran Diadem of crowned Wisdom, whose work knoweth the path of the slyphs of the air, and the black burrowing of the gnomes of the earth. I know Thee!

Assistant Magus:

O Thou Master of the ways of life, in the palm of whose hand all the arts lie

All:

     Sound, sistron, sound afar!

          Shine, shine, O dawning Star!

     Flame, flame, O meteor Car!

          Isis, Our Lady!

(They stand.)

Magus:

O Thou Mother of the breath of being, the milk of whose breasts is as the fountain of love, twin-jets of flame upon the blue bosom of night. I know Thee!

Assistant Magus:

O Thou Virgin of the moon-lit glades, who fondleth us as a drop of dew in Thy lap, ever watchful over the cradle of our fate.

333—333—333^[1]

Magus:

Hail unto Isis!     Hail!

Soror Luna:

(As a recitative.)

I am all that was and that is and that shall be and no mortal hath lifted my veil.

All:

Hail unto Isis Our Lady of Life!     Hail!     All Hail!

(The Magus of Fire passes to the East bearing the censer, and kneels before the Altar. The Magus and Assistant Magus approach, the latter bearing the incense. The Magus throws incense upon the censer, and he and the Assistant Magus: return to their stations. The Magus of Fire elevates the censer.)

Assistant Magus:

Crown Her, O crown Her with stars as with flowers for a virginal gaud!

Magus:

Crown Her, O crown Her with Light and the flame of a down-rushing Sword!

Assistant Magus:

Crown Her, O crown Her with Love for maiden and mother and wife!

Magus:

Hail unto Isis!     Hail!     For She is the Lady of Life!

(The Magus of Fire rises and carries the censer to the Altar of Incense. All seat themselves.)

Magus:

          A ka gua

          Tuf us biu

          Bi a'a chefu

          Dudu ner af an nuteru.

(This mantra is chanted by the Magus and is then taken up by the Assistant Magus and by all present, and is repeated continuously with ever increasing speed and loudness, until the Magus is satisfied that all are united in Divine Harmony. During the repetition the lights are lowered until there remains only the blue lamp above the Altar and the candles burning.)

(At the conclusion the Assistant Magus strikes once loudly upon the bell. The Magus of Fire takes up the censer and passing to the North places it upon the Altar. He then goes to the North taking the place of the Assistant Magus who advances to the West of the Altar, facing East. The Magus and Magus of Fire seat themselves in Asana. The Assistant Magus kneels, rises and places incense and recites:)

Assistant Magus:

Mother of Light, and the Gods! Mother of Music, awake!

Silence and Speech are at odds; Heaven and Hell are at stake.

By the Rose and the Cross I conjure; I constrain by the Snake and the Sword;

I am he that is sworn to endure—Bring us the word of the Lord!

By the brood of the Bysses of Brightening, whose God was my sire;

By the Lord of the Flame and the Lightning, the King of the Spirits of Fire;

By the Lord of all of whose daughters was mother to me;

By the Lord of the Winds and the Breezes, the King of the Spirits of Air,

In whose bosom the infinite ease is that cradled me there;

By the Lord of the Fields and the Mountains, the King of the Spirits of Earth

That nurtured my life at his fountains from the hour of my birth;

By the Wand and the Cup I conjure, by the Dagger and Disk I constrain;

I am he that is sworn to endure; make thy music again!

I am Lord of the Star and the Seal; I am Lord of the Snake and the Sword;

Reveal us the riddle, reveal! Bring us the word of the Lord;

As the flame of the sun, as the roar of the sea, as the strom of the air,

As the quake of the earth—let it soar for a boon, for a bane, for a snare,

For a lure, for a light, for a kiss, for a rod, for a scourge, for a sword—

Bring us thy burden of bliss—Bring us the word of the Lord!

(He kneels. Ave Maria is then sung, softly, by Soror Luna at the West of the Temple, or in an adjoining room, accompanied by a muted violin.     Silence.     The Assistant Magus rises, places incense upon the censer and goes to the South of the Altar to the station of the Magus, and takes up his Asana. The Magus goes to the East of the Altar and faces West.)

Roll through the caverns of matter, the world's irremovable bounds!

Roll, ye wild billows of ether! The Sistron is shaken and sounds!

Wild and sonorous the clamour, vast in the region of death.

Live with the fire of the Spirit, the essence and flame of the breath!

Sound, O sound!

Gleam in the world of dark, where the chained ones shall tremble and flee!

Gleam in the skies of the duck, for the light of the dawn is in me!

Light on the forehead, and life in the nostrils, and love in the breast,

Shine, O Thou Star of the Dawning, thou Sun of the Radiant Great!

Shine, O shine!

Flame through the sky in the strength of the chariot-wheels of the Sun!

Flame, ye young fingers of light, on the west of the morning that run!

Flame, O Thou Meteor Car, for my fire is exalted in thee!

Lighten the darkness, and herald the daylight, and waken the sea!

Flame, O flame!

(The Magus goes West of the Altar and places incense upon the censer.)

Magus:

Crown Her, O crown Her with stars as with flowers for a virginal gaud!

Crown Her, O crown Her with Light and the flame of the down-rushing Sword!

Crown Her, O crown Her with Love, for the maiden and mother and wife!

Hail unto Isis!     Hail!     For She is the Lady of Life!

(He kneels. A slight pause.)

Magus:

ISIS CROWNED!

(All remain in perfect silence. After a pause the AM strikes upon the bell softly 333,^[1] after another, and longer pause, he again strikes 333, and yet again after a still longer pause, 333. Then in another room is played a low simple melody, dying off very softly at the conclusion.)

SILENCE!

(The Magus rises after a long pause. The Assistant Magus strikes upon the bell once loudly.)

Magus:

Gloria Parti Et Matri Et Filio Et Filiae Et Spiritui Sancto Externo Et Spiritui Interno Ut Erat Est Erit In Saecula Saeculorum: Sex In Uno Per Nomen Septem in Uno.

ARIRITA

AMN

(The Magus resumes his Asana. Silence for a few minutes. The Officers rise and pass out of the Temple. Then all depart in perfect silence, there being only sufficient light to permit of this.)