418 the quarterly newsletter of Encampment of O.T.O.

Anno IV:xiv Sol 0° Aries, Luna What’s In a Name? 5° Sagittarius Dies Lunæ Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law. March 20, 2006 e.v. “Abrahadabra; the reward of Ra-Hoor-Khut.” Volume 1, Number 1 – Liber AL, III:1

IN THIS ISSUE In founding the first body of the (O.T.O.) in the state of Maine, What’s In a Name? 1 we had the privilege and opportunity to name the body, and we discussed a number of Fr. Eparisteros, Master potential alternatives. We finally settled on Source of Light 2 Abrahadabra, so I thought it worth noting the by Fr. Azazel Alephomen meanings and connections associated with this Thelemic Texts 4 word and how they may relate to our work. by Fr. L.N.N. Abrahadabra is derivative of the word Stewardship 5 “abracadabra,” whose most commonly cited by Fr. Ash root is from the Aramaic avra kehdabra History of the Tarot 6 meaning, “I create as I speak.” The change in by Fr. Eparisteros spelling is in recognition of the tenets of by investing the name of the Egyptian Events Calendar 10 god /Had in the central position. This word is referenced three times in the third chapter of , the chapter attributed unto the god of force and fire, Ra-Hoor-Khuit. Interestingly enough, it appears in both the Copyright © 2006 opening and the closing lines of that chapter, a significant position for such a magickal word of Abrahadabra Encampment, O.T.O., power. and the individual authors. Aside from being an interesting mantra, its The viewpoints and opinions expressed root meaning, “I create as I speak,” is the theme herein are the responsibility of the of The Magician card of the Tarot, which seems contributing authors. not unfitting for a body of a magickal order such as the O.T.O. Qabalistically, the letter of this card, is the Hebrew letter beth, whose meaning is “house,” and whose spelling in full (BITh) Page 2 Vernal Equinox, 2006 e.v. 418—Abrahadabra Encampment enumerates to 412. Immediately, we see the Source of Light creation of a house or place of gathering as the creative artifact of the magician’s power. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law. Abrahadabra itself enumerates to 418, which Liber Resh Vel Helios was written by is also the Hebrew letter cheth, spelled in full as in 1907, and it first appeared ChITh. (This also serves to explain the name of in ; the title literally means “The our newsletter, 418.) This letter means a fence Book of the Sun.” It is one of the Class D or enclosure, but also alchemically the furnace, documents, which comprise the “official rituals where the gentle heat of the operation is and instructions.” fostered. The card of this letter is The Chariot, When I was a child and my parents decided whose driver has conquered the opposing forces that I would play the piano (I was an odd boy of light and darkness and brought them under who didn’t like sports), I was informed that I his command. This balance of opposing forces would have to practice for 15 minutes a day. is a fundamental concept of Thelema. Were one This was strictly enforced. I resisted. After to be out of balance, the tempered heat of the every minute or so I would run out into the alchemical furnace would become imbalanced kitchen and see how long it had been. That 15 as well and spoil the operation altogether. minutes would stretch out into infinity. The old As The Magus is 412 (beth) and The Chariot saying that time flies when you’re having fun is 418 (cheth), their difference is six and the (and creeps when you’re not) certainly applied Hebrew letter vau, represented by The here. Hierophant. Thus, we see the house of The At some point in my development, the 15 Magus brought into the perfect balance required minutes was raised to a half hour. I was no to foster success through the mediation of the longer welcome to keep going out and check the Hierophant, whose nature is typified by the slow clock. I stuck to my lesson, which still seemed and determined nature of the astrological sign of to go on forever. I was much better at playing Taurus. The literal meaning of this letter vau is songs by “ear” and not reading them; however, “a nail,” a device that firmly binds one thing to my piano teacher did not see this as useful. another by passing through each. Instead I would be assigned some obscure Thus, the creation of Abrahadabra Brahms piece without any indication of how it Encampment is intended to bring together sounded. I had to learn it note by painstaking individuals and give them a suitable place to note. Once I had learned the piece in this way, it foster their own magickal operation within the sounded mechanical and repetitive and boring. system of Thelema generally and the O.T.O. But I persisted because I had to, and before long specifically. I was playing it with a sort of ease. I had the notes down, but still it seemed laborious. Then If you are interested in learning more about one day while I was playing this piece, I heard the O.T.O., please visit the website of the US the most beautiful music. I looked down and, as Grand Lodge at http://www.oto-usa.org. You if peering from a dream, saw my own fingers may also visit our own website, moving up and down the keyboard. The shock http://www.abrahadabra-oto.org for information was that I was playing this piece without any about Abrahadabra Encampment specifically. conscious effort. It had become automatic, and I “The ending of the words is the Word was simply blown away. Abrahadabra.” – Liber AL, III:75 What does it mean when we are balanced Love is the law, love under will. between sleeping and waking? Dear Sisters and Brothers, this process is no Frater Eparisteros different from any other process of Master, Abrahadabra Encampment, O.T.O. enlightenment. It is why I persisted with the ~~~ 418—Abrahadabra Encampment Vernal Equinox, 2006 e.v. Page 3 practice of Liber Resh Vel Helios. Certainly I was not , or Perdurabo, It is a Solar Rite that Aleister Crowley wrote or Aleister Crowley. I was me, and therefore I for aspirants to the A.A., to be performed four inserted my magickal name into my daily Resh. times a day. Each station of the Sun is I began to personalize my Resh. It began to addressed, one assumes a God form, and says make more sense. aloud An Adoration. The imagery is that of I persisted. Egyptian Gods, for what better mythology to Still, it remained hollow and pointless. It use than from the of . was a horrible April, we had 28 days of rain and The formulae of IAO presents itself within no sun, it was all shadows. my personal practice of Liber Resh. I have I persisted. found other testimonials to be no different from The first thing I noticed was that I wasn’t my own. depressed. I usually was in April due to many The first phase is that you speak Resh with factors from the past, but with the lack of your lips, after a while you speak it with your sunlight I usually got in such dark moods that I heart and then and then.… Well, I got really would plan my suicide. Not the case this time. bored, I began to really doubt what I was doing The phrase, “Stars shine even when it’s cloudy,” or why I was doing it, but I persisted. I persisted made sense. for what seemed forever; it became so I persisted. mechanical, so fake, the vain repetition of words… to what end? I recorded as much as I could. That is very dull reading. But I recorded the times and my To quote Crowley: emotions over a period of months. Finally it . “The object of this practice is firstly to happened. Where I used to my alarm for remind the aspirant at regular intervals exact times, I had stopped doing so; and I was of the ; secondly, to bring there at sunrise, noon, sunset, and midnight. The him into conscious personal relation solar currents flooded me, and I was all “blissed with the centre of our system; and out.” I came to understand something, and that thirdly, for advanced students, to make something was a statement that all of us know actual magical contact with the spiritual very well: “Every man and every woman is a energy of the sun and thus to draw actual Star.” force from him.” (Confessions, p. 673) There it was: my hidden sun manifest, . “Particularly useful against the fear of shining outwards to greet the Shadow of God. I death is the punctual and vigorous understood that there I was: a God shining forth performance of Liber Resh. Meditate on from within. I was wholly illuminated. All of the sun in each station: his continuous my mechanical actions had paid off! and even way: the endless circle.” Like a lucid dream, this too vanished, and I ( Without Tears, Chapter LXIII) was back to the mundane part of Resh. Thinking . “The first essential is the dedication of I was illuminated to the point of no return, I all that one is and all that one has to the injected my ego into this mix. Great Work, without reservation of any So back to Resh. I persisted and had several sort. This must be kept constantly in other similar episodes. It has been for me a mind; the way to do this is to practice cycle like the seasons, it has had its ups and Liber Resh vel Helios...The important down, but slowly over time my happiness came thing is not to forget.” (Magick Without to reside in a hope that I know to be true, an Tears, Introduction) illumination born from experience. The Brother who first taught me RESH Over time, one would want to experiment asked me a simple question, “Who is the with assuming God Forms, which add to doing Prophet?” an Asana four times a day as well; how could Page 4 Vernal Equinox, 2006 e.v. 418—Abrahadabra Encampment that not produce benefits? One can imagine Texts of Thelema strongly the elemental force in the form of its symbol at each station, thereby practicing It is my aim in this article to introduce the holding images in the imagination. Excellent fundamental texts of Thelema. This article is not practice (for practice makes perfect) for about what Thelema is or what it is not. A single Magickal Work. The God Forms can be article would not be nearly enough to introduce described briefly as follows: the concepts that are found within its system. . Ra – The Sun God. Any attempt to do so on my part would be . Tahuti – The god of knowledge, vastly inadequate and merely repetitive of what wisdom, and writing. other people have written. . Ra-Hoor – The hawk-headed patron god Unlike with other belief systems, the of the Pharaohs. adherents of Thelema are left with the task of . Ahathor – The cow-headed goddess of interpreting the Holy Books for themselves; as love, music and dance. Crowley tells us, “All questions of the Law are . Tum – The first formed of the nine to be decided only by appeal to my writings, primary Egyptian gods. each for himself.” . Khephra – Form of Ra as a scarab or The first and foremost Holy Book of dung beetle Thelema is Liber AL Vel Legis, commonly Crowley states that there are three stages in called “The Book of the Law.” It is with the Liber Resh vel Helios. reception of this text by Crowley, on the 1. To identify ourselves Magickally with Equinox of the Gods in 1904, that the age of the Sun, Horus began. Its three chapters form the 2. To remind one of the Great Work blueprint of Thelema and gives us the two 3. To make “actual” contact with and to foundational tenets that most Thelemic doctrine draw energy (“force”) from the sun. stems from: “Do what thou wilt shall be the Liber Resh is a highly personalized solar whole of the Law” (Liber AL, I:40) and “Love rite/adoration. I will not even begin to discuss is the law, love under will” (Liber AL, I:57). the third part of Resh and my relation to it. While Liber AL vel Legis provides the chief You would not want to set up expectations. doctrine, there are other texts that are also In any case, it may be nothing you expect. attributed to the Class A classification, which represents Crowley’s inspired writings. These “Do not lust for result.” Persistence is the are collectively published as “The Holy Books key. Intention is the key. of Thelema”; they can also be found on the There is a shadow to the Sun. The Sun also Internet. These texts differ in purpose and sets. meaning and should also be studied closely, as Is the Sun a shadow of something? Imagine, they were written in the most exalted stages of then if it is a shadow, how great and shining the spiritual existence. thing that cast this shadow of light. While Thelema has no official doctrine And Sunlight itself does not guarantee that concerning ethics or morality, those topics being blood would not be let or that entrails will not left to the individual to decide, there are certain be spilled to the floor. There are no guarantees. common threads in Crowley’s writings and the Seek then the “Hidden Door” of doors, and you writings of Thelemic scholars. The common will be well rewarded. But only if you persist! principles throughout Thelema are individuality, Love is the law, love under will. the freedom to do one’s Will, and the inherently Frater Azazel Alephomen divine nature of all men and women. Though Knights Templar Oasis often overlooked, two documents, Duty and Liber Oz, both by Crowley, do spell out a sense ~~~ of Thelemic ethics and integrity. 418—Abrahadabra Encampment Vernal Equinox, 2006 e.v. Page 5 Liber Oz establishes the rights of the in the second are applied in a universal way, and individual. Rights such as the right to: live by mostly address member-to-member interactions. one’s own law, to play and work as one will, to What does it mean to be a meaningful and die when and how one will, to eat, drink, live responsible local body member? There is a and move where one will, to think, speak, write, special association between an initiate and a draw (paint, sketch, carve) as one will, to love larger community, and it involves principles as one will, and to kill any that may try to thwart beyond simple one-to-one relationships. These these rights. That last is not to be interpreted as principles address what our Man of Earth oaths an advocation to cause harm to others, and most do not: what is one’s relationship with a specific definitely not to murder (to kill someone else community – the local body – without regard to would be to infringe upon that person’s Will to any given individual (i.e., the body master)? The live), but we do have the right to defend answer lies in the practice of Stewardship, that ourselves against those who would deny us our noble station wherein members share mutual rights. responsibility for the maintenance of the The law of Thelema also encompasses the community. For any local body to flourish, all acceptance of personal responsibility and the its members must work to ensure its well-being, responsibility that we have to others. While and this is accomplished through dedication to Liber Oz establishes the rights of the individual, the Three Pillars of Stewardship. Duty, a complement to Liber Oz, establishes our duty as Thelemites to ourselves, to other THE THREE PILLARS OF STEWARDSHIP individuals, to mankind, and to all other beings Material Sustenance and things. This includes the duty of finding Local bodies of O.T.O. are corporeal by yourself the center of your Universe, exploring nature. They are not symbolic or abstract but the nature and powers of your being, consist of true communities of actual men and contemplating your Nature, finding your True women doing the Great Work. The basic Will, and in general becoming a Master of our requirements of O.T.O. – such as administering own selfhood. initiations and regular celebrations of Liber XV Being a Thelemite is definitely not an easy – necessitate physical components, such as task. Thelema can be a vehicle to achieving furniture, weapons, props, and a space to personal freedom that many people will never contain them. Just as Malkuth is the base of the find. Then again, many people don’t have a , so must the material requirements need for it and won’t see the value in the of the local body be met before the Higher system. I believe what Shaw said of liberty Work can be accomplished. holds true of Thelema: The first Pillar reflects our mutual “Liberty means responsibility. That’s why most responsibility for ensuring that the material men dread it.” – George Bernard Shaw foundation of the community is healthy and Frater L.N.N. secure. This requires three things: energy, time, Abrahadabra Encampment and money. Such resources provided to the local ~~~ body are not payment for services but represent an investment into the community. Not Stewardship everyone can give equally in all three resources, Being a member of a local O.T.O. body is but each and every member should give what not quite the same thing as being an initiate of they can in each. Paying dues in a timely the Order as a whole. The initiatory Oaths we manner (for those local bodies that have a dues take tend to come in two categories: those structure) as well as making voluntary donations regarding the self and those regarding other and supporting fundraising events, you join your O.T.O. initiates. Those in the personal category fellow Stewards in sustaining a vibrant and are largely the business of the individual. Those healthy local body. As it is written in Liber CI: Page 6 Vernal Equinox, 2006 e.v. 418—Abrahadabra Encampment “This is to take precedence of all other calls every opportunity of assisting each other in upon the purse.” For those who can give more, [our] tastes, businesses, or professions” and it is incumbent upon them to make what lastly that we “may expect the warmest co- contributions they can to help provide a operation in [our] pleasures and amusements functional and sustaining physical foundation from other members of the Order.” No member for our Rites and Celebrations. has the duty to support every brother or sister in all situations. Nevertheless, Stewardship Service to Community requires that members work to embrace the The principle of Service is a central one social principals of cordiality, integrity, and within O.T.O. In Liber CXCIV, it says, “The community spirit. Man of Earth takes no share in the Government Although these are Three Pillars, they are, in of the Order; for he is not yet called upon to fact, One; for each Pillar is a reflection of the give his life to it in service; and with us others. Is not donating money both fraternal and Government is Service, and nothing else.” a service? Is not serving in a position of However, every Man of Earth is encouraged to responsibility both a sacrifice of time and also a work towards and assume local leadership positions. They can be administrative (e.g., way to support one’s brothers and sisters? And is not supporting one’s brethren not a giving of secretary), creative, or ad hoc (producing energy as well as a benefit to the community? theatre, classes, or fundraisers). Service can also Aye, aye, and aye! By seeing to these principles, be assumed within our Rites and Celebrations, each and every one of us, we shall bring our most notably as an officer in the Gnostic Mass local bodies to great glory and, thus, give high or within our Initiation ceremonies. Both paths honor to our Holy Order. are of equal importance to the functioning of any local body. It is incumbent upon all Frater Ash members to seek such local avenues of Service - Encampment of which they are capable. ~~~ Fraternal Support History of the Tarot The O.T.O. is a social Order in that it is designed for initiates to manifest their Wills “The origin of the Tarot is quite irrelevant, within a group of like-minded and oath-bound even if it were certain. It must stand or fall as a brothers and sisters. Fraternity consists of system on its own merits.” – Aleister Crowley working to support one’s siblings in the Way of their Going. This includes supporting the The Tarot is, of course, no more immune to community as a whole through such actions as the use of historical fiction than anything else, donating labor (e.g., work parties, building or and the burdens of folklore speak volumes of its repairing equipment, temple cleaning, etc.) or creation in antiquity. Of the many traditions regularly attending local body events (such as surrounding the Tarot, one of the most prevalent business meetings, parties, classes, rituals, etc.). is that its origins are based in the cultures of It can also mean supporting individual ancient Egypt. The fact that the term ‘gypsy’ members, most importantly by attending holds its root in ‘Egyptian’ lends some initiations and ecclesiastical celebrations, but credibility to the story, since these cards are also by assisting members when they are in often associated with the romantic idea of gypsy need, supporting their local body projects, or fortune-telling. One of the more elaborate ideas welcoming new members into the social is that the cards were the direct creation of the community. As it says in Liber CI, the brethren Egyptian god of knowledge and communication, “shall respond heartily to every summons of the – a certain analogy in this case. In this Lodge or Chapter to which they may belong, not recount, the Tarot cards were intended for use as lightly making excuse” and that we “should use a metaphor for the course of life, death, and 418—Abrahadabra Encampment Vernal Equinox, 2006 e.v. Page 7 rebirth, serving as both an intellectual and moral tool. The mid-sixteenth century brought a work compass. While this seems to represent an idea specifically dedicated to the use of the cards in close to the inner teachings of the Tarot, it is , and within a century following this, certainly nothing more than a fabrication there were hints at the Tarot having an even intended to give the cards a certain sense of more hidden doctrine than had already been mystery and the inheritance of a long lost revealed. By the seventeenth century, ideas culture. It is impossible to prove that the Tarot concerning the origins of the Tarot had was not secretly formulated in ancient Egypt, become well established, if not well defined, but it seems unlikely that neither remnants nor along with its employment as a means of references would survive in any way. If there divination. (We cannot be certain whether the were some set of twenty-odd depictions roughly meanings were extrapolated from the esoteric correlating to the general scheme of the Tarot doctrines behind the cards, a mere fabrication engraved on a temple wall somewhere in the that was later adapted to fit an esoteric desert ruins of the pharaohs, I am certain both philosophy, or some combination of the two.) archaeologists and Tarot enthusiasts alike would Egyptian correspondences had been made by the be touting such proof of the Tarot’s undeniable end of the eighteenth century in the works of heritage. However, this is certainly not so, and Court de Gebelin (1719-1784), who fancied this we must abandon the romantic idea of long-lost connection for whatever reasons he might have civilizations for more plausible historical had, though it is quite likely he was making an references found in renaissance Europe. obscure reference to alchemy – that word coming from the phrase al-kemia, or “from The earliest historical references to the Tarot Egypt.” (Khem was an ancient name for Egypt.) are found in the legal records of the fourteenth Scholars within the French occult revival at the century where they were banned along, with turn of the nineteenth century borrowed heavily other games of chance. Given this fact, we may from this idea and took pains to further connect assume one of three possibilities: a) the origin of the Tarot to its supposed roots. (The word the Tarot lies not in mystery but in the “Tarot” suggests etymologically that at least the development of a means of gambling, b) the true common name for the cards was taken from the esoteric meaning of the cards was hidden from French. Others claim its derivation from the the masses where they proliferated under the Italian name tarocchi, as some of the earlier guise of a game of chance, or c) the edicts surviving decks were constructed in Italy for indicate a ban on fortune telling, seen as an wealthy families of the area, and one name may amusement and grouped under the general have well sprung from the other.) Still, the ideas heading of “games.” That the Tarot is a variant behind the mystical applications of the Tarot of the modern card deck is nearly certain, were somewhat spurious and arbitrary, and it though I have made no attempt to reconstruct took a failed priest, the son of a French this lineage. Given the above postulates, the shoemaker, to bring a sense of true order and truth of the matter most probably lies in some meaning to the Tarot within a public forum. combination of these ideas. In any case, efforts to suppress the Tarot were unsuccessful, and Alphonse Louis Constant (1810-1875) even by the end of that century, we find studied Greek, Latin, and Hebrew in preparation European nobility having personal decks made. for the priesthood, a short-lived vocation that Whether or not they still enforced the anti- nonetheless prepared him for his life as an gaming edicts on the general populace is occult scholar. He used as a pseudonym, Eliphas uncertain, so I cannot say whether this indicates Levi Zahed, which he felt was the Hebrew a shift in the acceptance of the Tarot or just a equivalent of his given name; and while he guilty pleasure of the ruling class. wrote many books concerning the occult, we are currently interested in but one: Dogme et Rituel The next three centuries saw the open de la Haute Magie. In this sizable work, he emergence of the Tarot as a popular divinatory makes the first open connection between the Page 8 Vernal Equinox, 2006 e.v. 418—Abrahadabra Encampment Tarot and the Qabalah, a mystical Judaic Thoth,” this treatise contained a very elaborate tradition involving a complex system of abstract and detailed study of the Qabalistic Tarot based concepts interconnected so as to promote the largely on Levi’s initial correspondences. Using gradual evolution of a deeper and deeper attributes for the Hebrew letters given in a understanding of the Divine. Levi would have seminal work of the Qabalah known as the been well aware of the by-then well-entrenched Sepher Yetzirah, the “Book of Formation,” he idea that the cards were of Egyptian origin, but compared the traditional ideas and images of the he managed to take this a step further. He made cards with these attributions to remove any the connection between the “Egyptian” Tarot disparities. He found that by switching the and the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew traditional positions of Strength (depicted by a alphabet, such an assumption possibly based on lion and thereby Leo) and Justice (depicted with intercultural exchange during the Biblical scales and thereby Libra) as given by Levi, the Exodus. This connection lies in assuming that sequence became better aligned with the the Hebrews would have assimilated some of traditional order of the elements, planets, and the Egyptian mystical traditions during their signs of the Zodiac. He also placed The Fool at captivity. These traditions would have been the head of the deck, moving it from Levi’s expressed directly in the Egyptian Tarot, if it placement at the second-to-last position. All that were to exist, and would have influenced the remained to consider was a seemingly disjoint Qabalistic tradition to the point where the correspondence between planets attributed to underlying principles were the same. Hence, the specific letters of the Hebrew alphabet and the alignment of the two, the Tarot and the Qabalah, general sense of the cards attributed thereunto. would be valid. Regardless, the Qabalistic Many Qabalistic scholars were in a state of system would have undoubtedly been disagreement over the proper ordering of the influenced by that period, providing a direct link planets given in the Sepher Yetzirah, and this between the Qabalah and the Tarot’s Egyptian prompted Mathers to make his own assignations heritage. Thus, even though the connection was based solely on the traditional descriptions of made using an incorrect assumption of the the cards themselves. The result was an Tarot’s origin, it laid the groundwork for elaborate and detailed set of correspondences unlocking a powerful relational system of the between the Qabalistic attributes of the Hebrew Tarot by aligning it with a well-established and alphabet given in the Sepher Yetzirah and the powerful esoteric tradition. Major Arcana (Trump Cards) of the Tarot. By the end of the nineteenth century, the Mathers also made an adjustment in the Tarot had risen from a mere game of chance to a numerical sequence of the cards by designating full-fledged divinatory system, and Levi’s work The Fool as zero, requiring that The World be had seemed the capstone. However, at the time labeled as number twenty-one. The reasons for of his death, an initiatory body couched in this alteration are rooted deep in the Egyptian and alchemical symbolism was being philosophies of the Qabalah and are at the heart formed in England that professed to instruct of the Golden Dawn teachings; any lengthy students in the esoteric teachings of the explanation would surpass both the knowledge Qabalah. This body was known as The Golden of the general reader and the scope of this work. Dawn, and S. L. MacGregor Mathers (1854- The idea, however, lies in the conceptual 1918), its principal scholar, has had a profound emergence of existence from non-existence, influence on the development of the Tarot even wherein this point of flux must necessarily to this day. Culling material from the libraries of embrace both of these ideas. Such a seemingly the British Museum, Mathers compiled what he incomprehensible paradox is perhaps most felt were the true and essential correspondences readily explained in the notion of a solitary of the Tarot in light of the Qabalah, and issued mathematical point, having existence but no them privately to members of the Order in a pendant qualities whatsoever. Since the ideas treatise entitled Book T. Short for “The Book of behind The Fool are similarly related, Mathers 418—Abrahadabra Encampment Vernal Equinox, 2006 e.v. Page 9 felt that this order further enhanced the Tarot, completely redesigning the imagery of sublimity of the Tarot that he had reconstructed. the deck in his aptly named Book of Thoth. He Furthermore, it meant that The World card, changed several of the names and attributions of representing the final expression of the sequence the cards to align them with his new magickal of Arcana, carried the same number as a sacred system of Thelema, a magickal doctrine based name of God, Eheieh, meaning “I Am.” This on his reception of The Book of the Law in Cairo name is attributed to the first Qabalistic sphere during April of 1904. of positive existence, which also rests on the While Crowley and Regardie had openly horizon of the manifest, providing a link published the true order of the Tarot, their between the idea of the first card (The Fool) and works were housed in publications dedicated to the idea of the last (The World). the magickal arts and not the Tarot in specific. The general public was reintroduced to the These had limited audiences, and consequently Tarot through the work of Arthur Edward Waite the spread of this information was also limited. (1857-1942), a member of the Golden Dawn. In comparison, the Rider-Waite deck and its Waite did, of course, have access to Mathers’ companion instructional volume, The Pictoral Book T, but having sworn an oath not to reveal Key to the Tarot, proved immensely popular. any of the secrets of the Order, he was forced However, this popularized a mixture of the into an elaboration of Levi’s work, only hinting Golden Dawn’s ideas and those of the French at the arrangements made by Mathers. (He did exoteric order (as given by Levi) through the slip in a few things here and there that hinted at realms of Tarot enthusiasts and not the esoteric the newly derived order and symbolism, order as discovered by Mathers. There are however. For instance, he kept The Fool in its literally hundreds of Tarot decks on the market position near the end of the deck, but numbered currently, and most bookstores will carry it zero.) The result was a work that was as good several versions, hardly a tenth of them having as any publicly printed, but certainly of less any representation of the esoteric nature of the value than Mathers’ esoteric doctrine. What cards themselves. Whether or not these decks Waite did serve to accomplish, however, was are effective is a matter of some debate, but I the creation of what many consider to be the must put forth the idea that without the standard deck to which all others are compared, relational power of the Qabalah behind them, the Rider-Waite Tarot. This deck was designed their effectiveness is at the very least stunted, if in a classically renaissance style, with its not dissipated altogether – regardless of their greatest contribution being the association of pictorial representations. The simple pictures with the Minor Arcana, those cards memorization of a few meanings given in a having been traditionally represented only by booklet included with the cards destroys the their suit and number. inherent flexibility of the Tarot and nullifies the many symbolic permutations that might arise The esoteric order of the Tarot, despite when cards fall in conjunction with each other. Waite’s good faith, would not be held secret for It is only through a deep understanding of the long, and in fact had already been divulged in a inner meanings and attributions of the cards that small book by Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) the diviner is able to utilize the full potential of entitled 777. In his compilation of magickal the Tarot, making it a powerful tool for concepts and attributions, Crowley – who divinatory self-direction and personal growth. referred to himself as The Beast – spelled out the true order of the Tarot in no uncertain terms. Frater Eparisteros He, as well as (1907-1985), Abrahadabra Encampment would later publish Book T in its entirety, completely rending the veil of secrecy over ~~~ Mathers’ work. Crowley would go one step further by publishing his own ideas on the Page 10 Vernal Equinox, 2006 e.v. 418—Abrahadabra Encampment

EVENTS CALENDAR ABRAHADABRA April ENCAMPMENT . Thursday, April 6, 6:30 pm Class—A Brief Survey of Eastern Abrahadabra Encampment is a local body of Philosophy the O.T.O. (Ordo Templi Orientis), located in Gorham, ME Portland, Maine. . Tuesday, April 11, 6:00 pm To Hadit! Social Hour Visit us on the web! Gritty McDuff’s, Portland, ME http://www.abrahadabra-oto.org . Thursday, April 20, 6:30 pm Body Master ...... Frater Eparisteros Class—A History of the Golden Dawn [email protected] Old Orchard Beach, ME Secretary...... Frater L. N. N. . Saturday, April 22 [email protected] Gnostic Mass Treasurer...... Frater Hippokleides Initiates only [email protected] . Monday, April 24, 7:00 pm Gnostic Mass Cooordinator...... Soror Zephyra Ra-Hoor-Khuit Coffee Hour [email protected] Breaking New Grounds, Portland, ME Newsletter Editor ...... Soror Lilith May [email protected]

. Thursday, May 4, 6:30 pm Class—Pathworking on the Tree of Life Gorham, ME 418 . Tuesday, May 9, 6:00 pm To Hadit! Social Hour 418 is the official journal of Abrahadabra Gritty McDuff’s, Portland, ME Encampment, Ordo Templi Orientis, published . Thursday, May 18, 6:30 pm quarterly on the solstices and the equinoxes. It is Class—Principles of available for downloading in PDF format on the Old Orchard Beach, ME Abrahadabra website. . Monday, May 22, 7:00 pm Submissions accepted on an ongoing basis. Ra-Hoor-Khuit Coffee Hour All submissions and questions should emailed Breaking New Grounds, Portland, ME to: [email protected] June Rituals, poetry, essays, black-and-white . Tuesday, June 6, 6:00 pm artwork, cartoons—we want it all! The deadline To Hadit! Social Hour for the next issue is June 1, 2006. Gritty McDuff’s, Portland, ME . Thursday, June 8, 6:30 pm Class—Initiates only ORDO TEMPLI ORIENTIS Old Orchard Beach, ME . Thursday, June 22, 6:30 pm The O.T.O. is an Outer Thelemic Order, Class—TBA which is dedicated to the high purpose of Gorham, ME securing the Liberty of the Individual and his or . Monday, June 26, 7:00 pm her advancement in Light, Wisdom, Ra-Hoor-Khuit Coffee Hour Understanding, Knowledge, and Power through Breaking New Grounds, Portland, ME Beauty, Courage, and Wit, on the Foundation of Universal Brotherhood. For changes and updates to the schedule, please On the web at: http://www.oto-usa.org refer to our website: www.abrahadabra-oto.org.