LIBER a VEL CXI L I B E R A L E P H V E L C X I THE BOOK OF WISDOM OR FOLLY in the Form of an Epistle of 666 THE GREAT WILD BEAST to his Son 777 BEING THE EQUINOX VOLUME III NO. VI. by THE MASTER THERION (Aleister Crowley) An LVII Sol In 0° 0. 0. Libra September 23, 1961 e.v. 6.19 a.m. Celephaïs Press Ulthar - Sarkomand - Inquanok - Leeds First published King’s Beach, California: Thelema Publishing, 1962 E.V. Corrected edition, York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser, 1991. This electronic edition (based on the 1991 printing) issued by Celephaïs Press, somewhere beyond the Tana- rian Hills, 2004 E.V. Last revised and corrected 29.12.2005 (c) Ordo Templi Orientis JAF Box 7666 New York NY 10116 U.S.A. CONTENTS a Apologia . 1 b De Arte Kabbalistica . 2 g De Vita Corrigenda . 3 d Legenda de Amore . 4 e Gesta de Amore . 5 # Ultimata Thesis de Amore . 6 z De Natura sua Percipienda . 7 h Altera de Via Naturæ . 8 q Quo Modo Natura sua est Legenda . 9 i De Somniis: a. Causa per accidens . 10 k De Somniis: b. Causa per naturam . 11 l De Somniis: g. Vestimenta Horroris . 12 m De Somniis: d. Sequentia . 13 n De Somniis: e. Clavicula . 14 x De Via per Empyræum . 15 o De Cultu . 16 p De Clavicula Somniorum . 17 % De Somno Lucido . 18 r De Venenis . 19 s De Motu Vitæ . 20 t De Morbis Sanguinis . 21 u De Cursu Amoris . 22 f De Nuptiis Mysticis . 23 c De Voluptate Pœnarum . 24 y De Voluntate Ultima . 25 w De Differentia Rerum . 26 Aa De Volunatate Tacita . 27 Ab De Forumula Summa . 28 iii iv LIBER ALEPH VEL CXI Ag De Via Inertiæ . 29 Ad De Via Libertatis . 30 Ae De Lege Motus . 31 A# De Legibus contra Motum . 32 Az De Necessitate Communi . 33 Ah De Libertate Corporis . 34 Aq De Libertate Mentis . 35 Ai De Libertate Iuvenum . 36 Ak De Vi per Disciplinam Colenda . 37 Al De Ordine rerum . 38 Am De Fundamentum Civitatis . 39 An De Voluntate Iuvenum . 40 Ax De Modo Disputandi . 41 Ao De Voluntate Iuvenis Cognoscenda . 42 Ap De Auro Rubeo . 43 A% De Sapientia in re Sexuali . 44 Ar De Gradibus Æquis Scientiæ . 45 As De Virtute Audendi . 46 At De Arte Mentis Colendi. (1) Mathematica . 47 Au Sequitur. (2) Classica . 48 Af Sequitur. (3) Scientifica . 49 Ac De Modo quo operet Lex Magica . 50 Ay De Machina Magica . 51 Aw De Harmonia Animæ cum Corpore . 52 Ba De Mysterio Prudentiæ . 53 Bb De Arte Alchemica . 54 Bg De Arcano Subtilissimo . 55 Bd De Menstruo Artis . 56 Be De Necessitate Voluntatis . 57 B# De Comedia Universa, quæ dicitur Pan . 58 Bz De Cæcitia Hominum . 59 Bh Allegoria de Caissa . 60 Bq De Veritate Falsi . 61 Bi De Relatione Illusionum . 62 CONTENTS v Bk De Prudentia . 63 Bl De Ratione Magi Vitæ . 64 Bm De Corde Candido . 65 Bn De Conformitate Magi . 66 Bx De Poetis . 67 Bo De Magis Ordine A∴A∴, quibus Caro fit Verbum 68 Bp De Magis Temporis Antiqui, Imprimis de Lao-Tze 69 B% De Gautama . 70 Br De Sri Krishna et de Dionyso . 71 Bs De Tahuti . 72 Bt De quodam Mago Ægyptiorum quem appelunt Iudæi Mosheh . 73 Bu De Mago Arabico Mohammed . 74 Bf De se ipso, TWI MEGALWI QHRIWNOI, TWI LOGWI AIWNOS cuius Verbum est QELHMA . 75 Bc Mandatum ad Filium suum . 76 By Quare Filium creavit ut fiat Libertas . 77 Bw De sua Debilitate . 78 Ga De Manu quæ Magum sustinet . 79 Gb De suo Peccato . 80 Gg De sua Victoria per Nomen BABALON . 81 Gd De Arcano Nefando . 82 Ge De Arcano per quod Spiritus quidam in Corpore recipiatur . 83 G# De Clavi Kabbalistica huius Artis . 84 Gz De Missa Spiritus Sancti . 85 Gh De Formula Tota . 86 Gq De hac Formula Considerationes Kabbalisitcæ . 87 Gi De quibusdam Artibus Magicis . 88 Gk De Magno Opere . 89 Gl De Gradibus ad Magnum Opus . 90 Gm De Formula Lunæ . 91 Gn De Aquila Sumenda . 92 Gx De Medicinis secundum Quattuor Elementorum 93 vi LIBER ALEPH VEL CXI Go De Virtute Experientiæ in hac Arte . 94 Gp De Sacramento Vero . 95 G% De Discipulis Regendis . 96 Gr De quibusdam Morbis Discipulorum . 97 Gs De Culpis Domi Petendis . 98 Gt De Corpore Umbra Hominis . 99 Gu De Sirenis . 100 Gf De Femina quadam . 101 Gc De sua Virtute . 102 Gy De aliquibus Modis Oraculi Petendi . 103 Gw De Fratribus Nigris Filiis Iniquitatis . 104 Da De Virtute Chirurgica . 105 Db De Operibus Stellæ Microcosmi quorum sunt Quattuor Minores . 106 Dg De Operibus Stellæ Microcosmi quorum sunt Quattuor Majores . 107 Dd De Stella Macrocosmi . 108 De De sua Femina OLUN et de Ecstasia præter Omnia Substanti . 109 D# De Nomine OLUN . 110 Dz De Viribus Magnaminis, Amore Præclarissimus . 111 Dh De Castitate . 112 Dq De Ceremonio Equinocti . 113 Di De Luce Stellaram . 114 Dk De Cantu . 115 Dl De Stultitia Humana . 116 Dm De suo Prœlio . 117 Dn De Necessitate Verbi Clamandi . 118 Dx De Mysterio Eucharistico Universali . 119 Do De Recto in Recto . 120 Dp De Virgine Beata . 121 D% De Ioco suo Mœchæ. 122 Dr De Periculo Jocorum Amoris . 123 Ds De Libidine Secreta . 124 CONTENTS vii Dt De Ordine Civitatum . 125 Du De Scientiæ Modo . 126 Df De Monstris . 127 Dc De Inferno Palatio Sapientiæ . 128 Dy De Vitiis Voluntatis Secretæ . 129 Dw De Ratione Præsidio Voluntatis . 130 Ea De Cursu Sapientis . 131 Eb De Ratione quæ sine Voluntate est Fons Maniæ 132 Eg De Veritate quam Feminæ non dicere licet . 133 Ed De Natura Feminæ . 134 Ee De Duobus Præmiis Viæ . 135 E# De Ecstasia Samahdi, quo Modo ab illis differt . 136 Ez De Altre Amoris et Deliciarum Mystici . 137 Eh De Præmio Summo, Vera Sapientia et Beatitu- dine Perfecta . 138 Eq De Inferno Servorum . 139 Ei Rhapsodia de Domina nostra . 140 Ek Rhapsodia de Astro suo . 141 El De Harmonia Voluntatis et Parcarum . 142 Em Parenthesis de quadam Virgine . 143 En De Constantia Amoris Cordi Candido . 144 Ex De Mysterio Mali . 145 Eo De Virtute Tolerantiæ . 146 Ep De Formula Deorum Morientium . 147 E% De Stultis Malignis . 148 Er Apologia pro suis Litteris . 149 Es Laus Legis Thelema . 150 Et De Sphinge Ægyptiorum . 151 Eu De Natura S#inu . 152 Ef De Tauro . 153 Ec De Leo . 154 Ey Altera de Leone . 155 Ew De Viro . 156 #a De Dracone, quæ est Aquila Serpens Scorpio 157 viii LIBER ALEPH VEL CXI #b De Quattuor Virtutes S#inu 158 #g De Libra in qua Quattor Virtutes æquipollent 159 #d De Pyramide 160 #e Prolegomena de Silentio 161 ## De Natura Silentii Nostri 162 #z De Formula Recta Draconis 163 #h De sua Carta Cœlorum 164 #q De Opere suo 165 #i De Fratribus Nigris 166 #k De Arte Alchymistica 167 #l De Femina quæ est Propria Ioco 168 #m De Formula Feminæ 169 #n Verba Magistri sui de Femina 170 #x De Via Propria Feminis 171 #o De hac re Altera Intelligenda 172 #p De Clavibus Mortis et Diaboli, Arcanis Tarot 173 Fraternitatis R.C. #% Sequitur de his Viis 174 #r De Oculo Hoor 175 #s De Sua Initiatione 176 #t De Herba Sanctissimo Arabico 177 #u De Quibusdam Mysteriis, quæ vidi 178 #f De Quodam Modo Meditationis 179 #c Sequitur de hac re 180 #y Sequitur de hac re 181 #w Conclusio de hoc Modo Sanctitatis 182 Za De Via Sola Solis 183 Zb De Prudentia Fraternitatis A∴A∴ 184 Zg Altera de sua Via 185 Zd De Prudentia Artis Docendi 186 Ze De Mente Inimica Animo 187 Z# De Illuminatorum Operibus Diversis 188 Zz De eadem re altera Verba 189 Zh De Pace Perfecta Luce 190 CONTENTS ix Zq De Pace Perfecta 191 Zi De Morte 192 Zk De Adeptis R. C. Eschatologia 193 Zl De Nuptiis Summis 194 Zm De Arte Voluptatis Dilemma quædam 195 Zn De hoc Modo Dissoluitio 196 Zx De Comœdia Quæ PAN dicitur 197 Zo De Ludo Amoris 198 Zp De Gaudio Stupri 199 Z% De Cæcitia Philosophorum Antiquorum 200 Zr De Heresia Manichæa 201 Zs De Veritate rerum Mensurenda 202 Zt De Aphorismo ubi dico: Omnia sunt 203 Zu De Ratione huius Epistolæ Scribendæ 204 Zf De Natura huius Epistola 205 Zc De Modo quo hanc Epistolam scripsi 206 Zy De Sapientia et Stultitia 207 Zw De Oraculo Summo 208 LIBER ALEPH CXI. THE BOOK OF WISDOM OR FOLLY. An extended and elaborate commentary on the Book of the Law, in the form of a letter from the Master Therion to his magical son. This Book contains some of the deepest secrets of initiation, with a clear solution of many cosmic and ethical problems. — “Præmonstrance of A∴A∴,” Equinox III (1) Liber Aleph, The Book of Wisdom or Folly was intended to express the heart of my doctrine in the most deep and delicate dimensions … [it] is the most tense and intense book that I have ever composed. The thought is so concentrated and, if I may use the word, nervous, that both to write then, and to read now, involved and involves an almost intolerable strain. I remember how I used to sit at my desk night after night—it was the bitterest winter that had been known in New York for many years—but even if the central heating had been the flames of hell itself, I doubt whether I should have been warm. Night after night I sat, all through, rigid as a corpse, and icier; the whole of my life concentrated in two spots; the small section of my brain which was occupied in the work, and my right wrist and fingers.