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Temple of Set Reading List
"Temple of Set Reading List:
Category 9 - The AEon of Horus" (8/13/89CE)
Reprinted from: _The Crystal Tablet of Set_
© Temple of Set 1989 CE
Weirdbase file version by TS permission
by Michael A. Aquino, Ipsissimus VI* Temple of Set
Electronic mail: MCI-Mail 278-4041
In 1904 CE the British magician Aleister Crowley - the self-acknowledged
Beast 666 - proclaimed the AEon of Horus, an initiatory climate
characterized by actualization of the most refined sense of the human Will
towards conscious unification with the Universe. This was a major advance in
the coherence and evolution of occultism, comprising the most sophisticated
basis for initiation until 1966 CE and the advent of the AEon of Set.
In his writings, Crowley sought to integrate what had previously been a
haphazard collection of medieval superstition and ancient paganism into a
legitimate magical philosophy. He was more or less successful, but his works
are so complex - requiring for their understanding an extensive background
in philosophy, occultism, comparative religious mythology, and world
cultural history - that it remains open to question how many [if any] of his
present-day disciples can be said to truly possess and apply the extremely
rigorous magical skills he sought to codify and communicate.
That there are numerous "Aleister Crowley fan clubs" is undeniable. Whether
any of them would have gained his personal endorsement as a legitimate
embodiment of the Silver Star (A.'.A.'.) or Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) as
he originally conceived them to be is an issue that cannot be resolved by
argument, decree, or civil law - but only by the test of time. At this time
there is no legitimate A.'.A.'. in evidence. There are only two O.T.O.
organizations with meaningful claims to legitimacy: The California-
incorporated/New York-headquartered O.T.O. (the "McMurtry O.T.O." - which is
recognized as the O.T.O. under U.S. law) and the "Metzger O.T.O." in
Switzerland. The Temple of Set recognizes and enjoys cordial relations with
the U.S. O.T.O.; we have had no contact with the Swiss organization. The
Temple of Set does not recognize the existence or credentials of any other
group claiming to be the O.T.O. [or the A.'.A.'.].
_The Book of Coming Forth by Night_ establishes the Temple of Set's - and my
own - interest in and responsibility to the Crowley legacy. Because of the
continuing and highly-emotional controversies over Crowley organizations,
concepts, and successors, we/I have thought it best to allow water to seek
its own level over a period of time, concentrating our Crowley-related
efforts towards meaningful and serious discussion and application of AEon of
Horus principles as they may complement and enhance those of the AEon of
Set.
The books cited below represent only part of the entire corpus of Crowley
literature. While the Temple's archives include virtually the "complete
Crowley", many books by/about him contain overlapping/reprinted material ~
and/or confuse more than they clarify. Some Crowley-related books - most
conspicuously those by Kenneth Grant and Marcelo Motta - contain severe
distortions of Crowley's original concepts and are not recommended
accordingly. If you want to go Crowley-hunting, the books listed in this
category ought to be the most informative and rewarding.
9A. _The Great Beast_ by John Symonds. London: Macdonald, 1971 [Weiser
paperback edition available]. (TS-1) MA: "This remains the most
comprehensive and objective biography of Crowley. The 1971 Second Edition is
expanded and updated from the original 1951 First Edition. #9A has been
criticized for describing certain episodes of Crowley's life in a scornful
and condescending light, but it would be more accurate to say that a
description of his behavior without attention to his magical motives for
such behavior is misleading. #9B and #9C in particular reveal these motives.
So complex were Crowley's life and works, however, that any attempt to
understand other works in this category without first having digested #9A
will result in confusion."
9B. _The Eye in the Triangle_ by Francis I. Regardie. St. Paul: Llewellyn
Publications, 1970. (TS-3) MA: "Regardie worked with Crowley for many years
as his personal secretary. Although the two became estranged in 1937,
Regardie went on to edit and publish a number of Crowley's major works,
including #9D, #9F, #9H, and #9I. More than any direct testimony could
establish, Regardie's sensitivity and skill at such editing established him
as the single most reliable authority on Crowley. #9B is more of a portrait
than a biography, although it was written in part as a protest against the
bias Regardie felt to be present in #9A. [While Regardie did not recognize
the Church of Satan, he did enjoy pleasant and cooperative relations with
the Temple of Set and myself from X to his death in XX. It was he,
incidentally, who put the Temple in touch with the California O.T.O.]"
9C. _The Confessions of Aleister Crowley_ by Aleister Crowley (Ed. Symonds &
Grant). NY: Hill & Wang, 1969. (TS-4) MA: "Crowley's autobiography -
elegantly written, with a treasure-house of his magical philosophy to be
found along the way. While it adds the missing motives to most of the
unflattering episodes cited in #9A, #9C probably ignores or minimizes events
that Crowley disliked recalling. All things considered, the picture of the
Beast that emerges from this work is that of a far more sensitive and
principled individual than his media reputation suggests. One suspects that
Crowley indeed suffered from the Curse of a Magus (not to be understood,
much less Understood), and that those who could not u/Understand him lashed
out at him to allay their own feelings of frustration and inferiority."
9D. _Magick Without Tears_ by Aleister Crowley (Ed. Regardie). St. Paul:
Llewellyn Publications, 1973. (TS-3) MA: "This is an extensive 'interview'
with Crowley in the form of a series of his letters [answering those of a
new student]. Most aspects of his magical philosophy are covered, and the
absence of magical jargon makes the book relatively easy to understand.
Since this exchange of letters took place rather late in Crowley's magical
career, his discussion of many of his more controversial ideas shows a more
reflective approach than in earlier works."
9E. _Magical and Philosophical Commentaries on the Book of the Law_ by
Aleister Crowley (Ed. Symonds & Grant). Montreal: 93 Publishing, 1974. (TS-
4) MA: "In 1912 and again in 1920 Crowley wrote two extended commentaries on
the _Book of the Law_, the magical Working through which the AEon of Horus
was announced and defined. These commentaries are consolidated in this
beautifully printed book. Its only shortcoming consists of an introduction
and footnotes by Kenneth Grant, who attempts therein to twist the _Book of
the Law_ and Crowley's commentaries into supports for his own theories and
pretensions. The same Crowley commentaries appear in _The Law is For All_,
published by Llewellyn in 1975. In this volume their layout is somewhat
confusing, but there is the advantage of an excellent introduction and
annotation by Regardie. A third volume containing the Crowley commentaries -
_The Commentaries of AL_, published by Weiser - has been butchered so badly
by 'editor' Motta as to be virtually useless. [See also the section on the
_Book of the Law_, containing the complete text and my own commentaries to
same, in _The Crystal Tablet of Set_.]"
9F. _The Secret Rituals of the O.T.O._ by Francis King (Ed.). London: C.W.
Daniel Company, 1973. (TS-4) MA: "Distributed in the U.S. by Weiser, this is
both a capsule history of the original German and later Crowley versions of
the Ordo Templi Orientis, and the texts of its rituals from 0* to IX* as
written and/or revised by Crowley. Also included are several essays of
secret 'instructions' to the IX* by Crowley. This volume is valuable for the
insight it provides into the innermost initiatory doctrines of the original
Crowley O.T.O. It also provides a good introduction to the older German
O.T.O., which is the parent organization of virtually all
Illuminati/Rosicrucian societies presently in existence [such as San Jose's
AMORC, whose founder, H. Spencer Lewis, received its charter from the
O.T.O.'s Theodor Reuss in 1915]. Present-day Illuminated Rosicrucians will
probably be disappointed to discover that the enthusiastic sex-magic of the
original O.T.O. Illuminatus IX* has been abandoned in favor of more
spiritually uplifting meditation with the 'Cosmic Masters'. For more
background information on the original German O.T.O., see 'German Occult
Groups' in #4E."
9G. _The Equinox_ (Volume I, #1-10) by Aleister Crowley. NY: Samuel Weiser,
1972 (reprinted). (TS-4) MA: "This series of books was intended by Crowley
as a loosely-organized [not topical or alphabetical] encyclopaedia of the
A.'.A.'. magical system. Most of Volume I is exclusively A.'.A.'., but as
Crowley lost confidence in the ability of students to master the A.'.A.'.'s
difficult curriculum - and as he became enthused over the sex-magic/Masonic
atmosphere of the O.T.O. - the O.T.O. began to appear as well. Weiser's 1972
reprint is out-of-print, and second-hand sets even in mediocre condition now
trade for +/-$500. Since most of #9G's essential contents may be found in
#9H and other extracted books [there are quite a few Crowley collections
which are just selected extracts from #9G], acquisition of #9G is generally
necessary only to the advanced student of Crowley. Nevertheless it remains
unique among magical source publications for its size, scope, and
sophistication. A single volume followed the original ten - the so-called
'_Blue Equinox_' (Volume III, #1) [there was no Volume II]. Weiser reprinted
it separately from Volume I, but it is also now out-of-print and sells used
for +/-$50. Among other things it contains the blueprint for the O.T.O.
organization as Crowley planned to restructure it. [Note: In recent years
Marcelo Motta, an O.T.O./ A.'.A.'. pretender, published a series of books
purporting to be the '_Equinox_, Volume V' - with bindings, layout, and
typeface in imitation of the actual _Equinox_. Scholars are cautioned
against this misrepresentation. [See also #9P.]"
9H. _Gems from the Equinox_ by Aleister Crowley. St. Paul: Llewellyn
Publications, 1974 [reprinted 1982 by the Israel Regardie Foundation]. (TS-
4) MA: "This is a single-volume condensation of the best material from #9G
(Volume I, #1-10 & Volume III, #1). The contents are selected, introduced,
and edited by Regardie. For all but the most detailed research, this volume
is a quite adequate - and better organized - substitute for #9G. Regardie's
purpose was to consolidate 'all the magical writings' and eliminate the
literary/poetic/dramatic ones, as well as those by contributors other than
Crowley himself. So, from a purely organizational/magical/initiatory
standpoint, #9H is the 'meat' of #9G. 1,134 pages in length, and about $25."
9I. _The Magical Record of the Beast 666_ by Aleister Crowley. Montreal: 93
Publishing, 1972. (TS-4) MA: "Edited and annotated by Symonds & Grant, this
book contains the 1914-1918 record of Crowley's O.T.O. sex magic
experiments, the 1919-1920 Magical Record, and the non-annotated text of the
_Book of the Law_. Primarily valuable for the extemporaneous philosophical
reflections found in the Magical Record. The Grantnotes are the better for
being ignored."
9J. _The Magical Diaries of Aleister Crowley_ by Stephen Skinner (Ed.). NY:
Samuel Weiser, 1979. (TS-4) MA: "This diary covers the year 1923 and is
capably edited by Skinner. A very helpful Crowley chronology is included. 'I
may be a Black Magician, but I'm a bloody great one. The world may have to
pass through a period of error through me, but even the error will tend to
the truth.' - A.C. 6/10/23."
9K. _Magick_ by Aleister Crowley. NY: Samuel Weiser, 1974. (TS-4) MA: "This
volume is divided into three parts: a discussion of Yoga and a description
of the various artifacts required for ceremonial magic (parts I & II = _Book
Four_) and a series of essays on magic itself (part III = the famous _Magick
in Theory and Practice_). This edition is recommended instead of the older
'pirated' Castle Books edition of _Magick in Theory and Practice_ because of
its extensive annotation [here Symonds & Grant did a good piece of work] and
because parts I-III are best considered together. While _Magick in Theory
and Practice_ appears at first glance to be an introductory text, it
contains many comments and references which are understandable only after
exposure to many of Crowley's other works. For maximum value it should be
read after the other works in this category."
9L. _The Book of Thoth_ by Aleister Crowley. NY: Samuel Weiser, 1969. (TS-4)
MA: "Crowley's guide to the Tarot, this is vastly superior to any other
published book on the same subject. [The O.T.O. Tarot deck manufactured by
U.S. Games Systems, Inc., 38 East 32nd Street, New York, NY 10016 should be
used in conjunction with this book. Ask for their 'Best of Cards' catalogue,
which at last report costs $2 and contains almost every Tarot deck in
existence.]"
9M. _777 and Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley_ by Israel
Regardie (Ed.). NY: Samuel Weiser, 1973. (TS-4) MA: "A volume bringing
together all of Crowley's principal writings on Cabalistic correspondences.
Since this edition corrects and expands upon earlier editions of _777_ and
_The Qabalah of Aleister Crowley_, it is recommended in place of them. As a
point of clarification, Crowley used the term 'Qabalah' to describe any
system of magical correspondences a magician might find personally
meaningful or useful. He was not a slave to the Hebrew Cabala, though he was
fluent with its terminology and was perfectly capable of bending same to his
purposes as he might be so inclined."
9N. _The Equinox of the Gods_ by Aleister Crowley. O.T.O., 1936 [publisher
unidentified]. (TS-4) MA: "A reprint of the Book of the Law together with a
number of autobiographical and analytical extracts from Crowley's diaries
and #9G bearing upon it. Useful in understanding Crowley's own attitude
towards Liber AL - a supplement to #9E."
9O. _Liber Aleph: The Book of Wisdom or Folly_ by Aleister Crowley. Chico,
California: L.A. Brock [undated]. (TS-4) MA: "In Crowley's own words:
'_Liber Aleph_ 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.' #9O consists of 208 paragraphs, each encapsulating some
aspect of Crowley's philosophy. He is correct in saying that these summaries
are the most 'intense' he ever penned; at the same time they are so poetic,
so couched in metaphor as to be confusing and mystifying to the reader who
is not familiar with Crowley's magical jargon. Recommended, like #9K, only
after the more elementary books in this category."
9P. _The Equinox_ #III-10 by Hymenaeus Beta (William Breeze) (Ed.). NY:
Thelema Publications, 1986. (TS-3) MA: "Shortly after the McMurtry O.T.O.
won its court fight against Marcelo Motta in 1985CE, it set about to
organize the O.T.O. literature into some kind of coherent whole. This book,
released in early 1986, was intended to be a 'basic collection' of
administrative documents, rituals, and exhortations. To this extent it is
successful, since it makes available easily and inexpensively (ca.
$15/paperback) many Crowley writings on the O.T.O. that are otherwise
accessible only in rare and expensive volumes. Unfortunately, since this
collection contains only O.T.O.-related works, the novice Crowley student
will not be exposed to the crucial A.'.A.'. background to Crowley's
philosophy - nor, for that matter, to a hard-hitting biographical profile of
Crowley himself. Also some of the most interesting magical aspects of the
O.T.O. system - the symbolism and structure of its various degrees - are
omitted from this compendium, presumably to keep them mysterious. [See #9F.]
Finally, the history of the O.T.O. as presented here is rather more serene
than that of the actual O.T.O.(s) since Crowley's demise. Although this
volume endeavors to capitalize on the well-known name of the _Equinox_, its
claim to that title is questionable, since the _Equinox_ was actually the
periodical of the original A.'.A.'., while the _Oriflamme_ was that of the
O.T.O. I would consider the "blue" _Equinox_ #III-1 the last of the true
_Equinoxes_ [see #9G]. #9P is reviewed more extensively in _Scroll of Set_
#XII-5/October XXI."
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