Devotion and the Great Work

by Thelemic Golden Dawn

DEVOTION AND THE GREAT WORK

By David Cherubim (Frater Aurora Aureae)

Copyright © 1991 e.v.

The Order of the Thelemic Golden Dawn.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Greetings and Salutations to all brothers and sisters of our New Order of Thelema, to all of you who are made true partakers of the Rising Sun of the new Golden Dawn! It is now essential to the progress of the New Order that We communicate unto you regarding one of the most essential powers of the Great Work, which every Magician must cultivate and integrate into his/her own magical personality if s/he is to accomplish his/her own True Will. It is the magical power of devotion, which is the determination to perform and accomplish your True Will, and this without lust of result. Devotion is a reward unto itself. Those of us who are devotees of the Great Work exercise devotion, not as a means of obtaining results, but as a discipline to be exercised for its own sake. The fruits of such a discipline are natural to it; we need not lust after those fruits to partake them.

Devotion to the Great Work is an inspiration from the Beyond; it is the Celestial Breath of the Gods descending upon our souls and nourishing our Wills with the creative essence of Life. It is the Love of the Lover, and the Pure Aspiration to unite with the object of his Love. Devotion and Love are one and the same; they are two words that indicate a single principle. In the East there is a form of Yoga called Bhakti. Bhakti is defined as the Yoga of Devotion or the Yoga of Love. It is our love and devotion for the Great Work that ensures its success. Without the application of the magical power of devotion, under Will, the Great Work is a meaningless path, a work without substance or significance.

Consider these words deep in your heart and you will understand how essential it is to develop in yourself the magical power of devotion. No real magick is accomplished without it; all works of creativity are as mere dust without it. For it is the Spirit of Creativity itself, the Life of the Divine which is the inspiration of the Magician and the victory of his/her soul. Without exercising the magical power of devotion, it will be impossible for you to complete any creative work that is worthy of completion. Devotion is our mystical connection with the Celestial Order; it is that which perpetuates in us the divine Will to create and evolve, and to maintain our proper relation with the Universe, affirming the starry essence and magical sovereignty of our souls.

All magical ritual is an act of devotion. It is the Will to unite with a particular force or object of the Great Work. It is the Love of the Magician for such a force or object and the determination to integrate him/herself with it. Magick is not only the Art of Will, but it is also the Art of Love. Without love, all Magick is done in vain; it is a mere waste of one’s energies, which require the essence of love to be properly concentrated upon the force or object of one’s magical ritual to ensure success. Without love, there can be no magical invocation. To properly invoke a God or Goddess requires the magical exercise of Love under Will; it demands the total devotion of one’s magical energies. Devotion is the key to the success of any true magical operation that is dedicated to the Great Work; it is our invisible link to the Palace of Perfection.

In the royal system of the Thelemic Golden Dawn, we instruct our members in a form of discipline which we call "Bhakti Magick", and we issue to our members an inspired Holy Book called "The Book of Bhakti Magick". In this Holy Book is contained the Central Key to the essential comprehension of this sacred discipline of Our Royal Art. It is written in this Holy Book: "Only by consummating this secret Primal Art of the Gods canst thou approach the Hidden Portal of the Secret Order of All. This ye must do; for verily, All Are Called." It is further written: "And only by consuming in Thy Soul the secret Immortal Soma of this Most Holy Science of the Gods canst thou attain the Unattainable. And this ye must do; for verily, All Are Chosen." These inspired words demonstrate the absolute necessity for the creative application of the magical power of devotion; they reveal the supreme significance of Bhakti Magick in the sacramental operation of accomplishing the Great Work.

Bhakti Magick is the most significant of all the disciplines for an Adept Magician of the Lovers Triad of the Inner Order, to partake the Greater Mysteries of the Universe that are concentrated in the Secret Sanctuary of Nature. It is the Creative Art of "Love under Will", and it is the Sacred Science of the Adepti of Light. In its most esoteric form, it is the same as that which we term the Royal Magick of the White Lion. Concerning this New Magick, it is written in Our Holy Book: "It is the Absolute Science of Will and the True Method of Religion." It is further written, surely for our own progress and joy: "Love is the Law! and every true Act of Will is in accordance with that Law. Therefore ye must Love under Will, as it is written in Liber Legis. And thou shalt fulfil this One Law by observing in thine heart and life the mighty expression of the Supreme Magical Formula of the New Aeon: Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law."

And, furthermore, it is written: "This is thy Magick; and it is thy perfect code of conduct, whereby ye shall adore and worship the Sun, the Lord of this Magnificent and Illustrious New Aeon. A True Magical Bhakta, or Magus of Love, becomes the Sun Himself, and transmutes all other things into the pure reality of His Infinite Splendour of Light, Life, Love and Liberty." Such is the power of Love Under Will; it is the Central Key to the fulfillment of the Great Work of this New Aeon of Horus, that One Great Work of Union by which we can manufacture the Philosopher’s Stone and the Universal Medicine; and it is the Supreme Link to the Eternal Light of the Golden Dawn, that One Great Light of Infinity, which is ever the goal of all mankind. Therefore, I proclaim, Hear thou the Voice of Love!

Love is the law, love under will.