The Wake World
A TALE FOR BABES AND SUCKLINGS
(WITH EXPLANATORY NOTES IN HEBREW AND LATIN FOR THE USE
OF THE WISE AND PRUDENT)
By
Aleister Crowley
With Additional Comments
In Class C
Frater Zephyros
Preface
The author of the comments and translations has used different typesetting to distinguish the various components of this text. The tale itself, is set in bold type with Crowley's explanatory notes in bold italic. The translations are in [plain italic] and surrounded by square brackets. And the commentaries are in plain type.
Concerning the translations, they were not done by a Latin nor a Greek Scholar. Nor does the author of these comments and translations have the luxury of an acquaintance with such a Scholar. Therefore, these translations should be viewed as suspect at best; especially in the case of those few longer sentences. In some cases, the text of the tale was used to support the attempt and it is believed that this at least, provided some valuable insight.
Introduction
The Wake World is a mystical fairy tale that delineates the journey to initiation in the Western Mystery Tradition. The first confusion is in the attributions of the Tarot as this was written well before the Master Therion formulated his own Book of Thoth. For the student of the latter work, the descriptions of the Atus clearly point to the Golden Dawn instructions and the text orchestrates the vision of these paths. It would be an interesting speculation for the Adept to venture a rewrite at some point in the future, along Thelemic lines.
Further, this work was penned before the A.∙. A.∙. was fully formulated as a reformation of the Golden Dawn. This also provides some confusion in the notes of the two principle ceremonies described in this work: Ceremonium 0°=0° and Ceremonium 5°=6°. The former would later be assigned to the 1°=10° grade in the Thelemic system; while still retaining the same title. The latter ceremony belonged to the Zelator Adeptus Minor (The Golden Dawn 5°=6° grade had several levels of attainment with the previous grade names each prefixed to the Adeptus Minor title.) of the Golden Dawn and would be assigned to the Zelator grade (2°=9° of the Thelemic system).
Even more difficult for the Thelemic student is the juxtaposition of those four Atus relating to the Moebius Ribbon and the instruction from Liber AL vel Legis which states: "All these old letters of my book are aright, but [Tzaddi] is not the Star." AL I.57. This would have profoundly altered this work had the Master Therion solved this important riddle before commencement of this work. Another significant work that also seemingly suffers from this is the Holy Book: Liber CCXXXI wherein the Tarot attributions also work along old aeonic lines. It has been said by some that the Tarot has a dual revelation for Thelemites because of this situation.
Virgo Mundi
[Virgin of the World]
Mystics of all ages have related the idea that we enter reality only when we are asleep and that this world is an illusion created by the Goddess—Maya.
My name is Lola, because I am the Key of Delights, and the other children in my dream call me Lola Daydream. When I am awake, you see, I know that I am dreaming, so that they must be very silly children, don't you think?
Adonai
[The Holy Guardian Angel]
This reads in a very chivalrous manner in collusion with the idea of a Prince Charming and very Christist in nature. Indeed the ring mentioned further on is much like a charm. This Prince would sweep her off her feet (Malka) and carry her up to the castle (the abode of the gods) on the mount (Abiegnus—the mystical mountain of the Rosicrucians).
There are people in the dream, too, who are quite grown up and horrid; but the really important thing is the wake-up person. There is only one, for there never could be any one like him. I call him my Fairy Prince.
Pegasus
The Winged Horse in Greek Mythology born of the blood of Medusa. Interestingly enough there is a similarity to, the swan in Liber LXV is which is a symbol of the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel.
Sphinx
The Egyptian monolith; part human and part animal (lion) whom propounded the riddle for the ancient Greek aspirants to the Eluesinian Mysteries.
He rides a horse with beautiful wings like a swan, or sometimes a strange creature like a lion or a bull, with a woman's face and breasts, and she has unfathomable eyes.
V.V.V.V.V.
[Crowley's motto as 'Master of the Temple' (8°=3°) that is an anagram for a Latin Phrase which translates: While living I have conquered death.]
Silence is the language of the Wake World as stated later on in the text. Here is an early intimation of this and an adumbration of the veil which divides her present stage of initiation from that higher life of which her Prince never loses contact with.
My Fairy Prince is a dark boy, very comely; I think every one must love him, and yet every one is afraid. He looks through one just as if one had no clothes on in the Garden of God, and he had made one, and one could do nothing except in the mirror of his mind. He never laughs or frowns or smiles; because, whatever he sees, he sees what is beyond as well, and so nothing ever happens. His mouth is redder than any roses you ever saw. I wake up quite when we kiss each other, and there is no dream any more. But when it is not trembling on mine, I see kisses on his lips, as if he were kissing some one that could not see.
Now you must know that my Fairy prince is my lover, and one day, he will come for good and ride away with me and marry me. I shan't tell you his name because it is too beautiful. It is a great secret between us. When we were engaged he gave me such a beautiful ring.
Sigilla annuli [Sign of Annihilation]
1. Cognominis 666 [Surname of the Beast]
2. I Ordinis [First Order]
3. II Ordinis [Second Order]
4. III Ordinis [Third Order]
This is an intimation to the tomb of Christian Rosencreutz and the 'Lid of the Pastos' upon which the crest rests and is described here. Also, annihilation or putrefaction in alchemy, is the beginning of the work. It's crowning achievement is in attainment; numerated by Gematria as 666. This tale then is an exposition of that work which is done in the context of the three orders of the Great White Brotherhood.
It was like this. First there was his shield, which had a sun on it and some roses, all on a kind of bar; and there was a terrible number written on it. Then there was a bank of soft roses with the sun shining on it, and above there was a red rose on a golden cross, and then there was a three-cornered star, shining so bright that nobody could possibly look at it unless they had love in their eyes; and in the middle was an eye without an eyelid. That could see anything, I should think, but you see it never could go to sleep, because there wasn't any eyelid. On the sides were written I.N.R.I. and T.A.R.O., which mean many strange and beautiful things, and terrible things too. I should think any one would be afraid to hurt any one who wore that ring.
Incantatio
[Religious Formula]
All true religious formulas describe the process of attainment and the methods employed to initiate the Great Work. The mind seems to respond correctly to an enchanting lyric and the enthusiasm for the work is subsequently energized and engendered.
It is all cut out of an amethyst, and my Fairy prince said: "Whenever you want me, look into the ring and call me ever so softly by my name, and kiss the ring, and worship it, and then look ever so deep down into it, and I will come to you." So I made up a pretty poem to say every time I woke up, for you see I am a very sleepy girl, and dream ever so much about the other children; and that is a pity, because there is only one thing I love, and that is my Fairy Prince. So this is the poem I did to worship the ring, part is words, and part is pictures. You must pick out what the pictures mean, and then it all makes poetry.
THE INVOCATION OF THE RING
ADONAI! Thou inmost r ,
Self-glittering image of my soul,
Strong lover to thy Bride's desire,
Call me and claim me and control!
I pray Thee keep the holy tryst
Within this ring of Amethyst.
For on mine eyes the golden
Hath dawned; my vigil slew the Night.
I saw the image of the One:
I came from darkness into L.V.X.
I.N.R.I.—me crucified,
Me slain, interred, arisen, inspire!
T.A.R.O.—me glorified,
Anointed, fill with frenzied r !
I eat my flesh: I drink my blood
I gird my loins: I journey far:
For thou hast shown , È ,
ע, 777, k a m h l o n ,
[ע transliterated as: Ayin (Hebrew letter attributed to Atu XV {Devil});
k a m h l o n is a Greek word transliterated as kamelon ('stable for camels' or possibly Chimera]
The path of the Camel leads from Tiphareth to Kether on the Tree-of-Life. Notice also that the text later relates the Devil as the 'Saviour of the World'
Prostrate I wait upon Thy will,
Mine Angel, for this grace of union.
O let this Sacrament distil
Thy conversation and communion.
I have not told you anything about myself, because it doesn't really matter; the only thing I want to tell you about is my Fairy prince. But as I am telling you all this, I am seventeen years old, and very fair when you shut your eyes to look; but when you open them, I am really dark, with a fair skin. I have ever such heaps of hair, and big, big, round eyes, always wondering at everything. Never mind, it's only a nuisance. I shall tell you what happened one day when I said the poem to the ring.
Advenit Adonai
[Arrival or Advent of the Holy Guardian Angel]
The five verses also allude to the five souls cast off upon navigation of the Abyss leading to the Supernal attainment and arrival in the City of the Pyramids that is the Sea of Binah wherein the Master of the Temple dwells. The Palace is Tiphareth and the Union (Marriage) of the lower 'Self' with the higher as the Angel sweeps her of her feet (malka) and carries her (Pegasus) to the abode of the Great White Brotherhood. Yet the bad dreams are a reference to the ordeals of initiation as a besiegement by the Black Lodge in its' attempt to maintain the status quo (they do not accept the law that says change equals stability) and dissuade the aspirant from continuing. Lola is still subject to this as she as the Holy Shekinah, has merely begun her journey to the Bridal.
I wasn't really quite awake when I began, but as I said it, it got brighter and brighter, and when I came to the "ring of amethyst" the fifth time (there are five verses, because my lover's name has five V's in it), he galloped across the beautiful green sunset, spurring the winged horse, till the blood made all the sky turn rosy red. So he caught me up and set me on his horse, and I clung to his neck as we galloped into the night. Then he told me he would take me to his Palace and show me everything, and one day when we were married I should be mistress of it all. Then I wanted to be married to him at once, and then I saw it couldn't be, because I was so sleepy and had bad dreams, and one can't be a good wife in one is always doing that sort of thing. But he said I would be older one day, and not sleep so much, and every one slept a little, and the great thing was not to be lazy and contented with the dreams, so I mean to fight hard.
Regnum Spatii
[Walk around the Kingdom]
Palatium Otz Chaiim
[Palace of the Tree-of-Life]
Draco לת
[Tail of the Serpent]
The tale is now set up as a 'tour de force' about the Kingdom of the Universe, which is aptly delineated by the Tree-of-Life. A universal symbol for this and representing the condition of the infinite consciousness is the Serpent swallowing its' tail. Tav and Lamed are more than a mere phonetic pun for the tail. Tav is attributed to Atu XXI {Universe} and Lamed is attributed to {'Justice' in the system of the Golden Dawn—another appearance of the Goddess and universal equilibration (Atu XVII {Star} was the first mention of her in this tale) and Lust in the Thelemic system (due to the juxtaposition of the Atus in light of the verse from Liber AL vel Legis: "All these old letters of my book are aright, but [Tzaddi] is not the Star. AL I.57 which again has the Goddess (in the person of the Scarlet Woman) astride the Beast and represents silence as a measure of attainment as the adept must act (swallow the tail) without lust of result.
By and by we came to a beautiful green place with the strangest house you ever saw. Round the big meadow there lay a wonderful snake, with steel gray plumes, and he had his tail in his mouth, and kept on eating and eating it, because there was nothing else for him to eat, and my Fairy Prince said he would ho on like that till there was nothing left at all. Then I said it would get smaller and smaller and crush the meadow and the palace, and I think perhaps I began to dry. But my Fairy Prince said: "Don't be such a silly!" and I wasn't old enough to understand all that it meant, but one day I should; and all one had to do was to be as glad as glad.
Ceremonium 0°=0°
[Neophyte Ceremony of the Golden Dawn (later: 0°=0° signified the Probationer Grade of the A.∙. A.∙.—however, Neophyte Ceremony was retained for Neophyte grade of the reformed order: 1°=10°]
The promise of love to the Prince is the Magickal Oath to aspire to the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angle. Every act of the aspirant should be towards that end as the Prince advises Lola to keep straight forward. Upon taking the Oath, the aspirant enters the Kingdom (Malkuth) of the three orders of the Great White Brotherhood known to Thelemites as the A.∙. A.∙. (Palace).
So he kissed me, and we got off the horse, and he took me to the door of the house, and we went in. It was frightfully dark in the passage, and I felt tied so that I couldn't move, so I promised to myself to love him always, and he kissed me. It was dreadfully, dreadfully dark though, but he said not to be afraid, silly! And it's getting lighter, now keep straight forward, darling! And then he kissed me again, and said: "Welcome to my Palace!"
Domus X v. Regnum v. Porta 4 Loci secundum Elementa
[The 10th House or the Kingdom or the Entrance to the four elemental passages]
The four colors of Malkuth are aptly described here. The baths is a reference to the element of Water and the serious student may also want to study further on the Alchemical bath as a union of Water with Fire (bedroom: the heat of sexual congress produces the Son represented by the element of Air). The Kitchens refer to Earth and the laboratory of the work (the body itself) And it is easy also to reference Liber AL vel Legis in its' injunction to do everything well and with business way.
I will tell you all about how it was built, because it is the most beautiful Palace that ever was. On the sunset side were all the baths, and the bedrooms were in front of us as we were. The baths were all of pale olive-coloured marble, and the bedrooms had lemon-coloured everything. Then there were the
kitchens on the sunrise side, and they were russet, like dead leaves are in autumn in one's dreams. The place we had come through was perfectly black everything, and only used for offices and such things.
+Qliphoth
[Unbalanced energy]
The place 'come through' is the 32nd path of Atu XXI {Universe}. The aspirant steps forward from Malkuth towards Yesod and takes in also the paths of Shin and Qoph. Here, Qoph is described by the black beetles (Kephra) and cockroaches. But is would be more prudent to delineate this all to the Qliphotic forces encountered when stepping through the paths and between the Sephiroth (in this case from Malkuth to Yesod).
There were the most horrid things everywhere about; black beetles and cockroaches, and goodness knows what; but they can't hurt when the Fair Prince is there. I think a little girl would be eaten though if she went in there alone.
Then he said: "Come no! This in only the Servants' Hall, nearly everybody stays there all their lives." And I said: "Kiss me!" So he said: "Every step you take in only possible when you say that."
Via ת v. Crux
[The path of Tav (Hebrew letter attributed to Atu XXI {Universe} and the 32nd Path on the Tree-of Life) or the Cross]
The darkness of this verse directly relates to the darkness that the aspirant must step into during initiation. The 'Black Guards' or unseen, hence Secret Chiefs lead us forward in perfect safety as they are the responsible guardians in charge of initiating the planet.
We came into a dreadful dark passage again, so narrow and low, that it was like a dirty old tunnel, and yet so vast and wide tat everything in the whole world was contained in it. We saw all the strange dreams and awful shapes of fear, and really I don't know how we ever got through, except that the Prince called for some splendid, strong creatures to guard us.
Cherubim
[The four Hebrew guardians of the four cardinal directions]
The first representatives of these Secret Chiefs in the outer order are the four Cherubs so aptly described below. However, in the system of the A.∙. A.∙., they take on another form in a formula that is taught to the Probationer. There is also a reference to the Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus and the four cardinal virtues which are: To Know, To Will, To Dare and To Be Silent. Each of course, still retains an elemental attribution as well.
There was an eagle that flew, and beat his wings, and tore and bit at everything that came near; and there was a lion that roared terribly, and his breath was a flame, and burnt up the tings, so that there was a great cloud; and rain fell gently and purely, so that he really did the things good by fighting them. And there was a bull that tossed them on his horns, so that they changed into butterflies; and there was a man who kept on telling everybody to be quiet and not make a noise.
Domus IX v. Fundamentum
[The 9th House or the Foundation]
In the Queen Scale of colour in 777, violet is the attribution for Yesod. A reference can also be made to Nuit as her hair is the 'trees of eternity'; such is the vision of this grade. The flip-side of course, is Choronzon; encountered by the aspirant and is that voice which the aspirant hears for the first time and which spreads its' own web or trap. Such vocalization will become manifest in many whom the aspiration may encounter as they would have you do such things according to their nature and in spite of your own. They will tell you that they know what's best for you; acting as your consolers. The only way through this is again to keep straight forward and cling with great zeal to the Oath of your aspiration. Stay firm and strong in this abiding by no one thing and no one person other than your inner voice which will manifest itself more strongly each moment as from Yesod, for the first time is Tiphareth clearly seen. Choronzon is way off in the distance and hides within a veil (The Abyss) behind another veil (Paroketh). As such, it can only indirectly influence you by way of outside forces and vehicles such as those people whom Liber AL vel Legis refers to as 'consolers'.
So we came at last in the next house of the Palace. It was a great dome of violet, and in the centre the moon shone. She was a full moon, and yet she looked like a woman quite, quite young. Yet her hair was silver, and finer than spiders' webs, and it rayed about her, like one can't say what; it was all too beautiful.
Yod v. Membrum sancti foederis
[(First Hebrew letter in Tetragrammaton or Scripture of the Holy Covenant]
The mastery of this grade begins with a complete control of the Astral body. It is the first subtle body beyond the physical body and is one of the five souls later cast off in navigating the Abyss. Remember, the physical body is of Malkuth and hangs pendant on the Tree-of-Life as separate from the rest of the Palace (much in the same way as Kether represented by the grade of Ipsissimus is also beyond or separate from the remainder of the tree: "As above, so below" states Hermes in the Emerald Tablet.). Some mistake success at astral work as true attainment and are as lost in the astral. In the culture of the 1960s e.v. these were referred to as 'Acid Casualties'.
In the middle of the hall there was a black stone pillar, from the top of which sprang a fountain of pearls; and as they fell upon the floor, they changed the dark marble to the colour of blood, and it was like a green universe full of flowers, and little children playing among them. So I said: "Shall we be married in this House?" and he said: "No, this in only the House where the business is carried on. All the Palace rests upon this House; but you are called Lola because you are the Key of delights. Many people stay here all their lives though."
Via ...
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