Phallus

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Revision as of 23:29, 23 Jan 2005

The phallus most often refers to the physical male gentalia, although in some cases it can refer to the clitoris, labia majora and labia minora of a female during fetal development, or the term may refer to the organ before sexual differentiation is evident. In its symbolic sense, it is an expression of the active generative power which is inherent in both men and women. It is often represented as an erect penis, although other possible symbols are the cross, the winged globe, the Sun, and the wand.

Arguably, the most Thelemic attribution of the phallus is Will. Aleister Crowley stated it most clearly in "The Gun-Barrel" in The Book of Lies:

Mighty and erect is this Will of mine, this Pyramid
     of fire whose summit is lost in Heaven. Upon it
     have I burned the corpse of my desires.
Mighty and erect is this [Phallus] of my Will. The
     seed thereof is That which I have borne within me
     from Eternity; and it is lost within the Body of
     Our Lady of the Stars.
I am not I; I am but an hollow tube to bring down
     Fire from Heaven.
Mighty and marvellous is this Weakness, this
     Heaven which draweth me into Her Womb, this
     Dome which hideth, which absorbeth, Me.
This is The Night wherein I am lost, the Love
     through which I am no longer I.

Crowley also identified the phallus with the dying god, such as Osiris, Dionysus, or Jesus. This is based on the nature of the physical male penis, which becomes flacid (or "dies") after it has reached ejaculation. On the symbolic level, this can be interpreted as a god giving life followed by his own death. As Crowley wrote in The Vision and the Voice, "[The Pyramid] is also the phallus, which dies itself to communicate life to others."

He states this poetically in "The Sabbath of the Goat," also from The Book of Lies:

I
O! the heart of N.O.X. the Night of Pan.
PAN: Duality: Energy: Death.
Death: Begetting: the supporters of O!
To beget is to die; to die is to beget.
Cast the Seed into the Field of Night.
Life and Death are two names of A.
Kill thyself.
Neither of these alone is enough.

And Crowley explains:

The shape of the figure I suggests the Phallus; this chapter is therefore called the Sabbath of the Goat, the Witches' Sabbath, in which the Phallus is adored.

Quotes from Crowley

Some instances when Crowley used the word:

"The Holy Guardian Angel is the Unconscious Creature Self—the Spiritual Phallus." ("Liber Samekh," Pt.II, Sec.A)

"And Teth means a Serpent, the symbol of the magical Life of the Soul, lord of "the double wand" of life and death. The serpent is royal, hooded, wise, silent save for an hiss when need is to disclose his Will; he devours his tail—the glyph of Eternity, of Nothingness and of Space; he moves wavelike, one immaterial essence travelling through crest and trough, as a man's soul through lives and deaths. He straightens out; he is the Rod that strikes, the Light-radiance of the Sun or the Life radiance of the Phallus." (The Equinox of the Gods, Ch.7)

"The caduceus contains a complete symbol of the Gnosis; the winged sun or phallus represents the joy of life on all planes from the lowest to the highest." (Confessions, Ch.74)

"...the only rational God is the Sun, who is in the Macrocosm what the Phallus is in the Microcosm." ("The Gospel According to Saint Bernard Shaw")

References

Wikipedia. (2004). Phallus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phallus). Retrieved on January 20, 2005.
Helena and Tau Apiryon. (1998). The Creed of the Gnostic Catholic Church: an Examination (http://www.hermetic.com/sabazius/creed_egc.htm).
Crowley, Aleister. (1997). Magick: Book 4. "The Formula of I.A.O." 2nd ed. York Beach, Me. : S. Weiser.

Retrieved from "http://thelemapedia.org/index.php/Phallus"

-The Phallus is the masculine genitalia, and likewise the source and symbol of masculine magical power. It must not, if we are to remain sane, be viewed as the ONLY, but rather indeed must be seen as the basest form and symbol.
+The '''phallus''' most often refers to the physical male gentalia, although in some cases it can refer to the clitoris, labia majora and labia minora of a female during fetal development, or the term may refer to the organ before sexual differentiation is evident. In its symbolic sense, it is an expression of the active generative power which is inherent in both men and women. It is often represented as an erect penis, although other possible symbols are the [[cross]], the [[winged globe]], the [[Sun]], and the [[wand]].
-This must not however, be seen as low or vulgar; it must be brought by us thelemites to the proper level of respect and dutiful worhsip as any other thing of equal merit. It is the Wand, full and static, looking always upwards. It would thus seem that to maintain balance, it would be the male magicians duty to remain passive, and allow the active female principle to charge and weild the wand. The opposing symbol, the Kteis, is empty and changing, looking always downwards.
-It can be seen that the hole of brahma, which pours forth the dew of the saints from the crown of one's head, is equalled to the slow and pulsating expulsion of semen from the phallus.
+Arguably, the most [[Thelema|Thelemic]] attribution of the phallus is [[True Will|Will]]. [[Aleister Crowley]] stated it most clearly in ";The Gun-Barrel" in ''The Book of Lies:''
+<blockquote>
+Mighty and erect is this Will of mine, this Pyramid<br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;of fire whose summit is lost in Heaven.  Upon it<br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;have I burned the corpse of my desires.<br/>
+Mighty and erect is this [Phallus] of my Will. The<br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;seed thereof is That which I have borne within me<br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;from Eternity; and it is lost within the Body of<br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Our Lady of the Stars.<br/>
+I am not I; I am but an hollow tube to bring down<br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fire from Heaven.<br/>
+Mighty and marvellous is this Weakness, this<br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Heaven which draweth me into Her Womb, this<br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dome which hideth, which absorbeth, Me.<br/>
+This is The Night wherein I am lost, the Love<br/>
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;through which I am no longer I.
+</blockquote>
+Crowley also identified the phallus with the dying god, such as [[Osiris]], [[Dionysus]], or [[Jesus Christ|Jesus]]. This is based on the nature of the physical male penis, which becomes flacid (or "dies") after it has reached ejaculation. On the symbolic level, this can be interpreted as a god giving life followed by his own death. As Crowley wrote in ''The Vision and the Voice'', "[The Pyramid] is also the phallus, which dies itself to communicate life to others."
+He states this poetically in "The Sabbath of the Goat," also from ''The Book of Lies:''
+<blockquote>
+I<BR/>
+O! the heart of N.O.X. the Night of Pan.<BR/>
+PAN: Duality: Energy: Death.<BR/>
+Death: Begetting: the supporters of O!<BR/>
+To beget is to die; to die is to beget.<BR/>
+Cast the Seed into the Field of Night.<BR/>
+Life and Death are two names of A.<BR/>
+Kill thyself.<BR/>
+Neither of these alone is enough.
+</blockquote>
+And Crowley explains:
+:The shape of the figure I suggests the Phallus; this chapter is therefore called the Sabbath of the Goat, the Witches' Sabbath, in which the Phallus is adored.
+==Quotes from Crowley==
+Some instances when Crowley used the word:
+*"The Holy Guardian Angel is the Unconscious Creature Self—the Spiritual '''Phallus'''." ("Liber Samekh," Pt.II, Sec.A)
+*"And [[Hebrew Alphabet|Teth]] means a [[Serpent]], the symbol of the magical Life of the Soul, lord of "the double wand" of life and death. The serpent is royal, hooded, wise, silent save for an hiss when need is to disclose his Will; he devours his tail—the glyph of Eternity, of Nothingness and of Space; he moves wavelike, one immaterial essence travelling through crest and trough, as a man's soul through lives and deaths. He straightens out; he is the Rod that strikes, the Light-radiance of the Sun or the Life radiance of the '''Phallus'''." (''The Equinox of the Gods,'' Ch.7)
+*"The [[caduceus]] contains a complete symbol of the [[Gnosis]]; the winged sun or '''phallus''' represents the joy of life on all planes from the lowest to the highest." (''Confessions,'' Ch.74)
+*"...the only rational God is the Sun, who is in the Macrocosm what the Phallus is in the Microcosm." ("The Gospel According to Saint Bernard Shaw")
+==See also==
+*[[Lingam]]
+*[[Yoni]]
+*[[Priapus]]
+*[[Pan]]
+*[[Amoun]]
+==References==
+*Wikipedia. (2004). ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phallus Phallus]''. Retrieved on January 20, 2005.
+*Helena and Tau Apiryon. (1998). ''[http://www.hermetic.com/sabazius/creed_egc.htm The Creed of the Gnostic Catholic Church: an Examination]''.
+*Crowley, Aleister. (1997). ''Magick: Book 4.'' "The Formula of I.A.O." 2nd ed. York Beach, Me. : S. Weiser.