Liber Resh

(Revision as of 18:25, 29 Jan 2005)

Categories: Thelema | Libri of Aleister Crowley | Rites & Rituals

Part of the Magick in Theory & Practice series.

Liber Resh vel Helios, by Aleister Crowley, comprises four daily adorations to the Sun, to be performed at dawn, noon, sunset, and midnight. The general object is to focus the conscious mind on the center of our solar system.

Table of contents

4 The Egyptian godforms in Liber Resh

5 References

Quotes

"The object of this practice is firstly to remind the aspirant at regular intervals of the Great Work; secondly, to bring him into conscious personal relation with the centre of our system; and thirdly, for advanced students, to make actual magical contact with the spiritual energy of the sun and thus to draw actual force from him." (Confessions, p. 673)

"Particularly useful against the fear of death is the punctual and vigorous performance of Liber Resh. Meditate on the sun in each station: his continuous and even way: the endless circle." (Magick Without Tears, Chapter LXIII)

"The first essential is the dedication of all that one is and all that one has to the Great Work, without reservation of any sort. This must be kept constantly in mind; the way to do this is to practice Liber Resh vel Helios...The important thing is not to forget." (Magick Without Tears, Introduction)

"Resh"

Resh is a Hebrew letter. It equates to the English "R" and translates as "head." Within the Qabalah, Resh is on the 30th Path between Hod and Yesod. This Path is symbolized by the Sun and the various sun gods, such as Ra, Helios, and Apollo.

Performance

Liber Resh was written for members of Crowley's order, the A.'.A.'.. There are ten grades in this order, and each is assigned a sign, or bodily posture, generally used for meditation or ritual purpose. If a member of A.'.A.'. is performing Resh, he or she is to stand in the sign representing their current grade in all four stations. If the adorant is not in A.'.A.'., Crowley gives four signs to be used for each station:

Dawn: all four L.V.X. Signs (Osiris Slain, Isis Mourning, Typhon, and Osiris Risen)
Noon: Sign of Fire, Thoum-aesh-neith (4°=7#)
Sunset: Sign of Air, the God Shu supporting the sky (2°=9#)
Midnight: Sign of Water, the Goddess Auramoth (3°=8#)

The text

0. These are the adorations to be performed by aspirants to the A.'. A.'.

1. Let him greet the Sun at dawn, facing East, giving the sign of his grade. And let him say in a loud voice:

Hail unto Thee who art Ra in Thy rising, even unto Thee who art Ra in Thy strength, who travellest over the Heavens in Thy bark at the Uprising of the Sun. Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Night!

2. Also at Noon, let him greet the Sun, facing South, giving the sign of his grade. And let him say in a loud voice:

Hail unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy triumphing, even unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy beauty, who travellest over the heavens in thy bark at the Mid-course of the Sun. Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Morning!

3. Also, at Sunset, let him greet the Sun, facing West, giving the sign of his grade. And let him say in a loud voice:

Hail unto Thee who art Tum in Thy setting, even unto Thee who art Tum in Thy joy, who travellest over the Heavens in Thy bark at the Down-going of the Sun. Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Day!

4. Lastly, at Midnight, let him greet the Sun, facing North, giving the sign of his grade, and let him say in a loud voice:

Hail unto thee who art Khephra in Thy hiding, even unto Thee who art Khephra in Thy silence, who travellest over the heavens in Thy bark at the Midnight Hour of the Sun. Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Evening.

5. And after each of these invocations thou shalt give the sign of silence, and afterward thou shalt perform the adoration that is taught thee by thy Superior. And then do thou compose Thyself to holy meditation.

6. Also it is better if in these adorations thou assume the God-form of Whom thou adorest, as if thou didst unite with Him in the adoration of That which is beyond Him.

7. Thus shalt thou ever be mindful of the Great Work which thou hast undertaken to perform, and thus shalt thou be strengthened to pursue it unto the attainment of the Stone of the Wise, the Summum Bonum, True Wisdom and Perfect Happiness.

The Egyptian godforms in Liber Resh

Ra—The sun god.
Tahuti—The god of knowledge, wisdom, and writing.
Ra-Hoor—The hawk-headed patron god of the Pharoahs.
Ahathoor—The cow-headed goddess of love, music and dance.
Tum—The first formed of the nine primary egyptian gods.
Khephra—Form of Ra as a scarab, or dung beetle.

References

Crowley, Aleister. (1982). Magick Without Tears. Phoenix, AZ : Falcon Press
Crowley, Aleister. (1979). The Confessions of Aleister Crowley. London;Boston : Routledge & Kegan Paul.

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