Review by Luis Abbadie
La Magia Roja: La evolución de la obra de Aleister Crowley. Las operaciones mágicas de la Ordo Rosae Mysticae_ (The Red Magick: The Evolution of the works of Aleister Crowley. The Magickal Workings of the Ordo Rosae Mysticae)Actually, this book has nothing to do with the Necronomicon itself, but, being part of Ripel's Sabean Trilogy, I am covering it up for the sake of completeness. At least it does shed more light on the views of Ripel and the ORM, and consequently, on the roots of The True Necronomicon and the Sauthenerom.
"The present work is essentially divided in three parts."
"In part one is found Liber Legis, also called Liber AL vel Legis, the Tantra of the Aeon of Horus (Ripel uses "Tantra" as a word for an illuminated book). In part two is Liber Ahbh, also called Liber AM vel Legis, the Tantra for the Aeon of Maat. Part three is itself related to the Ordo Rosae Mysticae..."
Ripel fails to mention his "manifestos" and a Gnostic Mass, contained in two other parts of the book.
Ripel tells how Aleister Crowley received Liber Legis, the Book of the Law, from his Guardian Angel-Demon, Aiwaz, in 1904. To fill us in on the background of this, he goes back to the founding of Atlantis 30,000 years ago by beings from outer space. However, he states, this doesn't mean the aliens were not here long before that. He keeps silent about earlier things, he says, because the uninitiated would not comprehend the wonders of the civilization hidden beyond the abyss.
In the capital city of Atlantis (the main city among the seven ruling cities, one in each island) secretly burned the flame of Gnosis, in the black temple. The black temple must not be associated with black magic, since only a fool would do so, but it would also be foolish to think that the Atlanteans of those times didn't practice it. Such assertion is not understood as it is written: "only an adept may understand its profound meaning. This is the reason that we quote this phrase" - and the reason I quote it. In this age, claims Ripel, there were nymphs, satyrs, and goblin-like creatures, as well as beings similar to dragons.
A description of Ripel's Aeons (from The Magick of Atlantis) follows.
12,000 years ago, Atlantis sank, and the survivors were the Gods of legends, now called the Invisible Masters who secretly rule the world and 12 of them are incarnated when a keypoint in history grows near. "When the Dragon rises from the waters, they shall sit on the throne at the East,near the one who shall never move from her/his/its(?) throne. And they will be followed by the order of fauns, satyrs, gnomes, nymphs..." Here follows an account of Crowley's previous incarnations, and Eliphas Levi, Blavatsky, Cagliostro, Weishaupt and Franz Hartmann are listed as Invisible Masters. In our century, besides Crowley, two more would have been incarnated: Dion Fortune and Austin Osman Spare.
In passing, Ripel warns us not to mistake Hyperborea for the Hyborean Age, although they are related!
Then we learn what a million books have said already: that the Templars knew the Ancient Truth, and they were reborn both in the Rosy-Cross and in Weishaupt's Illuminati; the latter would have taught the law of the New Aeon, Deus est Homo. John Dee also received clues on the New Aeon in the famous message that frightened his partner Kelley from the "Daughter of Fortitude." Nietzche would have been a forerunner of True Philosophy. Then comes the Golden Dawn - final part of the White Work - and Crowley - the Red Work. The Black Work, says Ripel, would be the Theosophical Society, described by him with such vicious invectiveness that I'm sure he must have something personal against some Theosophist.
Here follows a description of Crowley's magical activities and achievements - Abramelin, the Aeon of Horus, Aiwaz, 666, etc. Kenneth Grant gets to be described as inexperienced and incompetent (he really has a way with people; what did he do to everybody?), and is compared to Fascist magician Julius Evola, said by Ripel to be the only adept who speaks knowingly.
Even Crowley himself is criticized this time around, for havin seen the Nirvana as the ultimate achievement, and not one more stage to be trascended (now that makes some sense; who really wants to lose self-consciousness for good?).
Crowley is said to have written that Qabbalah is an invention of Pythagoras. Actually, says Ripel, Pythagoras studied mathematics baced on numers 1 to 10, and the malformed Qabbalah has only 10 Sephiroth or Spheres. The Egyptian Book of the Dead tells of 12 Gates or cosmic planes. The original Qabbalah was constituted by the 7 traditional planets, plus the sphere of the Zodiac (representing the galaxy) and the Primum Mobile (representing the Island-Universe - a kind of system of galaxies composed of 21 plus another one slightly farther apart, which is related to Daath, the 13th Sephirah). Another mistake in "modern" Qabbalah is that Binah, a female power, is on the male pillar, and the male Hokmah is on the female pillar (Azathoth must have been juggling this universe again).
Therefore, the 13-Sphered Tree of Life is recreated. Here follow the corresponding planets (Pluto is Daath). Then comes an interpretation mof the Sacred Word AL (from AL vel Legis).
This preface to the Book of the Law (1904) was dictated to the adepts of the Red Confraternity (Order of the Golden Star) in 1978, not by Aiwass but by AL (the Potent One, the God) himself because the preface is identified with Hoor-Paar-Kraat, the counterpart of Ra-Hoor-Khuit (Aiwass), the manifested universe that foreruns the hidden universe (Hoor-Paar-Kraat). According to Ripel, this makes obvious why the preface was dictated after the book itself. Go figure.
Anyway, the preface (2 pages only) contains a pretty straightforward law for Thelemic magicians:
"A series of misunderstood numbers, this is the Law!"
The full text of the _Book of the Law_ follows:
(this is Crowley's final note, the one found in all editions)
<*>Tells about how each publication of the book caused a war or disaster. This is reprinted from a publication of the book made by ORM in Dec. 22, 1982, and warns about how a new disaster will come from this. However, over a year later (from which I gather the Italian edition of this book was c. 1984), Ripel explains that, since the first 3 printings had effects 9 months later and the fourth 21 months later, we should figure out how long it should be until the newest war through this: (9 + 9 + 9 + 21 = 48, 48 : 4 = 12). And 12 months later (9 months after Liber Ahbh, the sequel to the _Book of the Law_ was published), the universe itself changed! But, since each publication corresponded to an element, the fifth belonged to the Spirit, and the Tree of Life shifted in the spirit planes, and we just didn't know it! That's what I love about occultists: they have an answer for everything.
Ripel also states that the ORM's edition of Liber Legis was translated to Slovenian tongue (Dec. 22, 1983) French (March 6, 1983), Chinese (Dec. 22, 1982) - the Chinese edition published by the Invisible Masters in their cosmic plane! It's their second edition, too, since they had already translated the English edition into Atlantean tongue.
(Ripel says it should be pronounced Ahabh) or LIBER AM vel LEGIS
The sequel to the Book of the Law.
More intense than the 1904 book; and, I'll admit, at times less abstruse - not that I can get much of it. In passing, it says: "Kadath, the Cold Waste, there surges forth the black mountain." Gives clues to identify the Messenger, the Son, of whichever entity is dictating this.
NUITH
Point II, verse 10, says: "The word is VAL. Ahadha, Briahx. The Ibis-headed lord has transcended himself." - the word VAL is also mentioned in the Sauthenerom (and the Pérez-Vigo Necronomicon).
Verse 17 says: "...but remember, I speak to you from where time is halted and space is in continuous fornication. There rules, uncontrasted (sic), the lord of primal Chaos..."
Point II, verse 32, is: "And whomever intends to destroy this sacred and holy text, shall be thrown into the abyss, a victim of its dark guardian: Yog-Sothoth."
Gives in code the names of two prophets who are to come, among other things.
Given in 1980 bu the Invisible Master Ranthaal. So brief, I'll quote it in full - but not the accompanying interpretation:
Given by the Invisible Master Rhezan in 1980.
There is a preface, longer then the Manifesto itself, which follows, with comments. It seems a period ends in 1999.
This section has a few New Age/esoteric/hippie illustrations by a Milan Vukosavljevic.
A description of the history of ORM, much like the one in The Magick of Atlantis.
Tantric ritual to reverse the polarities of man and woman.
Tantric working to contact a planetary spirit in its human physical incarnation. You contact the spirit while asleep, ask him how to find him physically, then make a talisman. the first step is to speak three times the word Ixataar, "an extraterrestrial formula useful to invoke the Sephiroth (cosmic planes) and is the secret name of the Hexecontalittho (sic), the precious stone called Cintamani by the Hindu people (it is told that this stone was placed on the peak of the tower of the Shamballah and that its cosmic radiations would hasve the virtue of transforming human consciousness)."
Obviously, Ixataar is Arthur Machen's Ixaxar stone, although there is certainly a long way between the scaly, degenerate Little People who worship Ixaxar under the British hills and the great mystics said to dwell in Shamballah!
Tantric ritual to fulfill wishes (don't get any ideas).
Self-initiation to reduce multiple consciousness to unity; Ripel was inspired by the first of the three methods given by Crowley in Liber Yod (Crowley had a Book of Iod?!?)
It basically consists of speaking lots of Names, using several "divine gestures" (from The Magick of Atlantis), and tracing lots of pentagrams on the air, capping it up with a dance. Oddly, there's no sex in this one. (The Tenth Degree rite of the OTO, from which the ORM derives, is an administrative one and has no sexual working connected with it. - Ed.)
Tantric rite where the performers become the Scarlet Lady and the Beast.
Two Hindu illustrations are included: the Shri Chakra, "supreme symbol of the Goddess according to the Tantras," and the "Yantra of goddess Kali." There are three brief versions of the ritual, for different linar stages, and for the Kali one - to be performed Per Vas Nefandum (if you don't know what that is, lucky you) - "the Scarlet Lady shall be previously prepared through alcohol." For magickal reasons, right?
Liber Samekh Theurgia Goetia Summa (Congressus cum Daemone). Ritual to conntact, and talk with, your sacred Guardian Angel-Demon, an improved form of the one found in Crowley. With lots of distorted Enochian words, and absolutely fanciful "translations" of them. To be performed by the Magister Minor.
Ritual to evoke spirits. Gives the names of the (Egyptian) demons of the Sphere of Daath, and of the Hebrew planetary spirits.
Conventional Thelemic stuff, to be performed every Monday.
1998 © Luis Abbadie. All rights reserved.