The Temple of Set II
Page 85
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A55: Reading Requirements for the II°
- by Ronald K. Barrett V°, High Priest
July XVI/1981
Required Reading for Setians I°
1.
Magick by Aleister Crowley. NY: Samuel Weiser, 1974. Contains (a) a discussion of Yoga, (b) a discussion of
magical equipment ( Book Four), and (c) a discussion of magic ( Magick in Theory and Practice).
2.
Magical and Philosophical Commentaries on the Book of the Law by Aleister Crowley. Montreal: 93
Publishing, 1974. A single volume containing two of Crowley’s own commentaries on the Book of the Law. An
acceptable and good
is Crowley’s The Law is for All, St
Paul: Llewellyn, 1975.
3.
The Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley. NY: Weiser, 1970. A book on magic and magical processes based on
Tarot studies, but this is not a book on “fortune-telling”. A necessary companion to #1.
4.
The Great Beast by John Symonds. London: Macdonald, 1971. An excellent biography of Crowley.
5.
The Black Arts by Richard Cavendish. NY: Putnam, 1968. The first chapter is worth the price of the book. An
excellent primer for beginners.
6.
The Satanic Bible by Anton Szandor LaVey. NY: Avon, 1969. A book which presents true Satanic philosophy
and ritual. Authored by the Magus of the Age of Satan, this book is a must for anyone aspiring to mastery of
the magical arts.
7.
The Satanic Rituals by Anton Szandor LaVey. NY: Avon, 1972. A companion to #6. There is more to these
rituals than meets the eye. Seek and find.
8.
The History of the Devil by Paul Carus. NY: Land’s End Press, 1969. The Dark Ones are traced through
different cultures and time-frames Look for patterns in their relationships with man and in man.
9.
The Occult by Colin Wilson. NY: Random House, 1972. Although this book is rather dry and weak in some
areas, it remains as a good introduction to so vast a subject as “occultism”.
10. The Morning of the Magicians by Louis Pauwels and Jacques Bergier. NY: Avon Books, 1968. A book of
questions, not answers. Contains fascinating inquiries into mysteries from around the world, and makes one
wonder if anything is as it seems.
11.
A Fascinating History of Witchcraft, Magic, and Occultism by W. B. Crow. A summary of the subject in
various cultures and periods. Crow attempts to show relationships between various areas of the occult, magic,
and phenomena.
12. The Psychology of Man’s Possible Evolution by Peter D. Ouspensky. “Know thyself” also applies to magicians.
What are you thinking? What are you feeling? Who among you is reading this?
13. Her-Bak by Isha S. De Lubicz. NY: Inner Traditions, 1954. A fictional account of ancient Egyptian initiation.
An aid in understanding initiation as well as giving a rather unique perspective of what the Egyptian temple
system actually was.
14. The Crystal Tablet of Set by L. Dale Seago IV°. Santa Barbara: Temple of Set, 1978. A Temple of Set
publication designed specifically for use by Setians I°.
Recommended Reading for Setians I°
1.
Sexuality, Magic, and Perversion by Francis King. A study of sex in religious and magical societies.
2.
Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God by Kenneth Grant. NY: Weiser, 1974. An attempted study of Crowley’s
system of sex magick. Should be rewritten from a Setian perspective, but still worth reading.
3.
Cults of the Shadow by Kenneth Grant. NY: Weiser, 1976. Ditto.
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4.
The Sacred Fire by B.Z. Goldberg. NY: University Books, 1958. A history of sex in religion.
5.
The Compleat Witch by Anton Szandor LaVey. NY: Dodd, Meade & Co., 1971. “or what to do when virtue fails”.
A book of lesser magic, primarily for women. Maybe someday I’ll write The Compleat Warlock.
6.
The Function of the Orgasm by Wilhelm Reich. NY: Meridian Books, 1971. First in a two-volume series
entitled The Discovery of the Orgone. A study of “bio-psychic energy”.
7.
Body Time by Gay Gaer Luce. NY: Bantam, 1973. A fascinating study of physiological rhythms which could aid
both the magician and magical operations.
8.
Supernature by Lyall Watson. NY: Bantam, 1974. A good book on phenomenology of man and of the world
around him.
9.
Color Psychology and Color Therapy by Faber Birren. NJ: Citadel, 1979. An interesting and easily-read study
of the influence of color on human minds.
10. The Immortalist by Alan Harrington. NY: Avon, 1970. This book presents a delightful argument against
accepting the embrace of death. Very good.
11.
The Brain Revolution by Marilyn Ferguson. NY: Taplinger Publishing, 1973. “We already have the superbrain.
We have had it all along. That’s what the brain revolution is all about.”
12. The Fourth Way by P.D. Ouspensky. NY: Vintage, 1957. A practical expansion of The Psychology of Man’s
Possible Evolution.
13. The Philosopher’s Stone by Colin Wilson. Berkeley: Wingbow Press, 1979. A fictional voyage into the human
mind. Thought-provoking and fun.
14. The Mind Parasites by Colin Wilson. Berkeley: Wingbow Press. Shades of Lovecraft. Can we even be sure of
our own thoughts?
15. The Crack in the Cosmic Egg by Joseph Chilton Pearce. NY: Washington Square Press, 1973. Discussion of the
mind and its reality. Consideration for Xeper.
16. Tertium Organum by Peter D. Ouspensky. NY: Vintage, 1970. A discussion of the fourth dimension.
17.
A New Model of the Universe by Peter D. Ouspensky. NY: Vintage, 1971. Speculations in such areas as the
human dimension, the Tarot, symbolism, yoga, art, hypnotism, physics, and philosophy.
18. The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm. NY: Harper Colophon, 1962. This highly-recommended book gives an
important study of love, and contains information of magical significance. Look beneath the reflective surface.
19. The Heart of Man by Erich Fromm. NY: Harper Colophon, 1968. An interesting study of “good and evil” - a
counterpart to #18.
20. Earth Magic by Francis Hitching. NY: Pocket Books, 1978. Discussion of ley-lines, Stonehenge, and other
earth mysteries.
21. Pyramid Power by G. Pat Flanagan. Glendale: Pyramid Publishers, 1974. Easy-to-read investigation of types
of energy without sounding like “just another pyramidiot”.
22. Secrets of the Great Pyramid by Peter Tompklns. NY: Harper & Row, 1972. Very likely the best book on the
Khufu Pyramid to date. Thorough and sophisticated.
23. The Curse of the Pharaohs by Philipp Vandenberg. NY: Lippincott, 1975. Contains some speculations on
ancient Egyptian magic, the priesthoods, etc.
24. The Temple in Man by R.A.S. de Lubicz. Mass.: Autumn Press Inc., 1977. An Alchemist’s reappraisal of the
science and esoteric knowledge of the ancient Egyptians.
25. Egyptian Mythology by Veronica Ions. NY: Hamlyn, 1974. One of the best books on the gods and cults of
ancient Egypt.
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26. The Dawn of Astronomy by Norman Lockyer. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1964. Lockyer makes interesting
associations of the Egyptian gods and temples to astronomy.
27. Encyclopedia of the Unexplaine
d by Richard Cavendish. NY: McGraw-Hill, 1974. A down-to-earth text on
modern occultism.
28. The White Goddess by Robert Graves. NY: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 1966. A cross-reference of myths is this
book’s best feature. A bit opinionated.
29. The Second Coming: Satanism in America by Arthur Lyons. NY: Award Books, 1970. Contains one of the
least-offensive discussions of Satanism and of the Church of Satan.
30. Inner Traditions of Magic by Wm. G. Gray. NY: Weiser, 1970. Recommended only for the discussion of
telesmic images. Otherwise it oozes religious excrement.
31. Magick Without Tears by Aleister Crowley. St. Paul: Llewellyn, 1973. Easily-understood discussion of the
Beast’s magical philosophy.
32. 777 by Aleister Crowley. NY: Weiser, 1979. This collection was first published as The Qabala of Aleister
Crowley and is composed of three books: “Gematria”, “Liber 777”, and “Sepher Sephiroth”. It contains many
tables of attributions and correspondences as well as various magical discussions on the Tree of Life, etc.
33. The Golden Dawn by Israel Regardie. St. Paul: Llewellyn, 1974. One of the better accounts and studies of the
Order.
34. The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra=Melin the Mage by S.L. MacGregor Mathers. NY: Dover, 1973. A
grimoire of early significance to Crowley.
35. Eliphas Levi, Master of Occultism by Thomas A. Williams. University of Alabama Press, 1975. An effective
portrait of the early magician.
36. The Vision and The Voice by Aleister Crowley. Dallas: Sangreal, 1972. Crowley’s accounts of his visions of the
thirty æthyrs of the 19th Enochian Key.
37. The Complete Enochian Dictionary by Donald C. Laycock. London: Askin, 1973. An excellent work on
Enochiana.
38. Secrets of Voodoo by Milo Rigaud. NY: Pocket Books, 1971. Good coverage on the subject for comparative
magical study.
39. The Occult and the Third Reich by Jean-Michel Angebert. NY: Macmillan, 1974. More than Nazism.
40. The Eternal Man by Louis Pauwels and Jacques Bergier. NY: Avon, 1973. A fascinating investigation into
humanity and its history.
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A56: Letter to All Setians
- by Michael A. Aquino VI°
High Priest of Set
June 10, XVII/1982
To all Initiates of the Temple of Set:
On May 31 Ronald K. Barrett, High Priest of Set and a recently (May 20) confirmed Ipsissimus V1°, sent a letter
to the Masters of the Temple in which he announced his complete resignation from the Temple. It was a decision
which he had not discussed with anyone in advance - save certain members of his Order of Anubis - and for which
his letter offered no explanation:
Please honor my desire for an honorable, quiet, graceful, and quick exit by not attempting to contact
me, as it will only be futile, since I am absolutely resolved about this course of action. I am equally resolved
not to discuss this further than saying “This is my Will!”
As soon as Magistra Lilith Sinclair, Chairman of the Council of Nine, learned of this development, she proposed
to the Council that I be reconfirmed as High Priest of Set, and the Councillors approved this unanimously. Since
then I have been taking immediate action to see the Temple through this development. The purpose of this letter is
threefold: (1) To state my analysis of the Barrett resignation for the record. (2) To make the entire Temple aware -
perhaps I should say re-aware - of some basic principles of its design. (3) To make a certain promise.
The Barrett Resignation
Since Barrett chose not to explain himself, his actions must speak for him. Indeed, as far as I am concerned, the
effect of his actions is more important than any statement he could make concerning his intentions, magical or
otherwise.
So it must always be with those of high standing and office. They are accorded such honors and trusts precisely
because they are distinguished, wise, and prudent. Lesser beings may behave impulsively and irrationally and even
destructively, and perhaps no one will comment - save to show the offender the door.
But, like Anton Szandor LaVey, Ronald Barrett is no ordinary being. We cannot just shrug him off, sweep him
under the rug, and forget about him. We must judge him: hold him to account for what he has done - not to intrude
upon his new private life, but rather “for the record” within the Temple of Set.
For the last several days I have listened to much speculation within the Priesthood. Now I feel that I must go on
record with my own evaluation - both because I am High Priest and because I am also the individual who
Recognized Barrett to the III°, IV°, V°, and VI°. Here it is, as simply and bluntly as I can phrase it:
• As High Priest, Barrett envisioned a Temple of Set in which Initiates would be trained according to
exacting, standardized criteria. They would have to pass proficiency tests according to a uniform
time-schedule. It was not conceivable that someone could stay at, say, the II° level indefinitely; all
must move higher, and the goal was the V° for everyone. As the Initiate advanced in degree, he
would be confronted more by tests and problems relative to Xem (Barrett’s V° Word) and Per-t
(Magus Norton’s Word). Unlike my own Word ( Xeper), however, Xem would not be directly
explained. Rather one would have to apprehend its meaning indirectly, through various writings
which contained both literal and symbolic meanings.
During the period of Barrett’s High Priesthood, however, signs began to emerge that things were not as well as
they might be.
• The membership of the Temple began to shrink to half its size upon Barrett’s assumption of office -
both from above as various senior Initiates left, and from below as fewer non-members made the
decision to affiliate.
• The “Pyramid system” of communication that Barrett instituted - in which communication was
required and senior evaluation of juniors was mandatory - failed because both seniors and juniors
balked at the requirements.
• A test which Barrett wrote to standardize proficiency for the degree of Adept II° resulted in all II°s
flunking.
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• When it appeared that no members of the Priesthood III° intended to take the test voluntarily,
Barrett required them to do so - within a short time limit. He was disappointed at the results, but
said to Magistra Sinclair that he could not inactivate the entire Priesthood. I recommended that he
simply table the results of the examinations until the Set-4 Conclave (this next month), whereupon
they could be discussed constructively and a consensus reached concerning their significance.
Barrett agreed to do this.
• A week or so before Barrett’ s surprise letter another event occurred. He was visited by Ricco A.
Zappitelli, one-time Priest of Set and very close friend who had disgraced himself at the Set-3
Conclave last year and had since been a non-member of the Temple and estranged from Barrett
personally. A short time later Susan Mitchell, who works with Barrett in his occult shop, was
advised by another ex-III° who had left in disgrace - Susan Wylie - that she and Zappitelli had been
received warmly by Anton LaVey and been given priesthoods by him.
I am not suggesting that Zappitelli brought Barrett a “deal” from LaVey, or that Barrett would
have considered it if he had. I
am suggesting that such news probably depressed and discouraged
Barrett all the more, particularly since he had held great hopes for Ricco’s successful emergence
from psychiatric care and eventual return to the Temple.
• At the Spring Equinox of this year Barrett introduced a new Temple-wide program - “Order
Without Law” - in which he announced that the Temple would henceforth be subdivided into
various initiatory Orders, each headed by one of the Masters of the Temple IV°. All Setian I°s and
members of the Priesthood III° [all II°s had been demoted to I° by the test] would be required to
become “apprentices” in these Orders. Authority would be highly centralized in the person of the
IV° heading the Order:
All Apprentices will respond and answer to their Sages [IV°s] in any/all Setian matters.
It would be an act of Unwisdom to carry any matter outside the Order to which the
Apprentice belongs without first having consulted the Sage of that Order ... III°s may assist
the Sage in the Apprenticeships of I°s of that Order and administratively to the II°s of that
Order (as per the By-Laws), but henceforth only under the direct supervision of the Sage.
On paper “Order Without law” seemed to curtail the freedom of Setians to interact - and members
of the Priesthood to use their powers of supervision and Recognition - within the Temple as a
whole. But in the same document Barrett said:
Nor will an attitude of ‘us and them’ be tolerated from members of the Orders or from
the Orders themselves. Expulsion from the Temple of Set will be certain to follow such
noticed attitudes.
Since “secret cliques” have been responsible for many a crisis in the history of the Temple - and in
the Church of Satan before it - Magistra Sinclair and I were concerned enough about this particular
point to discuss it with Barrett personally at his store while he was still drafting the policy. We were
also concerned that his own Order of Anubis might receive his preferential attention to the possible
detriment of his High Priesthood responsibilities. To both questions he answered that we had
nothing to worry about, and we took him at his word.
Upon his resignation the entire Order of Anubis - less Priest Robert Brink - also resigned
without discussion or explanation, save to sing in harmony that “it has nothing to do with Barrett’s