The Temple of Set II

by Michael A Aquino

  the Dwelling”. This latter translation is of special significance to the work of the Order.

  It has been said that man in his ordinary mechanical state is like unto a mansion where the master of the estate

  is gone away on business or vacation and the staff is unsure of precisely when he will return. Thus the staff begins

  behaving in ways they never would is the master were present. The gardener lets the foliage grow wildly, the butler

  tries on the master’s clothing in an effort to mimic his authority, while the kitchen staff prepare uncommon dishes

  at all hours of the day, and so on. Just as mice will play while the cat is away, order can be restored to the mansion

  only by the master’s return.

  Man’s position in the universe is very much like this. Without a single and permanent “I” or “master” to take

  command and order his inner state of affairs, his life is goverened mostly by whims, false personalities, and

  unconscious reactions. Emotions may try to do the work of the intellect, the intellect may try to do the work of the

  body, and so forth. Without a master a man’s house falls quickly into a state of disarray, and in such a state it is very

  unlikely that the man will accomplish anything meaningful for himself. Just as only the master can return his own

  house to order, only a single and governing “I” can return the self to order.

  Work in the EoB prepares one’s mansion for the return of its master.

  Aim

  The aim of the EOB is toward the question of self-consciousness, in connection with and by means of, the Æonic

  word Xeper. To “Come Into Being” in this sense may also be taken as “to come into a state of conscious being”.

  Consciousness, from the point of view of the EOB, is the result of an effort drawn from the totality of one’s being, to

  include not only one’s thoughts but also one’s feelings, sensation, and physical presence. Xeper, then, is not only an

  intellectual effort, but a process engaging the entirety of one’s being.

  If the Gift of Set is a gift of conscious essence, then it is a gift of potential only. Man in his ordinary state

  generally assumes he possesses such things as consciousness or will. However it may be quickly demonstrated by a

  few simple experiments that most common human functioning takes place on a purely non-conscious, mechanical

  level. From the point of view of the EOB, it is very important to realize that such things as consciousness and will

  exist for us initially only as possibilities, for man is unable to work toward that which he already believes himself

  to possess. The Remanifestation of a higher, more “permanent” conscious state is generally only the result of much

  work and wish.

  Conditions for Work

  Knowledge, from the point of view of the Order, refers to knowledge that can help man in his quest to become

  himself. Such knowledge is a very scarce resource in the world, and is generally found only in esoteric “schools”.

  While some religions in the world today may have had their origins in schools, it is nevertheless important to

  recognize certain distinctions in principle between “schools” and “religions”. For instance, in religion one’s beliefs

  are often the main focus. By contrast in a school one’s beliefs are not nearly so important as what one might do, or

  what one might wish for.

  In a school one may come in contact with “esoteric knowledge”. Esoteric knowledge is a body of ideas and

  teachings of a rather material/organic nature, disseminated almost entirely by means of direct interaction or oral

  tradition, by means of schools. Thus esoteric knowledge tends to travel in accordance with the laws of accumulation

  and magnetism, more so than the conventional and often politically governed channels of ordinary knowledge.

  Esoteric knowledge often seems to transmit something more than the sum total of words spoken, and can act almost

  like “food” for higher states of being.

  While empires may crumble and libraries burn, esoteric knowledge survives by covert passage from mouth to

  ear and “essence-transmission” from teacher to student. The conditions of the world in which we find ourselves are

  largely mechanical and chaotic, offering little if any possibility for conscious evolution. Schools, unlike many

  religions, are often quite difficult to find – but when found, represent a great opportunity as well as a great

  challenge. Indeed, finding a true school may require not only will and wish, but a bit of luck as well.

  The exoteric manifestation of the Temple of Set is as a religion, functioning in broadly socio-political conditions.

  The esoteric manifestation of the Temple is as a school, functioning in exclusively metaphysical conditions. While

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  recognizing the absolute necessity of its exoteric manifestation, it is the Temple’s esoteric manifestation that forms

  the circle of the EOB.

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  A70: Order of the Black Tower

  - by James B. Severson IV°, Grand Master

  Symbolism of the Tower

  In the Egyptian system of hieroglyphs, the tower is a determinative sign denoting height or the act of rising

  above the common level of life and society. Basically the tower is symbolic of ascent (Essent).

  During the Middle Ages towers and belfries held the significance of watchtowers. But also, by the simple

  application of symbolism of level (whereby material height implies spiritual elevation), they expressed the same

  symbolism as the ladder - linking earth and heaven...1

  Since the idea of elevation and ascent (Essent), implicit in the tower, connotes transformation and evolution,

  the athanor (the alchemist’s furnace) was given the shape of a tower. This signified inversely that the

  metamorphosis of matter implied a process of ascent.

  Another symbol usually mentioned in this connection is the bronze tower in which Diana, the mother of

  Perseus, was imprisoned.

  Finally we would point out the analogy between the tower and man: Just as the tree is closer to the human

  figure than the horizontal forms of animals, so too is the tower the only structural form distinguished by verticality.

  Windows at the topmost level, almost always large in size, correspond to the eyes and the mind of man.1

  It is possible to discover a dual tendency in the symbolism of the tower. Its upward impulse may be

  accomplished by a deepening movement: the greater the height, the deeper the foundations.

  Nietzsche talked of descent during ascent (Essent). Nerval (in Aurelia) refers to the symbolism of the tower and

  said: “I found myself in a tower, whose foundations were sunk deep into the earth, reaching up like a spire into the

  sky, that my whole existence already seemed bound to be consumed in climbing up and down.”1

  Introduction to the Order

  What is the Order of the Black Tower, and what magical elements can be found therein?

  The symbol of the Tower has been, and continues to be a profound and enduring image within a large variety of

  magical traditions.

  As a metaphor for the process of initiation in general, I have chosen this image to further symbolize the

  emergence of an ancient and long-overlooked initiatory tradition: the Vedic Left-Hand Path. Examples are the

  Kaula School of Tantrism and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. [“Vedic” refers to a grouping of initiatory texts entitled

  the Veda, or simply “Knowledge” in Sanskrit. The actual written Veda was a product of India ca. 1500 to 800 BCE,

  but existed as an oral tradition for quite some time prev
ious to those dates.]

  Within many traditions of the East, the concept of yoga is obviously a prevalent core aspect. It has now become

  important that this term be defined in an entirely new light.

  Yoga and the Left-Hand Path

  “Yoga: ‘union’; a yoke; a process or path or displace leading to oneness with the divine or with one’s self (from

  the root verb yuj (‘to unite, join, connect’); the state of oneness with the self, a god; the practice leading to that

  state.”4

  According to Shaiva Siddhanta it is a path to liberation characterized by contemplation and internal worship. It

  is called the path of friendship to a god ( sakha-marga). Its goal is gaining the form of a god ( Sarupya) [See

  Moksha].4

  Moksha: “liberation: spiritual freedom: release: the final goal of human life (from the root verb moksh ‘to

  liberate’).”4

  Shaiva Siddhanta says that the path of release consists in carya, kriya, yoga, and jnana. In release the soul

  obtains its individuality. It becomes similar to a god. Thus release is unity in duality. The soul enjoys a god’s nature,

  though it is not identical with any particular god.4

  “It isn’t over ’til it’s over.” This revelation is what separates Left-Hand Path philosophy from the greedy

  hedonism of the world. Non-players may think that the game tokens they accumulate, from a good car to a happy

  marriage, are signs they are winning. These are merely signs they are playing well. In chess you may capture almost

  all of your opponent’s pieces, but you lose if your king is captured.

  Every moment of life must be connected with the permanent parts of yourself. This “yoking” of the

  many “I”s to your permanent self is yoga. This is different from Right-Hand Path yoga, which seeks

  unification with the divine. The immutable part of oneself, the Kutashta, is awareness of one’s own

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  specialness, the whole. The word Kutashta, which implies “permanent”, literally means “to stand to the

  top” (from kuta “summit” and stha “to stand”. This appears in the frequent Western LHP yoga metaphor of

  the Black Tower.

  - Don Webb V°, “Moksa, or What do I Do when the World Sucks?”

  Setian Black Yoga

  What I am beginning to define as “Setian Black Yoga” (SBY) is a process by which the laws of nature are

  intelligently and deliberately applied to daily life in order to consciously realize one’s own isolate nature. SBY is also

  based on the theory that man is not his body alone: that the real spirit ( Purusa) actually uses the body as an

  instrument.

  In order for this to be a LHP truism, the presence of a “watcher” or witnessing element within the mind must

  first be located, then further enhanced.

  Singularity breeds further understanding and can afford the Black Magician an ability to bind and/or separate

  the forces within and beyond, for the purposes of willed intent.

  Dark Transcendence

  Dark Transcendence (DT) is the primary focus of the Order. Within the envelope of Greater Black Magic, DT

  takes a unique, but not necessarily uncommon approach.

  Utilizing the tools of SBY, DT is a four-fold process utilizing the body, the mind, the emotions, and the spirit

  ( psyche).

  Theoretically one’s isolate nature defines what clarity one would experience in any of the above four realms - the

  more the clarity, the more the possibility for initiatory balance. Here “balance” refers to the ability to draw upon the

  integrative strength each realm can afford another.

  The Nine Schools of the Order

  To facilitate mastery of this process, the OBT offers Nine Schools of SBY as a starting point:

  1. Hatha, which is based on control of the physical body to open it to the cosmic energy by breathing and

  physical exercises. [LHP concept: To engage the body as one of the principal tools in accessing &

  utilizing the isolate self.]2

  2. Laya, which works on the psychic centers to awaken the primordial cosmic energy of the individual

  (Kundalini). [LHP concept: To better understand how the these psychic centers can effect the ability of

  the self to manifest within/into objectivity.]2

  3. Mantra, which makes use of the repetition of certain words and phrases to steady the mind. [LHP note:

  The use of specific magical formula, which empowers the isolate self towards a greater ability to

  manifest within/into objectively.]2

  The above three work by operating from the outer periphery of consciousness to an inner center. The following

  three proceed from the inner self outwards:

  4. Jnana, which seeks to effect a resonance of inner and outer by a change of thought, resulting from the

  attainment of a deeper understanding of both the objective and subjective (Yoga of Knowledge). [LHP

  concept: The word union being replaced with resonance and/or “to Yoke”, which implies more of a

  separate vantage-point, and reference for isolate control.]2

  5. Bhakti, which seeks to effect a resonance by the change of one’s emotional consciousness through

  devotion to an ideal - or a First Principle as per Plato (Yoga of Devotion). [LHP concept: Devotion to the

  isolate self involving but not limited to: self-love, deserving compassion, compassionless love, etc.]2

  6. Karma, which seeks to effect a resonance by which control of one’s actions initiate from within the core

  self (Yoga of Action). [LHP concept: This is a “self” determined act. Specifically for the purposes of

  gaining a greater understanding of that same self. In other words, to have self-control is one of the

  greatest challenges a Setian can continue to endeavor.]2

  All of the above six are embraced in:

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  7. Raja Yoga, one of the earliest and most scientific treatments of the subject of self-transformation.

  [LHP concept: Raja Yoga is - for the most part, a mental and/or spiritual discipline, which requires an

  isolate perspective to be effective. It is here more so than anywhere else that the concept of “to Yoke” has

  its greatest impact on the Adept. Union - or more specifically understanding, with regards to the isolate

  self is the critical differentiation which separates this form of Yoga from its RHP cousins.]3

  In the Setian/LHP system of Yoga there are also two other schools - as mentioned above, which are only now

  being developed and extrapolated upon:

  8. Luciferian which seeks to isolate the self in a context, which transcends the facade of only the ego,

  towards a greater appreciation of the totality of the psyche.

  9. Meta which seeks to transcend that very subjectivity, which provides the initial vehicle for LHP

  liberation. [Facilitator’s note: This is the SBT’s version of the mystery of the Red Magus. Thank you,

  Order of Leviathan.]

  Structure and Operation

  As is the general guideline for the entire Temple of Set, OBT affiliation is restricted to II°+ Initiates. All

  interested Initiates are encouraged to first contact a member of the Order before actually contacting the Grand

  Master. The reasons for this are many, so I’ll only mention a few here:

  One of the greatest gifts an Order can give its members is the opportunity for magical and/or initiatory

  personalization. The GM has already created a specified path for himself, thus the formation of the Order. But the

  active member has - in most cases, just begun. And his perspective can be both various as well as personally unique.

  Dependin
g on one’s level of knowledge and proficiency, it is also good to start from a platform of somewhat

  familiarity - like that of a similar degree or interest level, before attempting anything unfamiliar.

  Once contact has been established, the process of acceptance will take as long as is needed for each individual

  candidate.

  Structures of the Order

  The Peristyle

  The outer courtyard of ancient temples was sometimes called a Peristyle. A place in which the novices would

  congregate and study - a place of introduction, which could further specify various types of further advancement...

  For those who find this magical concept intriguing, but do not have significant and/or a developed background

  in general Yogic processes, they would begin their journey here. Even those who would have a developed

  background, but have not yet integrated such a tool within the general concept of Setian philosophy, would also

  begin here.

  The Inner Temple

  In those same ancient temples of antiquity, the concept of entrance into the Inner Temple was a process of

  advanced education, as well as great initiatory understanding.

  The Inner Temple of the OBT will represent a definitive personalization of the initiate’s process within the

  Order, specifically based upon the concepts of LHP initiation and the Temple of Set proper.

  The school of Left-Hand Path Yoga is about creating suitable companions for the Prince of Darkness. It will be

  hard Work to create such a School in the West, but hard Work is the path of the deified human as opposed to the

  occult culture bum.

  Information Sources within the OBT

  The Third Eye

  The OBT will report its experiments and/or magical discoveries to the Temple through a newsletter: The Third

  Eye. It will be published approximately three to four times a year. All the active membership will be expected to

  contribute to this publication on a regular basis.

  This publication will be made available to all Pylon Sentinels and Masters of the Temple free of charge. All other

  initiates would be asked for a donation of US$3 per issue to cover the costs of printing and postage. [Yearly

  subscriptions are available upon request.]