The Temple of Set II

by Michael A Aquino

  Universe that is contained in Remanifest: its relation to identity, intelligence, and immortality.

  Discovering universal principles through the dialectic process of the Socratic/ Platonic “pyramid of thought” -

  dianoia and nœsis (“learning” and “knowing”) - is the basic core of the Order of Leviathan’s approach to initiation.

  This approach is an overtly intellectual orientation through which the Setian mind obtains wisdom and

  understanding to achieve the ultimate expression of the Gift of Set - Setamorphosis.

  Thus the Order of Leviathan holds that the Word Remanifestation is critical to the accomplishment of the

  Æonic Formula: Xepera Xeper Xeperu. That is, without Remanifestation, the idea of Becoming is an abstraction -

  one without the necessary context of demonstrating to the Objective Universe the essential fact that Xeper has

  occurred, that “something” in the initiating being has changed.

  We Remanifest the sense of Self that is the core identity. We Remanifest the power of our essential humanity

  through the expression of the Gift of Set - the capacity or potential called intelligence that humans alone possess.

  We Remanifest the development of the personal will that leads to the possibility of surviving death as an integrated

  and unique individual consciousness - what we know as immortality.

  Some of the current goals and interests being explored in the Order are briefly summarized in the following list:

  • What is the essential Self, and how does it differ from the everyday personality?

  • By what act of will can we achieve identity with (i.e. recognize) this essential Self?

  • How can we enhance and increase the capabilities inherent in intelligence - the singular Gift of the Black

  Flame by which our forebears became human?

  • How may we further exalt the Black Flame of Set?

  Through this approach, and because of our use of the inspired texts, the Order of Leviathan presents itself as the

  explicitly religious core of the Temple of Set, uniting a rigorous application of reason with a willed assent to the idea

  of an objective end for which humans were designed, a purpose underlying the bestowal of the Gift by Set, a

  transcendent destiny for Setians as the agents of the Black Flame.

  - 412 -

  A76: The Order of Merlin

  - by David Austen IV°, Grand Master

  Merlin in Context

  The figure and character of Merlin conjures up visions of the flag-bedecked towers of Camelot, King Arthur and

  the Knights of the Round Table, battles with dragons and giants, as well as wondrous magical feats: all the “stuff” of

  legend.

  The Hollywood glamour machine has given the character of Merlin some star treatment. Two notable

  characterizations stand out: Nicol Williamson as Merlin in John Boorman’s rendering to film of Excalibur (from Sir

  Thomas Mallory’s book Morte d’Arthur published in 1485), and Edward Woodward’s quite exceptional portrayal of

  the magician for a low-budget TV movie.

  Sometime between 14 and 50 CE the Romans invaded the Druid stronghold on (what is now known as) the Isle

  of Anglesey. In an effort to break Celtic British resistance to the Roman annexation of the island, the legionaries

  exterminated the cult leaders, razed the sacred groves, and at a stroke wiped out the whole belief system.

  Presumably a few “Druids” managed to escape the carnage and took refuge in the remaining Gælic enclaves in the

  areas that we now call Wales, Scotland, and the West Country. It is in these areas that the Merlinic myths have

  endured.

  The popular figure of Merlin comes to us from one main source, the Vita Merlini, a biography of Merlin that

  contains a complete magical system. Much of the material derives from Celtic and classical traditions, particularly

  the Mabinogion, an ancient Welsh epic poem. Secondary sources are The Prophetic Vision of Merlin, which itself is

  derived from yet another source, The History of the Kings of England (both were transcribed by Geoffrey of

  Monmouth between 1140-1160 CE). The latter work deals at some length with the early life of Merlin as well as the

  Glastonbury Legend, which alludes to a visit by Jesus of Nazareth in his youth with Joseph of Arimathea, and

  Joseph’s later return to Glastonbury with the “Holy Graal”. Thirty years after the first transcription an addition was

  made to the work to accommodate the transition of human remains - claimed to be those of Arthur and Guinevere -

  to the nave of Glastonbury Abbey in 1190.

  However Geoffrey of Monmouth’s material is not intended to be biographical in the modern understanding of

  the word. It does not seem to have been the author’s intention to render the material as anything other than a loose

  collection of tales, poems, and images woven around the central character of Merlin. This included imagery, magic,

  and psychic insights that are undeniably ancient. These may be assumed to be drawn from oral tradition retaining

  the wisdom, songs, and poems of the old Celtic/Druidic cultures, preserved by bards and travelling storytellers.

  Geoffrey of Monmouth and his contemporary Gerald of Wales recorded these tales for posterity.

  The character of Merlin is composed of two component parts: Merlin Calidonius and Merlin Ambrosius. Merlin

  Calidonius appears to be what we could interpret to be “Merlin of the Wild Wood”, viz. the Shamanistic Merlin.

  Merlin Ambrosius would seem to be compatible with Merlin’s intellectual aspects.

  Merlin’s name has connotations for the present Æon, for the literal meaning of the Gælic rendering of Merlin is

  Myrddin (old Welsh), meaning “Hawk”.

  The legends and myths of Merlin touch upon deep-seated yearnings within the psyche of all magicians, and are

  as relevant at the dawn of the second millennium CE as they were to our ancestors.

  The Order of Merlin will not be a flag-waving exercise for British based Setians. The underlying Principles of the

  Merlinic myth are universal, and as with all Temple Orders Merlin will make the results of its workings and magical

  projects available to the Temple through the Ruby Tablet and the Scroll of Set, as well as through the pages of the

  Order’s newsletter, The Draconian Tablet.

  Magical Paths

  Under Merlin’s cloak the Order is able to pursue and entertain a wide field of magical workings, drawn from a

  rich body of lore.

  Merlin permeates most Western magical traditions, Aleister Crowley being no exception; thus we have a wide

  field to explore. We have in Merlin the exemplification of shamanism which, through the many ages of human

  development, has been prevalent at one time or another in most cultures.

  In Arthur’s early days as King, Merlin transforms the sovereign into a variety of animals. This enabled Arthur to

  appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of the various creatures and to obtain a view of life from their perspective.

  Shape-shifting has been used by warriors through the ages, from the Native Americans to the Leopard Men of

  Kenya, as a means of obtaining strength in battle.

  In the name of Arthur we have Arth gwyr (Brythonic), the Roman “Gens” name of Artorius (coming from the

  Latin artos viros) meaning “Bear Man”, or a combination of the Brythonic and Latin words for bear, Arth and

  Ursus. This would be in keeping with the traditions of many cultures to define a warrior’s ability and his guardian

  spirit. Examples from the Native American culture are Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Grey Wolf, etc.

  - 413 -

  Wolves we
re particularly abundant in Europe until the eighteenth century. Werewolf legends are probably

  remnants of the shape shifting rituals of our ancestors.

  Such magic enables the magician to perceive the transformations and expressions of the self as it undergoes

  metamorphosis, also to perceive that absolute core self which remains the same in Essence as it Remanifests.

  The shaman is also at one with the environment, and the scope for gleaning the magical knowledge in these are

  boundless. Subjects like herbs, plants, even the practice of sweat lodges are all fertile grounds for research.

  The legends of Merlin occupy a position close to the core of Western magic. This tradition involves inner

  transformation and growth through radical changes in one’s modes of consciousness. The Vita Merlini reveals

  Merlin’s life as an exemplary magical pattern, demonstrating both masculine and feminine powers. The Order of

  Merlin exists to facilitate an integration of all aspects of the psyche, including the generally repressed “minority” or

  “demonic” Self. The Merlinic magician possesses mastery of his/her complete Self.

  Merlin also offers an additional perspective into the magical practices of Dr. John Dee and Edward Kelly. Many

  of the “Enochian Visions” were induced using the Druidic practice of scrying, employing either water or mirrors,

  crystals, and “shew stones”. Dr. Dee’s scrying mirror, on show for many years in the Renaissance Gallery of the

  British Museum, was an obsidian mirror taken from an Aztec Temple. The Aztec ritual of the “Smoking Mirror” was

  another form of scrying, and Dee’s mirror had been used for that purpose by the Aztec Priests.

  Merlin does not die, according to the Vita, but rather moves into a state of being best explained by Xeper and

  Remanifestation. The legend of Merlin is yet another example of a magical tradition truly international in scope. The

  lore surrounding this figure is rich and stimulating; Merlin is not just an obscure figure of legend and history, but a

  very real force to be embraced.

  Of Many Tongues

  One of the saddest indictments of our so called modern and enlightened age is that it has allowed so much of

  our heritage to slip through its grasp.

  For the most part very few of us on this planet are aware of our culture or our heritage, part of which being our

  native languages.

  Some of the languages are lost forever with no surviving link (e.g. we know roughly how ancient Egyptian

  sounded from its surviving counterpart). The sounds and languages of the Vikings and Anglo Saxons have been

  restored, since some semblance of their language survives today and can be reconstructed from manuscripts, etc.

  Who would not thrill to hear Beowulf spoken in the original Anglo/Germanic language in which it was originally

  created?

  However the sub-dialects of the main languages have passed from us only in the last hundred years. Manx (a

  branch of the North Celtic language), native to the Isle of Man, saw the last polyglot speaker die in 1955. Fortunately

  the language was recorded by linguists and has enjoyed a small renaissance. Cornish (a Southern Celtic branch

  language) was declared extinct in 1800, but again the language has been restored, thanks to records. However the

  neighbouring Devonshire Gælic was extinct by 1820 and entirely lost to us. Breton, Flemish, Welsh, Irish, and

  Scottish Gælic survive and are spoken quite widely in their various countries, with their own unique and poetic

  characteristics.

  Part of the work of the Order of Merlin will be the encouragement of its members to engage in the study of a

  native language. The Order will then record and preserve those languages for posterity and for future Setians. In

  translating the ancient magical records into English or another major language, so much of the original meaning can

  be lost. However viewed and read in the language it was originally written in can in itself be an experience

  unrivalled.

  Affiliation

  The Order of Merlin welcomes correspondence from all Initiates. However formal membership of the Order is

  reserved to Adepts II° and the Priesthood of Set III°. The Order’s work will be made available to the Masters of the

  Temple, as well as to members of the Priesthood and to Pylon Sentinels if they so request it. Much of the material

  will be copied to the Ruby Tablet of Set.

  The newsletter/magazine for the Order is the Draconian Tablet, the title reflecting Merlin’s close association

  with “the Dragon”, identifying with the natural forces of the earth (in European and Far Eastern magic). This

  publication will be available worldwide (in English), primarily free to Order members and to Initiates of the

  Priesthood of Set who request it. It will also be posted to Glinda.

  The Grand Masters will expect a commitment from all OM members to work together in their geographical

  areas, independent of their Pylon activities, and to explore Merlin’s magical path in a spirit of unity, accord, and

  dignity that befits the most honourable title of Setian.

  Xeper and Remanifest. Ab uno disce omnes. (From one example learn about all).

  - 414 -

  A77: The Order of Nepthys

  - by Lilith Aquino IV°, Grand Master

  The Order of Nepthys will approach magic as a “total environment”, with attention to outward, physical

  appearance holding as important a place as the inner self of the Initiate. Basic principles, for example, will include

  techniques of attire, grooming, and cosmetics designed to bring out the individual's most striking physical

  attributes. Simultaneous emphasis will be accorded aspects of personality, being, and will. The synthesis of mental

  and physical development will be the manifestation of a total being. Only such a being can expect success in magic,

  as the entire spectrum of individual qualities is called upon for Lesser and Greater Workings.

  Initiates will be expected to learn to handle various situations relative to the profane public, to include lecturing

  and interviewing. Not every Initiate will engage in such activities regularly, but all must have the skills and self-

  confidence to do so. The Order of Nepthys accepts both male and female Initiates.

  Admission to the Order of Nepthys requires Recognition to the degree of Adept II° as a prerequisite. New

  members of the Order will not immediately be exposed to advanced applications of the Greater Black Magical

  (GBM) theories or philosophies of the Black Arts pertinent to the Order. Their first concern will be rather with

  Lesser Black Magic (LBM): what it is and how they may use it to their advantage. They will approach the concept of

  the “true self” and its magical development according to the Word Thelema.

  Members of the Order will then further refine their basic magical skills while being introduced to the principles

  of the Word Indulgence. This will enable them to perfect their mastery of LBM and to gain initial skill in GBM. At

  this stage in their development, they will learn the significance of the Black Flame and will undergo instruction in

  the high art of Black Magic. Such instruction will be under the personal guidance of the Grand Master of the Order.

  Only when the Grand Master is satisfied that the Initiate is cognizant of and competent in the techniques of this Art

  should the Initiate apply them independently.

  Initiates of the Priesthood III° will work with the Grand Master on advanced applications of the Black Arts.

  They will be exposed to the concepts of the Abyss and of the magical For
mulæ outlining the Great Work of the

  Æons. Workings at this level will again be on an individual basis, as determined by the individual characteristics of

  each Priest or Priestess. At this point the rationale for a magical name will be explored and applied where and if

  appropriate. Guidance to and cooperation with II° Initiates of the Order will be a part of III° responsibilities, with

  greater time and attention being accorded those who make greater efforts to learn from the Order.

  Nepthys, the Consort of Set, was goddess of darkness, the night sky, and the invisible in ancient Egypt. Her

  name (aka “Nephthys”) means “Mistress [or Lady] of the Temple”, and she represented “things which are yet to

  come into being” (the future) in contrast to her sister Isis (who represented “things which are”). Nepthys shared

  with Set the title of “Mighty One of Words of Power”.

  - 415 -

  A78: The Order of Nietzsche

  - by Roland Winkhart IV°, Grand Master

  A premise of the Temple of Set is that the psychecentric consciousness can evolve towards its own

  divinity through deliberate exercise of the consciousness and will, a process of Becoming or Coming Into

  Being whose roots may be found in the dialectic method expounded by Plato and the conscious exaltation

  of the Will proposed by Nietzsche. - M. Aquino VI°

  Friedrich Nietzsche was born near Leipzig in 1844, the son of a Lutheran clergyman. He attended the famous

  Pforta School, then went to university at Bonn and Leipzig, where he studied philology (the study of literature and

  related fields) and read Schopenhauer. When he was only 24 he was appointed to the chair of classical philology at

  Basel University; he remained there until retiring for reasons of health in 1879.

  While at Basel he made and broke his friendship with Wagner, participated in the Franco-Prussian War as an

  ambulance orderly, and published The Birth of Tragedy (1872), Untimely Meditations (1873-6), and the first two

  parts of Human, All Too Human (1878-9). From 1880 until his final collapse in 1889, he divorced himself from

  everyday life except for brief interviews. Supported by his university pension, he lived mainly in France, Italy, and

  Switzerland. The third part of Human, All Too Human appeared in 1880, followed by Dawn in 1881. Also Sprach