Quarterly Journal ofSerpente et Astrum Camp

Ordo Templi Orientis, Australia

SerpentFlame

VOLUME ONE NUMBER THREESPRING EQUINOX 1998e.v.

Serpent Flame Vol 1. No.3Spring Equinox 1998e.v.

© 1998 Ordo Templi Orientis

Anno IVviSol in Libra, Luna in Gemini

Dies Saturnii

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Serpente et Astrum CampSerpente et Astrum CampSerpente et Astrum CampSerpente et Astrum CampSerpente et Astrum CampOrdo Templi OrientisOrdo Templi OrientisOrdo Templi OrientisOrdo Templi OrientisOrdo Templi OrientisToongabbie, AustraliaToongabbie, AustraliaToongabbie, AustraliaToongabbie, AustraliaToongabbie, Australia

Frater AShR (Camp Master)kephra@synflux.com.au

PO Box 667TOONGABBIENSW, 2146AUSTRALIA

Soror HANH (Camp Treasurer)hanh@synflux.com.au

Frater ShAIB (Camp Secretary)shaib@synflux.com.au

Camp Master's Rave 2

The N.A.E.Q (Frater ShAIB) 3

The Science in Art: Part II (Soror HANH) 5

Serpente Publishing 10

The Voice of the Devil (William Blake) 11

Directory 12

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Camp Master�s RaveDo what thou wilt shall be

the whole of the Law.

2

For the second timethis year O.T.O. membersfrom all over Australiamade their way toSydney for a weekend ofworkshops and plenty of

inter-body bonding. Each day of theweekend was dedicated to aparticular Degree within the Man ofEarth admirably hosted by OceaniaOasis. On Friday night the Oceaniateam led us through the MinervalDegree with frequent stops andstarts to allow for questions oninterpretation. Alpha and OmegaCamp made the temple space theirown on Saturday for the First Degreewith Darkwood Oasis performingSecond Degree and Oceania back forthe Third on Sunday and Monday.

The main aims of the Workshopswere to look at the many practicalconsiderations that must beexamined for proper performance ofthe ritual. Because of this we werefaced with the difficult task ofrestricting our examination toTemple furnishings and equipmentand the performance andinterpretation of lines and �stagedirections�. Discussion of ritualsymbolism was to be avoided if atall possible (symbolism being thebasis for a future workshop) and thiswas a task in itself!

Sometimes the best way toexamine performance methods is tocome to an understanding of thesymbolism embedded in the ritual,and therefore understand some ofthe messages that are beingcommunicated. This symbolism can

be incorporated into performance toenhance the allegories beingdisplayed in ways such as facialexpression, movement, and vocaltechnique. It is also a way of bringingcontinuity to a ritual whereinstructions and directions maysometimes be ambiguous. A studyof the symbolism will often allow youto fill in the gaps or find a moresuitable interpretation to parts of theritual that are left unsaid.

But having said all this it is a bitof a Catch 22 situation. Often theonly way to properly understand thesymbolism is to take part in theritual, and to do this you must havea functioning and safe Temple. I feelthat this was the main aim of theWorkshops, and to this end theysucceeded very well. I thinkeveryone went away with a lot moreideas than they arrived with andthere will probably be a lot ofalterations going on in ritual spaceseven as we speak.

During this time myself and SororHANH were pleased to receive thecompany of Soror Ibis, BrotherRaven and Brother Michael ofDarkwood Oasis at our home.Workshop and Federal Election asidewe were able to find plenty of timeto discuss in more detail thewonderful equipment that Darkwoodhave constructed and aquired fortheir Temple as well as many of theother things that Darkwood havecooking on their magical stoves. Mythanks and love to them all for whatwas a great weekend!

Love is the law, love under will.Frater AShR

Camp Master

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The New Aeon English QabalahAn Introduction by Frater ShAIB

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

The discovery of the �New Aeon English Qabalah� is accredited to JimLees from Great Britain in 1976 e.v. According to the Hermetic Order ofthe QBLH. Early hints of the English Qabalah�s existence are found in thewritings of Frater Achad and in Liber AL vel Legis itself. The stillexperimental and controversial system was first revealed to the occultcommunity by Lees, Jake Stratton-Kent and Carol Smith of Kaaba in Britain,and later accepted by Frater Damon and Soror Ishtaria and others ofQBLH.

The Book of the Law refers to the English Qabalah in the followinglines:

�Thou shalt obtain the Order and Value of the English Alphabet�(II:55)

�This shall be translated into all tongues but always with theoriginals in the writing of the beast; for in the chance shape of theletters and their position to one another; in these are mysteriesno beast shall divine.�

(III:47)

In the original script of Liber AL on page 16 of Chapter III is a gridsuperimposed over verse 47. An unexplained diagonal line crosses thepage starting from the upper left. A circle with a + in its centre appearsnear the end of this line. There are letters along the top of the page andnumbers down the side. Extend the letters to Z and the numbers toreach 26 so a square grid is obtained. A is written instead of 1 suggestingB is 2 and C = 3 etc. Fill in all the squares on the grid in this manner andrepeating the alphabet when Z is reached. The line drawn is a diagonalline across the page. Read any diagonal across the square and the orderof the English alphabet for the English Qabalah is found. Whicheverdiagonal is read the order of the letters is obtained. There is only oneorder that can be obtained and all 26 letters appear in this order.

The order is:

A=1 L=2 W=3 H=4 S=5 D=6O=7 Z=8 K=9 V=10 G=11 R=12C=13 N=14 Y=15 J=16 U=17 F=18Q=19 B=20 M=21 X=22 I=23 T=24E=25 P=26

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Jake Stratton-Kent wrote:

�..the English Qabalah is a qabalah and not a system of numerology.A qabalah is specifically related to three factors: one, a language;two a �holy� text or texts; three, mathematical laws at work inthese two.�

The QBLH have had great success with the English Qabalah, centeringtheir teachings around its development. They refer to the seeminglymysterious string of numbers and letters given in AL II:76 to illustrate itsvalidity.

�4 6 3 8 A B K 2 4 A L G M O R 3 Y x 24 89 R P S T O V A L��What meaneth this, o prophet? Thou knowest not; nor shalt thouknow ever. There cometh one to follow thee: he shall expound it.�

Using the Cipher above, Jake Stratton-Kent discovered the following:

�When I first had my attention drawn to the existence of a purportedEnglish Qabalah, my first reaction as a qabalist was to use it onthis meaningless string of digits and characters. I converted allthe letters into their numerical equivalents in the E.Q. and addedthem to the numbers in the series. In the original handwrittentext, the string of letters and numbers is divided into two lines,the first ending with �Y� and the second beginning with �X�. Thereare seventeen numbers and letters in the first line and eleven inthe second... but in the manuscript the �X� at the beginning of linetwo looks like a multiplication symbol, so I made this calculation:17 x 11 = 187, the numerical value of the phrase ENGLISHALPHABET.�

Another example can be found by adding the number and letter valuesin the string. The total equates to 351. Taking all the values of the lettersof the English alphabet, A+B+C+D, etc to Z the value of 351 is obtained.

I hope this short essay on the New Aeon English Qabalah arousesyour interest and entices you to examine this system further.

Love is the law, love under will.

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The Science in Art Pt 2.The Nature of the Point

and the Circleby Sr. HANH

1.The Infinitely Vast:Cosmology

1.1. The �Singularity�

�Had! The manifestation ofNuit.�

Liber CCXX I:1.1

The matter of the universe at theinstant of the Big Bang was in astate of infinite density andtemperature known as a�singularity�. According to Einstein�stheory of relativity, gravity is seennot as a force but a bending orcurvature of space and time, ie. thegreater the density of matter thegreater the curvature. As the initialinstant, denoted by time zero,approached, the density of thesingularity can be characterised byan infinite degree of spatialcurvature. Another way ofexpressing the infinite curvature ofspace at time zero is the say thatboth matter and space explodedsimultaneously everywhere in theuniverse at the moment of the bigbang.

�Now, therefore, I am knownto ye by my name Nuit, andto him by a secret namewhich I will give him whenat last he knoweth me. SinceI am Infinite Space, and theInfinite Stars thereof, do yealso thus. Bind nothing! Letthere be no difference madeamong you between any one

thing & any other thing; forthereby there cometh hurt.�

Liber CCXX Vol.I:22.2

No-one has thus far succeededin delving back in time beyond theinitial instant (known as Plank time)some 10�43 seconds after thesingularity, when relativity theorybecomes inadequate and thedensity of matter approaches theunbelievable value of 1090 kilogramsper cubic centimetre. Here then,among conditions of unimaginableheat, radiation and density, is themoment of creation of the universe.Cosmologists speculate thatparticles and photons (gammarays) were copiously created asconsequence of the intensegravitational field at this epoch,where the expansion proceedsmore rapidly in some preferreddirection. The resulting tidal forcescan literally pull particles apart, orequivalently, create particles out ofgravitational energy.

The thermal evolution of theearly universe involved the creationof heavy elementary particlesknown as hadrons. Many of theseparticles are short-l ived andexceedingly unstable. One view3

states that there may be anarbitrarily large number of hadronsof increasing mass that can beformed at a temperature of c. 1000billion degrees, when the densityof radiation is so high that pairs ofhadrons, consisting of a particle andits antiparticle, are created inequilibrium with the radiation field.Another viewpoint is there are afinite number of heavy elementaryparticles, and temperature and

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density will ultimately increase toan infinite value.

After the first millisecond thedominance of nuclear (or strong)interactions comes to an end; thetemperature is no longer highenough to disrupt atomic nuclei.The physical processes thatsubsequently can occur aredetermined by the weakinteractions, which involve theproduction of l ight particles,generally known as leptons(including electrons, positrons,mesons and neutrinos) by thethermal radiation field. As theexpansion proceeds through theleptonic era, the radiation cools.

The next phase of expansion �the proton era- is dominated by anenormous excess of black bodyradiation. Some one billion photonsare present for every survivingproton or electron, as the sole

residue of the particle-antiparticlepairs that have been all butcompletely annihilated. As thetemperature fell to about 1 billiondegrees, the nuclei of the lightestelements, hydrogen, helium andlithium were assembled by thefusion of neutrons and protons.Single protons that survivedwithout combining with neutronsbecame the nuclei of the simplestand most abundant element in theuniverse, Hydrogen, 1H

1.

1.2. Stellar Evolution

�1. Nu! the hiding of Hadit.�Liber CCXX Vol.II:1.4

The evolution of the sun (andmost stars) is characterised bystages of contraction and heating(caused by the star�s own gravity)alternating periods of energygeneration due to nuclear fusionreactions. In each stage of nuclearburning, lighter elements fuse intoheavier elements. The simplest andmost common of these processesis hydrogen burning.

In the interior of most starsenergy is being liberated by thefusion of hydrogen nuclei intohelium. This energy, in addition toproviding the prodigious lightoutput of the stars, maintainsenough pressure in the interior ofeach star to keep it from collapsingunder its own weight. The sun willthen have exhausted the hydrogenat its centre and after a period ofadjustment, it will become a red-giant star, its fiery atmosphereconsuming the earth and otherinner planets in the process.

When the central regions of theSINGULARITY

NUCLEOSYNTHESIS

RECOMBINATION

GALAXY FORMATION

Stars,Planets, Galaxies

Hadrons

Leptons

Protons

Nucleons

Heavy ElementaryParticles

Light Particles

Radiation

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sun have contracted and heated toa temperature of about 100 milliondegrees, nuclear reactions willbegin to fuse the helium ashes(created by the earlier hydrogenburning) into the heavier nuclei ofcarbon and oxygen; two veryabundant elements that are quiteessential for life as we know it. After500 million years the sun willexhaust its helium centre; itscompositional evolution then comesto an end. The sun is of insufficientmass to maintain the much highertemperatures required to fusecarbon and oxygen into still heavierelements.

Having no nuclear reserves andlacking any source of energy tosustain its bright light, the sun endsits life as a dead, burnt-out emberof a star called a white dwarf. Thedeath of a star considerably moremassive than the sun would bequite different, because the moremassive stars are much brighterand expend their nuclear energyreserves in a much shorter time. Amassive star, due to its greatergravity, develops highertemperatures in its core and thusis capable of fusing carbon andoxygen into heavier elements,carbon burning to form isotopes ofneon, sodium, magnesium, andaluminium. Later still oxygen burnsto form silicon, sulfur, argon, andcalcium. Hotter still, the silicon andall the lighter elements areconsumed by a complex series ofnuclear reactions, the net result ofwhich produce the iron group,titanium, vanadium, chromium,manganese, iron, cobalt and nickel.

With the production of the irongroup in the stellar centre no further

energy can be liberated by nuclearfusion. Neutrons and protons in theiron group are more tightly boundthan in any other nuclei and anyfurther arrangement � whether intolighter or heavier elements �requires energy and does notliberate energy. Having lost allpossible sources of thermal supportand being too large to be held upby the degeneracy pressure thatsustains white dwarfs, the iron coreof such a highly evolved massivestar must collapse. Collapsecontinues until densities approachthat of the atomic nucleus itself,some 10 trillion pounds per cubicinch are achieved. A neutron staris formed. If the balance of theinward pull of gravity and theoutward force due to the�degeneracy pressure� is notmaintained, the star will continueits catastrophic collapse. Ultimatelythe surface of the star will rushinside its event horizon and thusgive birth to a black hole.

Alternatively, the collapse of thisstellar core to a neutron star releaseof much energy that the overlyinglayers (onion skin of the ashes ofeach stage previous to the irongroup), are pushed off with greatviolence. The net result is a giganticstellar explosion called asupernova.

2.The Infinitely Small:Sub Atomic Particles

All matter of the universe iscomposed of a limited number ofbasic substances called elements.These are composed of three sub-atomic particles � the proton, theneutron and the electron � that play

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a central role in determining thebiological activity of elements. Intheir interactions lie the power andthe cohesion that make lifepossible.

All the positive charge andalmost all the mass of an atom areconcentrated in the atoms centre,or nucleus, which contains twokinds of so-called primary particles,the proton and the neutron. Theproton carries a charge of +1 orone positive electronic charge unit.The neutron has no charge. Theyhave roughly the same mass(neutron slightly heavier). Theneutron is composed of a protonand an electron closely boundtogether cancelling each otherselectronic charge.

The portion of the atom outsidethe nucleus contains the third kindof primary particle � the electron.Though electrons have very littlemass, their behaviour is the singlemost crucial factor in the chemistryof life. Each electron carries acharge of �1: one negativeelectronic charge unit � exactly theopposite of a protons charge. Theelectrons are not is fixed positionsoutside the nucleus. Each isconstantly in motion.

The bonding capacity of an atomis determined by the number ofelectrons in the outer most shell ofthe atom. The arrangement ofthese electrons gives those atomsthe ability to bind with others toform new and more complexaggregations.

Thus the point or nucleus isbound to the circle or spherecreated by the excited electron, andthe functional excitation of anelectron, which facilitates bondingand the giving off of photons oflight. Light in its purest form.

� The Khabs is in the Khu,not the Khu in the Khabs.�

Liber CCXX I:8.5

3.The Circle and PointFrom Nothing to Creation,

Ayn to Kether, the universe as weunderstand it formed from a�singularity� of infinite existence.Thus the Infinite Void becomesaware of itself and expands tocreate a space which is not itself. Itthen contracts to fill that space withitself, becoming everything andnothing.

The union of the static chargeand mass of the Proton coupledwith the ionic charge and energyof the Electron can be equatedwith matter and motion, Nuit andHadit, the Khu � form beyondform � to the Khabs � the inmostlight.

All existence or non-existencestems from the conception of theunion of the point and the circle,from the infinitely vast universe tothe infinitely small sub-atomicperspectives.

4. Bibliography4.1Further Reading

One should consult The Book ofthe Law for further study on thissubject, but also see:

X Liber 418, The Vision and theVoice, 30th Aethyr.

X BerashithX Book of Wisdom or FollyX Soldier and the HunchbackX The Book of Lies

4.2. Reference Materials

X Liber AL vel Legis, The Bookof the Law. A. Crowley

X Collier�s Encyclopedia, Vols 3& 7. Eds. L.S. Bahr, B.Johnston & L.A. Bloomfield.1996. Collier�s, New York,Toronto, Sydney.

X Biological Science (4th Edn.)W.T. Keeton & J.L. Gould.1986. W.W. Norton & Co.,New York & London.

X Introduction to CosmologyWeb Site. D.N. Spergel, G.Hinshaw & C.L. Bennett.1996. http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/html/website.html.

5. Notes1. Nuit is matter, Hadit is

motion, in their full physical sense.(The proton and the electron, in ametaphysical sense, suggest closeanalogies, or the noun and verb ingrammar.) Aleister Crowley. 1988.Law is For All, p. 70

2. The development of theAdept is by expansion � out of Nuit� in all directions equally. The small

man has little to experience, littlecapacity for wither pain or pleasure.� Each individual must be left freeto follow his own path! AleisterCrowley. 1988. Law is For All, p. 90

3. Swiss physicist Rolf Hagedorn

4 Nu conceals Had because Heis ev. erywhere in the Infinite, andShe manifests Him for the samereason. Every individual manifeststhe whole; and the whole concealsthe individual. The soul interpretsthe universe; the universe veils thesoul. Nature understands herself bybecoming self-conscious in herunits; the consciousness loses itssense of separateness bydissolution in Her. Aleister Crowley.1988. Law is For All, p. 155.

5 . Khabs is the secret Light orL.V.X.; the Khu is the magicalidentity of a man� The uninitiate isa �dark star�, and the Great Workfor him is to make his veilstransparent by �purifying� them [orsimplifying them]. This �star� or�inmost light� [Khabs] is the original,individual eternal essence. The Khuis the magical garment which itweaves for itself, a �form� for itsbeing beyond form, by use of whichit can experience through self-consciousness. Aleister Crowley.1988. Law is For All, p. 82.

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Liber CXLVIIIThe Soldier and the Hunchback

This essay has beenreprinted from Aleister Crowley�sQuarterly Journal, The Equinox VolI:1. (London, spring 1909). It givesa serious (and sometimes not soserious) look at the methods of theSkeptical mind and how they canbest be employed by the initiate.Crowley says in Magick, Book 4(Samuel Weiser, 1994) that itshould be consulted in connectionwith �the method of logicalcontradiction which ends in reasontranscending itself�.

16pages A5 Paperback$8-00 (includes postage)

Liber DCCCXIEnergised Enthusiasm

Energised Enthusiasm wasfirst published in the The EquinoxVol I:9 (London, spring 1913). InMagick, Book 4 (Samuel Weiser,1994), Crowley states that in thisessay is �a concise account of oneof the classical methods of arousingKundalini. This essay should bestudied with care anddetermination.�

20pages A5 Paperback$8-00 (includes postage)

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Paradise Lost, and the Governor ofReason is call’d Messiah.

And the original Archangel orpossessor of the command of theheavenly host, is call’d the Devil orSatan and his children are call’d Sin &Death.

But in the Book of Job MiltonsMessiah is call’d Satan. For this historyhas been adopted by both parties. Itindeed appear’d to Reason as if Desirewas cast out, but the Devils accountis that the Messiah fell, and formed aheaven of what he stole from theAbyss.

This is shewn in the Gospel, wherehe prays to the Father to send thecomforter or Desire that Reason mayhave Ideas to build on, the Jehovah ofthe Bible being no other than he whodwells in flaming fire. Know that afterChrists death, he became Jehovah.

But in Milton’ the Father is Destiny,the Son, a Raio of the five senses, &the Holy-ghost, Vacuum!

Note. The reason Milton wrote infetters when he wrote of Angels & God,and at liberty when of Devils & Hell, isbecause he was a true Poet and of theDevils party without knowing it.

The Voice of the Devil

All Bibles or sacred codes, havebeen the causes of the followingErrors.

1. That Man has two real existingprinciples Viz: a Body & a Soul.

2. That Energy, call’d Evil, is alonefrom the Body, & that Reason, call’dGood, is alone from the Soul.

3. That God will torment Man inEternity for following his Energies.

But the following Contraries tothese are True.

1. Man has no Body distinct fromhis Soul; for that call’d Body is a portionof Soul discern’d by the five Senses,the chief inlets of Soul in this age.

2. Energy is the only life and is fromthe Body and Reason is the bound oroutward circumference of Energy.

3. Energy is Eternal Delight.

Those who restrain desire, do sobecause theirs is weak enough to berestrained; and the restrainer ofreason usurps its place & governs theunwilling.

And being restrain’d it by degreesbecomes passive till it is only theshadow of desire.

The history of this written in

from William Blake�sThe Marriage of Heaven and Hell

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AUSTRALIAD i r e c t o r y

SERPENTE et ASTRUM CAMPPO Box 667ToongabbieNSW, 2146

shaib@synflux.com.au

OCEANIA LODGEPO Box 269

EnmoreNSW 2042

oceanialodge@hotmail.com

DARKWOOD OASISPO Box 347Bellingen

NSW 2454darkwood@midcoast.com.au

ALPHA & OMEGA OASISPO Box 393

Oaklands ParkSA 5046

alphaomegaoasis@hotmail.com

Web LinksSerpente et Astrum Camphttp://www.otoaustralia.org.au/serpente

O.T.O. AUSTRALIAhttp://www.otoaustralia.org.au

Oceania Lodgehttp://www.otoaustralia.org.au/oceania

Alpha & Omega Oasishttp://www.chariot.net.au/cryjas/

U.S. Grand Lodge O.T.O.http://www.otohq.org/oto

The letters O.T.O. stand forOrdo Templi Orientis, the Orderof the Oriental Templars, or theOrder of the Temple of the East.

The O.T.O. is dedicated to securing theLiberty of the Individual, and his or heradvancement in Light, Wisdom,Understanding, Knowledge and Power. Thisis accomplished through Beauty, Courage,and Wit, on the Foundation of UniversalBrotherhood. The O.T.O. is in sympathy withthe traditional ideals of Freemasonry, andwas the first of the Old Æon orders to acceptThe Book of the Law.

Many aspirants to the Great Work havea genuine need for information, guidanceand fellowship, or the opportunity to assisttheir fellow aspirants and serve humanity.Such aspirants will find welcome in theO.T.O.

The structure of the O.T.O., like that ofFreemasonry and the ancient mysteryschools, is based on a graded series ofinitiations, or Degrees. In these Degrees,the O.T.O. seeks to instruct the individualby allegory and symbol in the profoundmysteries of Existence, and thereby toassist each to discover his or her own trueNature. Every man and woman of free age,and of good report, has an indefeasible rightto the introductory Degrees of the O.T.O.

The O.T.O. also includes the GnosticCatholic Church (Ecclesia GnosticaCatholica), whose central public and privaterite is �Liber XV�, the Gnostic Mass.

The O.T.O. has active branches aroundthe world, and issues numerous periodicalsin many languages. In addition to the officialO.T.O. instructions and celebration of theGnostic Mass, many national and regionalO.T.O. Lodges, Oases and Camps offerclasses and study programs to theirmembers.

Ordo Templi Orientis

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