Glossary of Magical & Qabalistic Terminology (1)

 

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or in any other format, is forbidden without the express written permission of the authors. Abrahadabra: The formula of the transfiguration of man’s elemental nature into a Khu, the Holy Graal or magical body in which Initiates are born forth to the stars of the body of Nuit. By Hebrew Qabalah the number of Abrahadabra is 418. This is the number of Nuit’s love chant, “To Me”, which indicates to the Initiate where his destination lies. Abrahadabra is “the reward of Ra Hoor Khut”. The “reward” is for those who are able to pass the ordeals of Ra Hoor Khuit, the Angel of the Last Judgement. (See also Horus; Khu; Heaven, company of; Ra Hoor Khuit) Abyss: The chasm through which consciousness “falls” from non-duality into duality. The nature of the Abyss is mind; its function is division. Out of it emerges creation – the universe as perceived by the dualistic mind that separates forms and defines them by contrast. The division represented by the Abyss separates the Tree of Life from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It separates macrocosm from microcosm, heaven from earth, and eternity from perpetuity. The “crossing of the Abyss” is the Initiation that the soul must undergo to overcome world illusion. The Abyss is named Daath, meaning “Knowledge”. Daath is the root of “death” which, whether actual or initiatory, is the means of crossing the Abyss. The relationship between knowledge and death is made explicit by Hadit in Liber AL vel Legis, II: 6, where he says: “I am Life, and the giver of Life, yet therefore is the knowledge of me the knowledge of death.” (See also Fall; Hadit) Aeon (and Aeon of Horus): The word aeon, meaning “age” in Greek, refers to an indefinite period of time, an eternity. Metaphysically, an aeon refers to a power existing outside of time. Such power represents a particular level of consciousness. An aeon may thus be objective (i.e. corresponding to a historical age) or subjective (i.e. outside time and corresponding to a magical universe). The Aeon of Horus is the eternity presided over by the god Horus (Greek) or Heru-ra-ha (Egyptian), the god of death and resurrection. (See also Horus; Heru-ra-ha; Thelema) Ahathoor: Egyptian goddess worshipped especially at Aunnu (Heliopolis), where she represents the aspect of Isis who gave birth to Horus. Ahathoor is also the mother of the star Sirius or Sothis. Her name literally means “House of Horus”; as his dwelling she is his Khu, and Horus is her Khabs. This identifies Horus, as Khabs, with the star of Set or Sept. The star represents the seventh chakra, which stands outside the human body. The awakening or birth of this seventh lotus is the object of the Great Work.
The Greek name of Ahathoor is Aphrodite, the goddess of love; her Roman name is Venus. Esoterically, the planet Venus is considered to emanate from the star Sirius (from the point of view of earth, the celestial path of Venus crosses the path of Sirius).  Ahathoor is the prototype of the Scarlet Woman or soul. As the soul in the underworld, she is usually depicted wearing scarlet; in her celestial aspect she is naked and clothed with stars, thus closely identified with Nuit. (See also Aunnu; Chakra; Horus; Khabs; Khu) Aiwass: (or Aiwaz): The praeterhuman intelligence that transmitted Liber AL vel Legis to Aleister Crowley in Cairo in 1904 e.v. By Hebrew Qabalah the number of Aiwaz is 93, the number of Thelema, the “word of the Law” of the Aeon of Horus given by Nuit (Liber AL vel Legis, I: 39). By Greek Qabalah, Aiwass adds up to 418, the number of the “reward” of Ra Hoor Khut, Abrahadabra. Nuit refers to Aiwass as “the minister of Hoor-paar-kraat”. The god Hoor-paar-kraat represents the un-manifested universe. He is the silent, withdrawn aspect of the double god Heru-ra-ha. His twin is Ra Hoor Khuit, the manifested universe. (See also Abrahadabra; Heru-ra-ha; Holy Guardian Angel; Ra Hoor Khuit; Thelema) Ankh-af-na-khonsu: An Egyptian priest of Thebes in the XXVIth Dynasty. This late Egyptian dynasty extended between the years 663 and 525 BC, a time during which the history of Egypt became increasingly merged into that of the Middle East and Greece. Ankh-af-na-khonsu was a contemporary of the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel, and of the reign of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar described at the beginning of the book of Daniel. This period of history coincides with the end of the Kingdom of Judah, which culminated with the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple in 587 BC. Ezekiel predicted these events around the year 600 BC, shortly after the deportation to Babylon, a time at which the Temple had been taken over by “pagan cults”. It is around this time also (in 622 BC) that the priest Hilkiah (see 2 Chronicles 34: 14 or 2 Kings 22: 8) rediscovered the Jewish Book of the Law in the Temple of Yahweh.
Therefore Ankh-af-na-khonsu received the eschatological revelation recorded on his stélé at a time that was very much heralding the end of an age, the end of the Kingdom of Judah. This marked the beginning of a tumultuous period that paved the way for the messianic era.
Ankh-af-na-khonsu was named after the moon god Khonsu. Khonsu, whose name means “traveller of the sky”, was worshipped at Thebes as the son of Atum and Mut. The name Ankh-af-na-khonsu literally means “Life (ankh) of the traveller of the sky (khonsu)”. Ankh-af-na-khonsu became master of the forces of the underworld, overcame death and entered the immortal realm of the Aeon of Horus. His revelation, apocalypse or words of truth are recorded on his funeral stone, the Stélé of Revealing. Approximately two thousand five hundred years after his death, this stélé played a central part in the transmission of Liber AL vel Legis. Ankh-af-na-khonsu was a self-slain, risen master whose secrets are revealed by Nuit to her chosen lovers. Ankh-af-na-khonsu is referred to by the gods in the book as priest of the princes, scribe, prophet, and as warrior lord of Thebes. (See also Nuit; Thelema; Set; Stélé of Revealing) Assiah: The Hebrew word for “matter”, and the name given to the material world in the Qabalah. Assiah corresponds to the sphere of Malkuth on the Tree of Life, and to the final letter Hé of the formula of Tetragrammaton. The intelligence ruling over Assiah is the Scarlet Woman in the underworld. By Hebrew Qabalah, the number of Assiah is 385. This is also the number of Shekinah, the term used by theologians for the divine feminine presence, represented as light. The name derives from sakan, meaning, “to dwell, rest”. (See also Scarlet Woman; Tetragrammaton; Worlds, Four) Atom: The basic building block of matter, consisting of a dense nucleus surrounded by a cloud of electrons. The nucleus of the atom is typically composed of protons and neutrons, except in the case of the element Hydrogen, whose nucleus only consists of one proton. Nearly all the mass of the atom is contained in its nucleus, which only occupies a tiny fraction of the space inside the atom, the rest being filled by the electron cloud. Electrons and protons are electrically charged, and their respective charges are opposite to each other. The charge of the electron is negative, while that of the proton is positive. These opposite charges attract each other and act as the two poles of a magnet, their attraction creating the force that holds together the atom nucleus. The total electric charge of the atom results from the combination of the positive and negative charges of its protons and electrons. These are normally in equal proportions, the total charge of the atom being consequently neutral. The electron and proton’s charges determine their interaction with each other, and with other electrically charged particles. Whereas two opposite charges attract one another, two identical charges will repel each other. (See also Atomic Bonding; Atomic Forces; Atomic Number; Electron; Magnetism; Neutron; Periodic Table of the Elements; Proton; Quantum Theory) Atomic Bonding: Atoms bond together to complete their valence shell. They can bond by either sharing a pair of electrons, thereby forming a covalent bond, or by losing or gaining electrons to form ionic bonds. If an atom only has a few electrons in its valence shell, its tendency will be to lose those electrons so that the next lower shell, which is full, becomes its valence shell. The reverse takes place in atoms only requiring a few more electrons to complete their valence shell. These atoms will tend to steal electrons from other atoms in order to complete their outermost layer or valence shell. Atoms bonded covalently form molecules, which can be made of anything from two to thousands of atoms. One of the elements that most readily form covalent bonds is carbon, important in the formation of organic life. When atoms bond ionically by losing or gaining electrons, their electrical charge no longer remains neutral as the number of protons and electrons in the atom are no longer equal. They acquire a net positive or negative electrical charge and are called ions. Positively charged ions are called cations, and negatively charged ones are called anions. Due to their opposite charges, these attract each other electromagnetically, forming ionic bonds. This bonding is typical of crystals, solid materials made up of alternating positive and negative ions building up in a solid lattice or framework. (See also Atom; Carbon; Electron; Neutron; Proton) Atomic Forces: Atoms are kept stable by the influence of three of the four fundamental forces of nature – the electromagnetic force, the strong nuclear force and the weak nuclear force. The only natural force that does not bear an impact on atomic stability is gravity, which only affects much larger objects. Atomic forces exercise a push or a pull upon the atom. The electromagnetic force holds the electron cloud around the atom nucleus; the strong nuclear force maintains the protons and neutrons together in the nucleus; the weak nuclear force exercises its influence on the process of decay that takes place in an atom nucleus containing an excess of protons or neutrons. (See also Atom; Electron; Magnetism; Neutron; Proton) Atomic Number: Abbreviated as “Z”, the atomic number is determined by the number of protons included in an atom’s nucleus. As most atoms contain an equal number of protons and electrons, this number frequently indicates the total number of electrons in the atom, the main factor influencing the atom’s chemical and physical properties. (See also Atom; Electron; Proton) Atziluth: The Hebrew word for “emanation”, and the name given to the divine or archetypal world in the Qabalah. The world of Atziluth corresponds to the sphere of Chokmah on the Tree of Life, and to the letter Yod of the formula of Tetragrammaton. The Intelligence ruling over the world of Atziluth is the Beast, the life-giving spirit manifested as the centre of consciousness or star called Khabs in Liber AL vel Legis. By Hebrew Qabalah the word Atziluth adds up to 537. This is the number of the word for “uterine aperture”. Atziluth thus represents the breaking of the womb of infinity, Nuit, so that life may be emanated from it. The word emanation comes from the Latin emanare, meaning “to flow out”, and it is as the 93 current that life flows out of the world of Atziluth. (See Beast; Current; Khabs; Tetragrammaton; Worlds, Four) Aunnu: At Aunnu (Heliopolis or On), the mystery of Creation is described in its primeval aspect, and Atum-Ra is the name given to the hidden power that stands behind Creation. The name “Atum” means All and Nothing, representing the potentiality of the yet unformed universe. To exist as distinct from the Nun, Atum has to project himself. Thus Atum “becomes”. The Pyramid Texts describe this original act of Creation in the following terms: “Hail Atum! Hail Khepri, he who becomes from himself! You culminate in this your name of ‘Mound’, you become in this your name of Scarab-Khepri.” “Atum-Khepri, you culminate as mound, you raise yourself up as the Benu Bird from the ben-ben stone in the abode of the phoenix at Heliopolis.” Atum thus surges out of the Nun as the Primordial Mound. Atum is then said by the Pyramid Texts to respectively spit out and expectorate Shu (Air and Space) and Tefnut (Fire), the first two divine principles. Alternatively he brings these into the world by masturbating and causing “the seed from the kidneys to come.”
In another version of the myth, Atum is said to have created himself by the projection of his own heart, and to bring forth with him eight elementary principles with which he becomes the Great Ennead of Heliopolis: Shu and Tefnut, then Geb the earth, Nuit the sky, and finally Osiris and Isis, Set and Nephthys, the entities of cyclic life and renewal, of death and rebirth. “None of them are separate from him,” say the Pyramid Texts.
Atum-Ra of Heliopolis is the carrier of the invisible fire or seed, the metaphysical cause of the first definition to arise from the Nun. 
He then brings forth from himself the nine divine principles (eight plus himself) that will order the Becoming. In the Pyramid Texts, this Great Ennead doubles, and then itself becomes a generative power. “The King came forth from between the thighs of the two divine Nine.” (See also: Hermopolis; Initiation – Egyptian centres of; Memphis; Thebes) Ba: The Egyptian name for the soul of man, and for the World Soul. The Ba is usually depicted as a bird with a human face. The goddesses Isis and Nephthys frequently took on this form, representing the dual nature of the soul. (See also Scarlet Woman; Soul) Babalon: See Scarlet Woman. Beast (the): The name “Beast” is particular to St. John’s book of Revelation, in which it is given to the power who, with the “Scarlet Woman”, rules over the material universe. Revelation refers to him as the beast “who was, and is not” (Rev. 17: 10), indicating that he is the power passing in and out of manifestation through the Abyss. 
The word “Beast” is also related to the name of an ancient god called Bes, probably of either Semitic or African origin and represented by a dwarf. Bes, “the aged one who makes himself young again”, was worshipped in early Egyptian dynasties; at some period under the New Kingdom, he became identified with Horus the child, Hoor-paar-kraat. Little by little Bes was merged with other forms of the Sun God until at length he absorbed the qualities of Horus, Ra and Tum. As such Bes also moved into close relationship with Hrumachis, the god of the Sphinx. The Beast, Bes, the Sphinx, Horus and other solar gods are all expressions of the solar, conscious and transformative power hidden in creation, animating it with a life that is cyclical. 
By the XXVIth dynasty (during which lived Ankh-af-na-khonsu, the “prophet” of Liber AL vel Legis) Bes was completely identified with Horus, with whom he shared the attribute of Lord of all the Typhonian Beasts. 
Liber AL vel Legis reveals that the Beast is the manifestation of Hadit. Above the Abyss, the Beast is the supernal Khabs, the utterer of the Word. The Hebrew word for “beast” is chi, meaning also “alive; flowing”. Chi is the root of the Hebrew Chiah, the name used in the Qabalah for the part of the human soul corresponding to the sphere of Chokmah and the world of Atziluth. Through the “fall”, the Beast becomes the spiritual counterpart of the natural soul. From him emanates the unseen breath, fragrance or intelligence that gives her life. He is the Holy Guardian Angel or Khabs hidden in creation, his power coiled and contained within the soul to sustain her life. Liber AL vel Legis describes the Beast as “ever a sun”. As a sun, the Beast is the Word, the supreme cosmic power. He is the all-seeing divinity, the heart of the cosmos and the intelligence of the world. He is the transmitter of the 93 current of love under will, the blood of life, and as such, the appointer of life and death. 
By analogy with atomic theory, the Beast operates as the proton does in the atom nucleus, and as the element carbon in terms of his function in the universal life cycle. 
The carbon atom consists of 6 electrons, 6 protons and 6 neutrons – the three “sixes” which form the number of the Beast. (See also Atom; Carbon; Holy Guardian Angel; Khabs; Proton; Ruach; Scarlet Woman; Soul) Bes: See Beast Briah: The name given to the creative world in the Qabalah. The world of Briah corresponds to the sphere of Binah on the Tree of Life, and to the first Hé of the formula of Tetragrammaton. The intelligence ruling over Briah is the Scarlet Woman in her celestial aspect. In Liber AL vel Legis, the world of Briah is referred to as the Khu. By Hebrew Qabalah, the number of Briah is 218. This is also the number of the Hebrew words for “moon” and “multitude”, two ideas closely associated with the Scarlet Woman, and of the Hebrew word for “ether”. The ether is the “upper air” of the Greeks, in other words, heaven. The word “ether” comes from the Greek aithein, meaning “burn, shine”. This correspondence directly relates Briah to the magical body called the Khu, meaning the “shining one”. (See Heaven; Khu; Scarlet Woman; Worlds, Four) Carbon: A non-metallic element whose atom includes six protons, six neutrons and six electrons. A key property of carbon is its ability to readily form covalent bonds with other atoms, filling the three empty orbitals of its outer or valence shell by sharing their electrons. Carbon thus forms a great variety of molecules. Each carbon atom can share electrons with up to four different atoms, as well as combine with other carbon atoms. These properties allow carbon to act as the fundamental building block in molecules of organic, living matter. Carbon is present in all organic compounds, including DNA, the molecules carrying the genetic code of living organisms. It is able to form more compounds than any other element except hydrogen. It is a key component of most materials made by plants and animals, including charcoal. Graphite and diamond are made only of carbon atoms. Graphite is very soft and slippery, and diamond is the hardest substance known to man. In graphite, there are strong covalent bonds between carbon atoms in each layer. But, only weak forces exist between layers. Thus allowing the layers of carbon to slide over each other. On the other hand, in diamond each carbon atom is the same distance to each of its neighbouring carbon atoms. In this rigid network atoms cannot move. This explains why diamonds are so hard and have such a high melting point. The diamond structure consists of interlinking tetrahedrons of carbon. It is the strength of this infinite matrix of covalent bonds that make diamond the hardest natural material known. Each of the carbon atoms is in a tetrahedral environment, that is, each is bound to four other carbon atoms with all the angles being equal (109.47 degrees). Carbon abounds in the Sun, stars, comets, and in the atmospheres of most planets. Like virtually all atoms, carbon atoms are made in the interior of stars during a supernova, an explosion of a star that emits vast amounts of energy. Atoms are thus built in thermonuclear reactions, high temperature events that fuse two nuclei together. Hydrogen atoms fuse together into a helium atom then helium atoms fuse into carbon. Carbon atoms can then fuse with helium into oxygen. Chakra: A Sanskrit word meaning “wheel” or “circle”. It is used to describe subtle energy centres through which the life force, prana or “93 current” is organised and distributed in the macrocosm and in the microcosm. Traditional Eastern occultism considers that there are six chakras in the human body; a seventh chakra is latent in uninitiated humans, and is placed outside the body, above the crown of the head. This chakra flowers when the dual forces within the soul obtain self-polarisation. The chakras form the subtle counterpart of various endocrine glands. Like the endocrines, which secrete hormones or other products directly into the blood, the chakras secrete subtle essences or kalas directly into the etheric stream that supports the life of the spiritual bodies. Together the chakras form a passageway for the Kundalini, each chakra representing a type of consciousness. (See also Current; Kalas; Kundalini) Company of heaven: See Heaven Chiah: In the Qabalah, the Chiah refers to one of the five parts of the human soul. The word Chiah comes from Chi, the Hebrew word for “life, living, flowing, beast or creature.” The Chiah is the part of the soul corresponding to Chokmah on the Tree of Life, the sphere of “wisdom”. Chokmah is the sphere of the Beast, the life-giving spirit and transmitter of the Word or True Will. The Chiah and the sphere of Chokmah correspond to the world of Atziluth. They are representations of the centre of consciousness called Khabs in Liber AL vel Legis. 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