Liber LXV: The Play of the Magician

The parables of the Holy Books of Thelema

“Thus spake the Magister V.V.V.V.V. unto Adonai his God, as they played together in the starlight over against the deep black pool that is in the Holy Place of the Holy House beneath the Altar of the Holiest One. But Adonai laughed, and played more languidly. Then the scribe took note, and was glad.

But Adonai had no fear of the Magician and his play. For it was Adonai who had taught all his tricks to the Magician. And the Magister entered into the play of the Magician. When the Magician laughed he laughed; all as a man should do.

And Adonai said: Thou art enmeshed in the web of the Magician. This He said subtly, to try him. But the Magister gave the sign of the Magistry, and laughed back on Him: O Lord, O beloved, did these fingers relax on Thy curls, or these eyes turn away from Thine eye? And Adonai delighted in him exceedingly.”

–Liber LXV, IV:15-21

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This amazing parable demonstrates the relationship between levels of consciousness in Thelema’s doctrine of Knowledge and Conversation. It also shows the importance of devotion, and of maintaining a sense of non-attachment and spiritual awareness in the moment. 

Play on…

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“Thus spake the Magister V.V.V.V.V. unto Adonai his God, as they played together in the starlight over against the deep black pool that is in the Holy Place of the Holy House beneath the Altar of the Holiest One. But Adonai laughed, and played more languidly. Then the scribe took note, and was glad.”

We come into this parable in the midst of a conversation between the Magister V.V.V.V.V. his god Adonai as they are playing together.  V.V.V.V.V. has just finished relating some observations that figure in another parable in chapter IV, the Inn-keeper, his Guests, and the Ones at the Door. 

In this way, the two parables go together as a continuous scene, but I have treated them separately as distinct parables. The other is mentioned here mainly for context, and readers can go and read it if they choose.

The first remarkable thing is the recognition that V.V.V.V.V. as Magister Templi is speaking fluently with Adonai, who is clearly his Holy Guardian Angel. V.V.V.V.V. has been referred to as magister in other chapters of Liber LXV, and the two have had some conversation, but here from the start the interaction feels much more pronounced. The relationship with the Angel is emphasized by the active dialogue between them throughout the parable.

V.V.V.V.V. and Adonai are playing together in the starlight as they talk. Being outdoors and at night, they are under the canopy of the body of Nuit, the goddess of the stars. They are also “over against a deep black pool,” which alludes to the color and watery nature of the Sephirah Binah on the Tree of Life.

Binah corresponds to the Holy Mother, the Great Sea, and the Thelemic goddess Babalon. Binah also marks the location of the City of the Pyramids, where, according to Thelemic teachings, Adepts arrive after crossing the Abyss to become masters of the temple, or Magister Templi. 

This deep black pool is “in the Holy Place of the Holy House beneath the Altar of the Holiest One.” The Holy Place refers to the Supernals above the Abyss.  The Holy House could refer to the entire Tree of Life, or it could indicate the path between Binah and Kether which is attributed to the Hebrew letter Beth, meaning “House.” The Magician card of the tarot is also attributed to the path of Beth. The Altar of the Holiest One is Kether, the One Source.

From these connections we can surmise that this is all happening above the Abyss, in and among the Supernals. 

Adonai and V.V.V.V.V. are playing together, and it is easy to imagine that they might be playing a cello and violin duet. Or perhaps it is a game of chess, which evokes images of seaside chess in the Ingmar Bergman film, “The Seventh Seal.” Essentially, their conscious interaction is a form of play and is a direct allusion to Knowledge and Conversation.

Adonai’s response to V.V.V.V.V.’s story is to laugh and play more languidly, meaning that he is untroubled. He slows down his play and takes his time. 

Hearing this, the scribe expresses some relief. This is one of many asides that appear in the Holy Books, as Crowley who is taking notes on all of this in the physical world, gets into the picture with his reaction.

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“But Adonai had no fear of the Magician and his play. For it was Adonai who had taught all his tricks to the Magician.”

The “Magician and his play” now becomes the central theme of the parable. It is a metaphor for the magician as a self-aware spiritual being who operates in the physical world as it exists below the Abyss while at the same time maintaining a full awareness that all existence is a transitory illusion.

From this perspective, all experience is a form of play.

Adonai is confident in his play because he exists above the Abyss and understands the nature of the illusion. He knows “all the tricks” that it takes to achieve that state of consciousness. The physical, mental, etheric, and astral realms are all at his command. 

There is indirect reference here to the Hermetic maxim “As it is above, so it is below,” as well as a direct comparison of Adonai with Macroprosopus, the symbolic Great Countenance which exists above the Abyss.

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“And the Magister entered into the play of the Magician. When the Magician laughed he laughed; all as a man should do. “

From his position in Binah, the Magister V.V.V.V.V. embraces the illusion that is existence, and he enters the play of the Magician fully.  He knows how to work the illusion and have fun within it. He becomes immersed in all the activity of the lower Spheres of the Tree of Life, the joys of the Ruach, and the passions of the Nephesh.

When the Magician laughs, so does the Magister. This illustrates the conscious connection that exists between multiple levels of consciousness. Below the Abyss, the Magician V.V.V.V.V. enjoys the life of an ordinary man. As the Magister with an awareness in Binah, he feels connected to all those earthly experiences, and simultaneously he maintains an understanding of his Supernal identity.

“All as a man should do” indicates that this is a completely natural state of being for humans. It is not something that is unique, strange, or unusual.

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“And Adonai said: Thou art enmeshed in the web of the Magician. This He said subtly, to try him.”

Adonai points out that V.V.V.V.V. has gotten himself fully immersed in the reality of the physical world.  He notably refers to it as the “web of the Magician” rather than the “play of the Magician.”

The sensory overload that comes with having a body in the material world is a snare that can overtake anyone. The intensity of the illusion causes one to mistake the apparent physical reality of the world for all that there is or can be.  When we cannot perceive the light hidden just behind and between the physical, that is when we become trapped.

Adonai says this “subtly, to try him.” He whispers to V.V.V.V.V. in the distant way that the Angel does to someone whose consciousness lies below Tiphereth, before Knowledge and Conversation, through dreams and symbols and synchronicity.  He is testing the Magister to see whether he is truly trapped or just enjoying himself to the fullest. 

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“But the Magister gave the sign of the Magistry, and laughed back on Him: O Lord, O beloved, did these fingers relax on Thy curls, or these eyes turn away from Thine eye? And Adonai delighted in him exceedingly.”

V.V.V.V.V. laughs then and gives the sign of his Magistry. This is the sign of his grade as Magister Templi. It signifies that he heard Adonai, and he knows what’s up.  V.V.V.V.V. has full awareness and self command. His reply shows that he did not lose that higher state of bliss for one moment, even though he was having a great time in the physical world.

V.V.V.V.V. responds and asks for Adonai to check him out, but it is clear he already knows the answer. The reference to his fingers never losing touch with the curls of Adonai’s hair symbolizes the physical. His physical senses were always in contact with the subtle touch of Adonai’s spiritual body. When he says that his eyes (plural) were always fixed on the single eye of the Angel, an image akin to the Eye of Horus, it symbolizes that his Love and Will never wavered.

This was all proof that his mastery of the realms below the Abyss was on par with that of Adonai.  His devotion to Adonai was unwavering. And Adonai could see that it was true, and he was very pleased. 

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Conclusion

This is a simple but very profound parable that touches on core concepts at the heart of magick, awareness, and devotion. First, it presents V.V.V.V.V. as a Magus, a Master of the Temple, and alludes to the interactive relationship between the magician and the HGA at that level of consciousness. The Qabalistic symbolism places the initial setting above the Abyss as the two are playing together and conversing.

The focus on play is a main theme of the parable. Adonai and V.V.V.V.V. are playing together, and then later V.V.V.V.V. enters into the “play of the magician.” The idea of play within the occult path might appear to contradict the reality that there is serious and difficult work to be done by the initiate in order to undergo the type of spiritual transformation that takes one across the Abyss, but it is important to remember that the perspective given in this parable, and in the holy texts generally, is not coming from below the Abyss.

These characters exist amongst the Supernals, where there is no division between one thing and any other thing. They can interact in the divided world and at the same time maintain a consciousness that is aware of the overarching Unity of all things.

For those who operate in a consciousness that spans the Abyss, everything that appears to be good or bad in the divided world below the Abyss is part of the play of the magician. One lesson of the parable is that there is a joyful playfulness that comes naturally with this perspective shift. The playfulness rises from a larger impersonal view of the universe where no attachment is placed on outcomes, and all action is free of the lust of result.

The other major lesson demonstrated in the parable is the importance of one’s devotion to the higher aspirations of the soul even while in the midst of the trials and distractions that come with physical manifestation. It is easy to get caught up in the drama of life, what Adonai refers to as the “web of the magician,” and forget about our connection to the divine. But when we devote the outcome of every action to Nuit, or Babalon, or to whatever deity we are devoted to, it commits our attention around even mundane chores to a higher purpose.

Adonai tested V.V.V.V.V. to see how caught up in the game he really was, and rather than speaking to him directly from where they both sat under the stars in the Supernals, Adonai did so subtly. He spoke to him through dreams and symbols and intuitions, the means of communication that a Holy Guardian Angel uses when speaking to someone who is not a Magister, prior to established Knowledge and Conversation.

V.V.V.V.V. easily heard and understood, and he gave the sign of his grade, which showed his level of self-mastery. It also displayed the strength and depth of his devotion to Adonai. Even though he was fully involved and enjoying his life experience in the play of the magician, he never lost hold of Adonai’s hair and never broke eye contact. The Magister’s awareness of the higher reality that exists behind the apparent world was never far from his recollection. He devoted every thought, word, and deed to the Lord Adonai.

The parable of the Play of the Magician is a reminder for magicians that there are these varying levels of consciousness that we can use and control on the path toward Knowledge and Conversation. Part of the magical work is to cultivate an awareness of the nature and powers of our being. A sense of play can exist when the magician develops the discipline to remain fully involved in the turbulence of the world and at the same time maintains a sense of dispassion and non-attachment.

That awareness and self control is itself an act of devotion to whatever spiritual aspirations we hold. But also, the parable shows that by devoting every thought, word, and action to the service of a higher power, a magician stays in touch with the divine will that is the essence of their True Will.