“All they understand not that thou and I are fashioning a boat of mother-of-pearl. We will sail down the river of Amrit even to the yew-groves of Yama, where we may rejoice exceedingly. The joy of men shall be our silver gleam, their woe our blue gleam -- all in the mother-of-pearl.
(The scribe was wroth thereat. He spake: O Adonai and my master, I have borne the inkhorn and the pen without pay, in order that I might search this river of Amrit, and sail thereon as one of ye. This I demand for my fee, that I partake of the echo of your kisses. And immediately it was granted unto him. Nay; but not therewith was he content. By an infinite abasement unto shame did he strive. Then a voice: )
Thou strivest ever; even in thy yielding thou strivest to yield -- and lo! thou yieldest not. Go thou unto the outermost places and subdue all things. Subdue thy fear and thy disgust. Then -- yield!”
–Liber LXV, I:39-46
This parable relates the idea that in pursuing a goal, whether it be a connection to the divine or something else, we can impede our success by trying so hard that we end up getting in our own way. It says something about the ego’s relation with higher states of consciousness, as well as the need to do inner personal work. Also, the concepts of striving and yielding are shown to be necessary ways to accomplish spiritual progress.
“All they understand not that thou and I are fashioning a boat of mother-of-pearl. We will sail down the river of Amrit even to the yew-groves of Yama, where we may rejoice exceedingly. The joy of men shall be our silver gleam, their woe our blue gleam -- all in the mother-of-pearl.”
The parable begins with Adonai declaring that ordinary people have no understanding of what He and V.V.V.V.V. are doing “fashioning a boat of mother-of-pearl.” They are preparing themselves both in body and soul for a spiritual journey.
He says they plan to “sail down the river of Amrit even unto the yew-groves of Yama, where we may rejoice exceedingly.” Amrit is comparable to Ambrosia, or a sweet nectar of the gods. The boat traveling on a river of Amrit symbolizes them on their sacred path.
The yew tree is sacred to Hecate and has poisonous leaves and seeds. It has thus been associated with the Underworld and death. Yew trees are individually male or female plants, a reminder of sexuality, and its leaves are two-toned, being dark green and glossy on one side and yellow and opaque on the other, reflecting perhaps an alchemical dynamic.
Traveling “even unto the yew-groves of Yama” could therefore indicate going all the way to the end to life, as Yama is the Hindu god of death or justice. Or it could allude to sexual union, or the spiritual union between the Adept and the God.
Either way, Adonai says, there will be much rejoicing along the way. The mixture of joy and woe, described as silver and blue gleams shining on the boat of mother of pearl, represent the ups and downs that are all part of the joyous spiritual path.
“(The scribe was wroth thereat. He spake: O Adonai and my master, I have borne the inkhorn and the pen without pay, in order that I might search this river of Amrit, and sail thereon as one of ye. This I demand for my fee, that I partake of the echo of your kisses…”
The scribe gets angry when he hears of their planned joys. Frustrated that for all of his hard efforts as scribe, he is not receiving the mystical experience they describe.
The relationship here between the characters in this parable is worth noting. The scribe referred to here is the ordinary man, Aleister Crowley. He is the one writing down the interaction between his master, V.V.V.V.V. and the Lord Adonai.
V.V.V.V.V. is the acronym of Crowley’s motto as an 8=3 Magister Templi. The full motto is Vi Veri Vniversum Vivus Vici which means “By the force of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.” And so this is also Crowley but at a high stage of attainment. Having crossed the Abyss and come to Binah and the City of the Pyramids as Magister, V.V.V.V.V. represents the ultimate Understanding of the Truth.
The Lord Adonai is the third figure in the parable, the deity who presides over the transmission of the Truth. As has been pointed out elsewhere, the sum of the values of the Hebrew letters that make up Adonai’s name (aleph, daleth, nun, yod) add up to 65, the sub figure of this holy text. Another instance of 6 and 5 here is with the acronym V.V.V.V.V. The letter V is equivalent to the Hebrew letter Vav which carries the numeric value of six. So both names reflect 5 and 6, and this points to a symbolic connection between the two.
Technically, the use of the parentheses surrounding parts of the text indicate a break in the divine narrative. This break gives readers a glimpse behind the scenes as it inserts information about the scribe’s state of mind and feelings. During this pause, the scribe engages in real-time interaction with the other characters as the text is being received.
Similar insertions of dialogue either involving the scribe, or adding outside context can be found elsewhere in the Thelemic sacred texts. Here are a few examples.
“Then the priest fell into a deep trance or swoon, & said unto the Queen of Heaven; Write unto us the ordeals; write unto us the rituals; write unto us the law! But she said: the ordeals I write not: the rituals shall be half known and half concealed: the Law is for all. This that thou writest is the threefold book of Law.”
— Liber AL, I:33-35
“O prophet! thou hast ill will to learn this writing. I see thee hate the hand and the pen; but I am stronger. Because of me in Thee which thou knewest not. for why? Because thou wast the knower, and me.” — Liber AL, II:10-13
“But Adonai laughed, and played more languidly. Then the scribe took note and was glad.” —Liber LXV, IV: 16-17
The scribe tells Adonai and V.V.V.V.V. that he has “borne the inkhorn and the pen without pay.” On one level he means that he is working for free. However, money as a symbol of material wealth also represents the physical realm in general, as in the suit of Disks of the Tarot.
In that sense, the scribe is saying that he has forsworn material comforts to be in their service, and he did so in order to “search this river of Amrit and sail thereon as one of ye.” He wants to explore and experience the nature of the divine world and rejoice in the glory of higher consciousness just like they do.
In lieu of pay, the scribe demands something in return for his services. His “fee” is that he be able to “partake in the echo of their kisses” as they do this work together. He wants to join in and feel the joy.
“And immediately it was granted unto him.”
All he had to do was ask, and it was given to him. Indeed, the “echo of their kisses” was no doubt already right there for him to share all along, only he was not able to feel and partake in it.
This speaks to the nature of spirit that surrounds us in every moment. Magicians learn techniques to fine tune their reception to such subtle energies. One major contact for those in Thelema along these lines is with their Holy Guardian Angel.
The Holy Guardian Angel is here now, always watching and waiting. The veil between is very thin, but it can seem miles thick when conditions are not right. Yet, all it takes is a flip of one’s perspective, and the veil parts in a flash.
Unfortunately for the scribe, even though it was granted to him, he was not ready.
“Nay; but not therewith was he content. By an infinite abasement unto shame did he strive.”
The parable doesn’t say exactly what was wrong, but by this we can assume that he was not satisfied in a spiritual sense. The scribe had not felt the bliss and rapture he had expected. One wonders if the transactional nature of his bargain might have had something to do with it. Expecting to get something amazing, but with little understanding of its nature might make the outcome of a deal feel sour.
The scribe characterizes a person who is caught up in the foibles of the ego. He becomes jealous of the glorious experiences of his master and Adonai. His irritation turns into wrath. He makes demands of them, insisting that they should include him. And when they agree, and it is instantly given to him, even then he is still not happy.
The scribe tries harder and harder to raise his consciousness, and doing so in ways that become more extreme, even desperate. “By an infinite abasement unto shame did he strive.” Ultimately, all of his efforts fail.
It is important to note that the shame here is connected with the striving, rather than it being about how degrading his efforts or the humiliation of failure. It is the striving itself that is the problem. This is confirmed in the next part.
“Then, a voice: ) Thou strivest ever; even in thy yielding thou strivest to yield – and lo! thou yieldest not. Go thou unto the outermost places and subdue all things. Subdue thy fear and thy disgust. Then – yield!”
With the end of the parentheses here, we know that the breakout narrative is over, and the scene has resumed. But a new character has entered into the parable as a disembodied voice. It is possible that the speaker is either V.V.V.V.V. or Adonai, but the fact that this voice is not identified at all seems significant. This is an inner voice. The scribe’s higher self or Holy Guardian Angel has something to say.
The scribe is always striving, the voice says, and his attempts to yield fail because even then he is trying to yield, and yielding only comes when effort is put aside. The inner voice implies that the scribe must use a combination of striving and yielding if he wants to be successful.
This idea of striving and yielding represents the active and passive aspects of pursuing any objective. Striving means activity and it is reflected in Rajas, the fire and severity of Geburah, and a build up of tension, and it can be seen in the Will of the magician. Yielding means receptivity, and it is reflected in Tamas of the Gunas, the watery mercy of Chesed, a release of tension, and it comes with the letting go of lust of result. Both of these are important for success.
This dynamic exists in magical workings as well. The magician builds up energy and directs it with will towards the object of the operation (striving), and then releases all personal attachment to the outcome to let the universe do its work (yielding).
This is the key lesson of the parable. When one strives toward the attainment of a goal, it must be with a balanced approach of striving and yielding. It may seem paradoxical, but there needs to be an open and receptive side to counterbalance the striving. When striving is one-sided and unbalanced to the exclusion of all else, it tends to prevent the attainment of the goal.
For example, if the goal is to relax, and one is running around and jumping into activities that will “make” them relax, e.g. amusement parks, travel, vacations, concerts, etc. there will never be success but only exhaustion.
Trying too hard, overthinking, and second-guessing are ways that we strive to the extreme and can trip over our own feet. Yielding on the other hand is not giving up. Rather, it is a cessation of effort which prepares a space that we can hold in readiness for the results to come into.
Crowley talks of this dynamic as the two principles of Love in the second part of Liber CL de Lege Libellum:
“In the achievement of Love are two principles, that of mastering and that of yielding. But the nature of these is hard to explain, for they are subtle, and are best taught by Love Himself in the course of the operations. But it is to be said generally that the choice of one formula or the other is automatic, being the work of that inmost Will which is alive within you. Seek not then to determine consciously this decision, for herein true instinct is not liable to err.”
Finally, the Angel tells the scribe to go “unto the uttermost places and subdue all things.” This is referring to self mastery. He needs to work on himself.
The scribe has shown a lack of control in his envy of his master and Adonai, and his desire for attainment, and his constant striving. The scribe must dig into his shadow and resolve his issues. Fear and disgust must be overcome. All things, light and dark must be reconciled. Only then can he truly yield, and in yielding achieve the attainment that he seeks.
Conclusion
The key lesson of this parable uses the concepts of striving and yielding as examples of the ways we can achieve magical ends. The scribe struggles to connect to the divine, and it is his Holy Guardian Angel who advises him to yield — to truly and completely yield — and become an open receptive host for higher consciousness.
This parable is also interesting for the interaction between its characters and the levels of consciousness they represent. The scribe is basic human consciousness grounded in the material world but which aspires to the highest without true understanding. V.V.V.V.V. and Adonai represent those higher levels of attainment and spiritual consciousness which the scribe desires to experience. And “the voice” which is the scribe’s higher self or Holy Guardian Angel advises the scribe on the use of striving and yielding to get him there. The voice also imparts clear instruction on developing the self mastery that will allow him to succeed.
Hi Living Scribe...keep this coming, as it's so great to read. This is how the work of Gnosis must proceed...you writing abut your understanding, and flushing that out into text. Your experience grows and you give something to the Sanctuary of the Gnosis.