Liber
Resh
From Thelemapedia
Liber Resh vel Helios, by Aleister Crowley, comprises four daily
adorations to the Sun, to be performed at dawn, noon, sunset,
and midnight. The general object is to focus the conscious mind
on the center of our solar system. We will be performing the four
stations of Resh daily during the Babalon Rising festival, and
recommend that attendees familiarize themselves with this short
and powerful Thelemic ritual.
Table of contents
"The object of this practice is firstly to remind the aspirant
at regular intervals of the Great Work; secondly, to bring him
into conscious personal relation with the centre of our system;
and thirdly, for advanced students, to make actual magical contact
with the spiritual energy of the sun and thus to draw actual force
from him." (Confessions, p. 673)
"Particularly useful against the fear of death is the punctual
and vigorous performance of Liber Resh. Meditate on the sun in
each station: his continuous and even way: the endless circle."
(Magick Without Tears, Chapter LXIII)
"The first essential is the dedication of all that one
is and all that one has to the Great Work, without reservation
of any sort. This must be kept constantly in mind; the way to
do this is to practice Liber Resh vel Helios...The important thing
is not to forget." (Magick Without Tears, Introduction)
"Resh"
Resh is a Hebrew letter. It equates to the English "R"
and translates as "head." Within the Qabalah, Resh is
on the 30th Path between Hod and Yesod. This Path is symbolized
by the Sun and the various sun gods, such as Ra, Helios, and Apollo.
Performance
Liber Resh was written for members of Crowley's order, the A.'.A.'..
There are ten grades in this order, and each is assigned a sign,
or bodily posture, generally used for meditation or ritual purpose.
If a member of A.'.A.'. is performing Resh, he or she is to stand
in the sign representing their current grade in all four stations.
If the adorant is not in A.'.A.'., Crowley gives four signs to
be used for each station:
-
Dawn: all four L.V.X. Signs (Osiris Slain,
Isis Mourning, Typhon, and Osiris Risen)
-
Noon: Sign of Fire, Thoum-aesh-neith (4°=7#)
-
Sunset: Sign of Air, the God Shu supporting
the sky (2°=9#)
-
Midnight: Sign of Water, the Goddess Auramoth
(3°=8#)
The Text
0. These are the adorations to be performed by aspirants to the
A.'. A.'.
1. Let him greet the Sun at dawn, facing East, giving the sign
of his grade. And let him say in a loud voice:
Hail unto Thee who art Ra in Thy
rising, even unto Thee who art Ra in Thy strength, who travellest
over the Heavens in Thy bark at the Uprising of the Sun. Tahuti
standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at
the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Night!
2. Also at Noon, let him greet the Sun, facing South, giving
the sign of his grade. And let him say in a loud voice:
Hail unto Thee who art Ahathoor in
Thy triumphing, even unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy beauty,
who travellest over the heavens in thy bark at the Mid-course
of the Sun. Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and
Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of
Morning!
3. Also, at Sunset, let him greet the Sun, facing West, giving
the sign of his grade. And let him say in a loud voice:
Hail unto Thee who art Tum in Thy
setting, even unto Thee who art Tum in Thy joy, who travellest
over the Heavens in Thy bark at the Down-going of the Sun. Tahuti
standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at
the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Day!
4. Lastly, at Midnight, let him greet the Sun, facing North,
giving the sign of his grade, and let him say in a loud voice:
Hail unto thee who art Khephra in
Thy hiding, even unto Thee who art Khephra in Thy silence, who
travellest over the heavens in Thy bark at the Midnight Hour of
the Sun. Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor
abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Evening.
5. And after each of these invocations thou shalt give the sign
of silence, and afterward thou shalt perform the adoration that
is taught thee by thy Superior. And then do thou compose Thyself
to holy meditation.
6. Also it is better if in these adorations thou assume the God-form
of Whom thou adorest, as if thou didst unite with Him in the adoration
of That which is beyond Him.
7. Thus shalt thou ever be mindful of the Great Work which thou
hast undertaken to perform, and thus shalt thou be strengthened
to pursue it unto the attainment of the Stone of the Wise, the
Summum Bonum, True Wisdom and Perfect Happiness.
The Egyptian Godforms
in Liber Resh
-
Ra—The sun god.
-
Tahuti—The god of knowledge, wisdom, and
writing.
-
Ra-Hoor—The hawk-headed patron god of
the Pharaohs.
-
Ahathoor—The cow-headed goddess of love,
music and dance.
-
Tum—The first formed of the nine primary
Egyptian gods.
-
Khephra—Form of Ra as a scarab, or dung
beetle.
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