Anthony Testa - The Key of the Abyss.pdf

In one of the more famous quotes from Liber 49, Babalon informs
Parsons he will undertake the Black Pilgrimage 171 . The first verse of
this section refers to Crowley’s ritual performed in his “Great magical
Retirement” in which it appears that Parsons, at this point not yet a
Magister Templi, will be the sacrifice in a similar ritual 172 ; Now is the
hour of birth at hand. Now shall my adept be crucified in the Basilisk
abode 173 . This is a perplexing verse and one wonders what Parsons
may have made of it. As we shall see when we look further into the
data encoded Kabbalistically into Liber 49, and as several
commentators have pointed out, the being behind the book seems to be
more in tune to the Great Old Ones of Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos
171 See Analysis of the Black Pilgrimage, this volume.
172
As Liber 70 is designed to “capture” an elemental spirit of a “Mercurial nature” and we
might speculate that Parsons was to assume this role as, perhaps, a guardian. Perhaps in his
death, from the explosion of fulminate of mercury, he did.
173
Liber 49, Verse 48 Crowley’s Liber 70 provides some detail:
STAUROS BATRACHOU,
the Ceremonies proper to obtaining
a familiar spirit of a Mercurial
nature as described in the
Apocalypse of St. John the Divine
from a frog or toad
STAUROS BATRACHOU
He had crucified a toad
In thee basilisk abode,
Muttering the Runes averse
Mad with many a mocking curse.
and
Section V
This sentence is then executed. After the mocking upon the Cross, say thus: Do what thou wilt
shall be the whole of the Law. I, the Great Beast, slaying thee, Jesus of Nazareth, the slavegod,
under the form of this creature of frogs, do bless this creature in the name of the +
Father and of the + Son and of the + Holy Ghost. And I assume unto myself and take into my
service the elemental spirit of this frog, to be about me as a lying spirit, to go forth upon the
earth as a guardian to me in my Work for Man; that men may speak of my piety and of my
gentleness and of all virtues and bring to me love and service and all material things soever
where I may stand in need. And this shall be its reward, to stand beside me and hear the truth
that I utter, the falsehood whereof shall deceive men. Love is the law, love under will.
Then shalt thou stab the frog to the heart with the Dagger of Art, saying: Into my hands I
receive thy spirit.
Interestingly, this ritual will provide us with some insight when we turn toward the use of
Apocalyptic imagery and loci in magick.
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