Anthony Testa - The Key of the Abyss.pdf

Chapter 11 : The Ordeal of the Abyss
The Negative or so-called false Sephirot is Da’ath which is, as we
have noted, coterminous with the Abyss. The Abyss is the gulf
between the individual mind and Cosmic Consciousness, between
manifestation and non-manifestation, or between life and death. The
plane that the magician must cross on his own, without any assistance
whatever 128 .
In Nightside of Eden Grant explains: The eleventh power-zone, Daäth,
is attributed to Uranus and is the Abode of the Black Brothers, when
viewed from the sphere of Malkuth (Earth). The Black Brothers are
represented phenomenally by those who view the universe as an
objective reality. The Scientists are their prototypes. Daäth being the
Gate of the Abyss is the point both of ingress into noumenon and of
egress into phenomena; in other words it is the gateway of the
manifestation of non-manifestation. 129
This description provides us with the first point in our analysis. Grant
sees the Abyss as not merely the barrier between the universe and the
Plenum or Supernal universe, it is also the means by which force or
power transitions from one to the other. Note also that Grant here
makes a vital distinction, one which shall prove to be a part of the
foundation upon which we will build our model. Grant notes that the
false Sephirot Da’ath (which is usually said to be knowledge in the
phenomenal sense) is the region of the Black Brothers but only when
viewed from the sphere of Malkuth (Earth). That is to say, the
understanding of the Black Brothers, or for that matter any
transcendental force or being, cannot be viewed without a point of
view. This, naturally seems obvious, and yet so much of the criticism
of Grant from the “orthodox” Thelemites falls victim to this trap. To
argue for or against the ideas that Grant presents in his book, ideas
which I find most useful in interpreting my own experiences, reveals
128 Encyclopedia of Occultism
129 Kenneth Grant, Nightside of Eden, Skoob
90