All Joy Unto Nuit!
"If this be not aright; if ye confound the space-marks, saying: They are one;
or saying, They are many; if the ritual be not ever unto me: then expect the direful judgments of Ra Hoor Khuit!" Liber al
vel Legis 1:52
At the conclusion of Verse 51 Nuit instructs: "dress ye all in fine apparel;
eat rich foods and drink sweet wines and wines that foam! Also, take your will and fill of love as ye will, when, where, and
with whom ye will! But always unto me."
While the final sentence appears to have been delivered almost as an after-thought, we now find
a severe warning for anyone who takes these pleasures and fails to make them a holy ritual unto Nuit.
The verse needs to be examined: "If this be not aright; if ye confound the space-marks,
saying: They are one; or saying, They are many . . . "
Nuit speaks of a separation of humanity. There are those of us who choose to follow the Thelemite
teachings and those who turn to false gods. Some say there is one god, others worship many gods, but they all miss the mark.
They seek gold and silver, dress in fine clothes and don lovely jewelry, put on sweet smelling perfumes, drink fine and foaming
wines, and take their fill of love. But they go to church the next day repentant and and confessing their "sins" of joy to
a false god.
This is an abomination to Nuit. She does not recognize free expressions of joy and love by her people
as sin. The sin, to her, is the restriction of guilt generated by the wicked church. In
verse 41 she proclaims: "The word of sin is restriction."
Such wickedness, she warns, "confound the space-marks." What does this
mean? Is this a reference to powers that keep watch? The word confound not only means to perplex and confuse, but the old
English interpretation was to bring to destruction and waste.
Aleister Crowley points out in his book The Law is for All, that the warning may also be directed
to those of us who attempt to follow the teachings of Thelema.
"It is not true to say either that we are separate stars or one star," Crowley wrote. "Each star
is individual, yet each is bound to the others by law. The freedom under law is one of the most difficult yet important doctrines
of this book."
Crowley then develops a lengthy discourse on how sexual liberty might be a trap if used in the wrong
way. He said the caveat in the threat is of special concern "because of the obscurity of its terms . . . it becomes evident
that one type of act is forbidden, with the penalty of falling altogether from the law of liberty to the code of crime."
He notes that "We are permitted to take our fill and will o love as we will, when, where and with
whom we will, but there is nothing said about why we will. On the contrary, despite the infinite variety of lawful means,
there is one and only one end held lawful, and not more than one. The act has only one legitimate object; it must be performed
unto Nuit."
It has been said by magickians and priests of the esoteric world that there are two sublime human
events that bring us directly into the presence of our creator (Nuit). One is death and the other is the orgasm. There is
nothing more perfect than a man and woman, following the path of natural love under will, who reach the state of orgasm at
the same moment and doing so in holy ritual to Nuit.
Crowley suggested that any sexual act, ranging from masturbation to homosexuality, also is acceptable
if done in holy ritual.
The sex act is not the only thing we are invited to perform as a holy ritual, however. In Verse
51 Nuit said: "Dress ye all in fine apparel; eat rich foods and drink sweet wines and wines that foam!"
In other words: Party on Thelemites, but never forget our love of Nuit, the one who gave us this
world, this liberty, and the ability to sample the sensual pleasures in our grasp.
The threat of judgment for the Thelemites may not be as severe as Crowley feared.
Nuit understands that in the ecstasy of the moment, we may sometimes forget the ritualistic mindset during
love making, especially after we have partaken of the wine that foams. She is forgiving.
But she warns: "If the ritual be not ever unto me: then expect the direful judgments
of Ra Hoor Khuit!"
If we are of the world and no more aware of Nuit than the masses that rape and ravage one another
as well as the Earth, then we can expect to fall under the "direful judgments" of the crowned and conquering child. For these,
the judgment will be severe.
Copyright - James Donahue
