Ecstasy In Writing
Write, & find ecstasy in writing! Work, & be our bed in working! Thrill
with the joy of life & death! Ah! thy death shall be lovely: whososeeth it shall be glad. Thy death shall be the seal
of the promise of our age long love. Come! lift up thine heart & rejoice! We are one; we are none." Liber al vel Legis
2:66
Perhaps, because I am a writer, and find the practice to be a means of creative personal expression
that belongs in the arts, I have a personal understanding of the first sentence in this verse. There is, indeed, ecstasy in
writing. But it happens at those exquisite moments when the words flow like paint from a brush and you know, when you have
finished, that you have created something of value.
That kind of perfection is the level that every right-brained, creative person strives for in his
work. It is our calling. It is our will.
It is clear that Hadit was still addressing Crowley, a master writer, at the opening of this verse.
But there is so much more information hidden in the magickal words to follow. This seems to be a call for extreme life and
glorious death.
Not only do Crowley (and Donahue) find ecstasy in our craft, every star is called to "Work,
& be our bed in working!" The word "bed" is used in this case, to mean "foundation" or "support" for the construction
of something new . . . perhaps the new Aeon of Horus. Interesting that the words of the Book have briefly shifted away
from the personality of Hadit to either the dual persons of Hadit and Nuit, or possibility the trilogy, that includes the
son, Horus.
Notice that the first Book, or Chapter of the Book of the Law, containing Nuit's message of love,
ends at verse 66. The final chapters continue on. It is in this, the 66th chapter alone, that the delivery of the message
shifts from "I" to "We." We are told to "be our bed," and that "We are one . . . "
Thus we have a call from the entire force of creation . . .. the three mystic Gods of the Egyptian
world to strive for completeness in everything we do. Find ecstasy in art, be the foundation through perfection in our work,
and "thrill with the joy of life & death!" Everything should be done to the extreme. And all
unto Nuit.
Unlike the angelic controlled world system, where the slaves are programmed to fear death and judgment
by a fierce god that awaits them in the hereafter, the Gnostic message for followers of the book is that death is in reality:
"lovely: whososeeth it shall be glad. Thy death shall be the seal of the promise of our age long love."
That old saw: "the agony of death" is but a lie designed to enslave the masses through fear.
There is another thought about the references to death in the Book of the Law that deserves consideration
at this point. In esoteric circles, the concept of death also can be a reference to the control of mortal ego. The
ego is another name for the public mask that all humans create and learn to wear from the time they are children. It is a
cover that hides the real us. To achieve total freedom in the pursuit of will, it is believed that we all must learn to destroy
that mask so we show our real selves to all. Anyone who as tried, however, soon learns that destruction of the ego is a lifelong
task.
I believe, however, that the reference to death in this verse means exactly what it says. Death
. . . that is the physical passing from this existence to the next . . . is a pleasant and enjoyable event. True, there is
pain and discomfort in leaving this body, but that too is often self inflicted. Our decision to leave the body at will and
enter the realm of the spirit world at our moment of choosing is like a personal insurance policy. The only thing holding
us back when the time comes is religious oriented fear. If we have learned our lesson well, fear is no longer of
us.
Knowing this, the call is for the stars of Thelema to: "Come! lift up thine
heart & rejoice! We are one; we are none."
Again we are presented with the ancient Gnostic concept of oneness. Indeed, we share a single soul
that comes from the Earth under our feet. The planet is a living sentient being just as we are. It is God. We are God. It
is Nuit. We are Nuit. We are all a portion of her creation. Thus the energy from within, Hadit, flows from the planet. It
is therefore understandable why we can say that we are one.
Notice that the sentence shifts quickly to say that we also are none. Hadit describes himself as
none. He is the invisible energy from within. Our bodies are of the physical universe of Nuit. Thus we are both all and none.
Note that from the Cabala we learn that nothing, or Ain, equals the highest state of negative existence
above Kether.
Copyright - James Donahue
