ON THE SCARLET WOMEN

by J. Edward Cornelius
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law - AL I:40

“Glory unto the Scarlet Woman, Babalon the Mother of Abominations,

that rideth upon the Beast, for she hath spilt their blood in every corner of the earth 
and lo! she hath mingled it in the cup of her whoredom.”
 – The Vision and the Voice, 12th Aethyr

When Aleister Crowley published Magick in Theory and Practice in 1929 he included a
chapter titled Of Our Lady BABALON and of The Beast whereon she rideth. He begins this
chapter by stating – “The contents of this section, inasmuch as they concern OUR LADY,
are too important and too sacred to be printed. They are only communicated by the Master
Therion to chosen pupils in private instruction.” Since Crowley’s method of sex magick is
still as elusive today as it was in his day and because he was ambiguous about the general
magickal nature of women, her function is often interpreted erroneously by those outside
his system. So let me discuss a woman’s role as I’ve come to understand it in my forty-five
years of being a Thelemite while studying and practicing Crowley’s magick. I was not only
an upper degree in both O.T.O. and A.'.A.'. under Frater Hymenaeus Alpha (Grady Louis
McMurtry 1918-1985), but I was his personal student. Aleister Crowley acknowledged in
his diary on December 22nd 1944 that he taught Grady “more solid instruction in IX than I
ever gave before to any one!” What you are about to read is some of what Crowley taught
to Grady, and then Grady taught to me. However, I have to be careful with what I say as not
to offend the most egocentric of Queen Bees. It is no secret that a man talking about a
woman’s role in any capacity is like thrusting his arm down the throat of a lion and hoping
it’s not bitten off. 

First and most important, to appreciate Crowley’s views on sex magick you must approach
the subject from three primary standpoints which dominated his thinking; that of the
Qabalah, Alchemy and the Holy Grail. You cannot, nor will you ever be able to understand
Crowley’s brand of sex magick solely from studying eastern Tantra. In this light we know
that Crowley saw all women as having two primary roles as both the Mother and the
Daughter. They assume the role of High Priestess in the Gnostic Mass, they claim the title
of the Scarlet Woman and they think themselves Babalon but more often than not they
simply act like Kundry from the Grail mythos. Then again, Crowley leaves us with no
uncertainties; to him she is the Priestess of the Holy Grail. Each of these monikers reveals a
subtlety behind a woman’s magickal universe; however, it is important to recognize that the
quest of the Holy Grail and Sacred Lance is not a mere intellectual pursuit in appreciations
of old romances. It is a spiritual path that is as significant today as it was hundreds of years
ago. This means that if a woman cannot ‘live’ the path then she has no right to claim any of
its titles. If she does, they are simply monikers without substance. 

Let us begin by reviewing the most obvious things that we know about Babalon. She is a
goddess originating in the mystical system of Aleister Crowley. It is his name for the
Mother residing in the third Sephiroth on the Otz Chiim or Tree of Life which is known as
Binah (‫ ;)בינה‬being a Hebrew word meaning Understanding. Within the confines of
Crowley’s system this sphere is often termed the City of the Pyramids but more importantly,
it is the Grail Castle. Here Babalon is Queen, the complement of the King or the Father,
Lord Chaos, who resides within the second sphere of Chokmah (‫ ;)חכמה‬which means
Wisdom. In alchemy the King and Queen are united in an eternal sexual embrace; he holds
the Sacred Lance, she the Holy Grail. They are as one, they are not separate. We only see
them as two figures and two distinct objects because of our inability below the Abyss to
understand that there is no division above. One of the greatest western magickal formulas
depicting this theory is that of the word ON; being two letters conjoined.

ON respectively adds to 120 (Nun-50 + Ayin-70 = 120). This is the Hidden Truth carved
over the doorway of the burial vault of the founder of the Rosicrucian movement, Christian
Rosenkreutz. In Latin, it reads “Post CXX Annos Patebo”, which is often translated as –
“After 120 Years I will open.” Crowley informs us in The Equinox Vol. I, No.5, in The
Temple of Solomon the King that “120 = 1x2x3x4x5, and thus a synthesis of the power of
the pentagram.” The aspect of one through five also refers to the Rose Cross with its four
arms and central point of light. Crowley adds a further piece of information on this topic by
noting – “Hence its importance is thus seen in the 5°=6* ritual, q.v. supra Equinox, No.III.”
Here he refers to the 120 years it takes symbolically to go through the first ‘five’ grades of
the First Order of The Golden Dawn from Malkuth to Tiphereth, the Sun. 

Crowley carefully wrote about the secrets of ON in Liber Aleph, The Book of Wisdom or
Folly which contains what he has stated to be the clearest description of “the heart of his
doctrine, as well as the truth behind the magickal formula of ON…” To grasp an
understanding of this formula consider the two letters O and N as a western model for the
Yang and the Yin. In the Grail legends the Yang is known as King Amfortas, the Yin is
called Kundry. While residing in the Grail Castle she is seen as a shabby and repulsive old
Saturnian crone who serves the King not only as a Queen but more importantly as a servant
and High Priestess of the Holy Grail. Like the King, the Queen cannot reside below the
Abyss. It’s a misnomer to think otherwise. However, their quintessential essence can
descend but first it must establish a suitable vehicle; hence the need for children, similar to
those whose roles are depicted in the Gnostic Mass (Liber XV Ecclesiae Gnosticae
Catholicae Canon Missae). In the Queen’s case the female child will adopt the title as one
of the whores ‘of’ Babalon, but not Babalon itself. As a whore she’ll wear the moniker of a
Scarlet Woman but make absolutely no mistake about it; she and Babalon are inseparable,
being one and the same; Mother and Daughter. 

To appreciate the complexities of a woman’s role Crowley informs us that we must be

completely acquainted with the Tetragrammaton (τετραγράμματον) and for a woman to
ignore any single aspect of this formula, focusing solely on herself, makes it impossible for
her to embrace the role as a Scarlet Woman. The Tetragrammaton is a Greek word meaning
‘four letters’. In this case it refers to ‫יהוה‬. This formula details the Mystical Union of the
Father of Chokmah-2 (Yod-‫ )י‬and Mother of Binah-3 (He-‫ )ה‬above the Abyss. Here we
learn that their union brings about the birth of their quintessential essence in the form of the
Son (Vau-‫)ו‬. From a Qabalistic point-of-view, once the Son descends below the Abyss as
spheres from Chesed-4 (‫ )חסד‬to Hod (‫ )הוד‬he becomes known as the Ruach (Spirit) which is
our conscious and unconscious mind; half known, half unknown. What complicates this
theory for modern magicians, who must wade through a wealth of material, is that
Theosophical and Golden Dawn schools teach us that the Son works out of six spheres from
Chesed-4 (‫ )חסד‬to Yesod-9 (‫)יסוד‬. Later Qabalists like Aleister Crowley, Israel Regardie,
Dion Fortune, Paul Foster Case and many others have come to believe that this is utterly
wrong. Aleister Crowley points out in Little Essays Toward Truth that the “Ruach is a
closely-knitted group of Five Moral and Intellectual principles, concentrated on their core,
Tiphareth, the Principle of Harmony, the Human Consciousness and Will of which the four
other Sephiroth are (so to speak) the feelers.” Why this is important will become obvious. 

Everything that is birthed below the Abyss is instantly bathed in duality which
automatically implies that besides a Son there must be his opposite or a twin sister, a
Daughter (2nd He-‫ )ה‬who is also birthed at the exact same moment. We now know that the
Daughter resides in the spheres of Yesod-9 (‫ )יסוד‬and Malkuth-10 (‫)מלכות‬. One sphere is
called the Nephesch which is our animalistic Soul or libido while the other is a mere vehicle
known as our bodies. In this light the Daughter is the projected vehicle of Babalon, she is
also every mortal woman. Crowley sums up Tetragrammaton quite nicely in Liber Aleph –
“Firstly, the Effect of the Operation of Yod and Hé is not Vau only, but with Vau appeareth
also a new Hé, as a By-Product, and She is mysterious, being at once the Flower of the
Three Others, and their Poison.” In other words, due to her sexual nature, the Daughter or
women in general, have a dual role as both saint and sinner which bathes their Tree in virtue
and vice. 
To further appreciate the importance of both Son and Daughter below the Abyss one might
wish to study the chapter titled On the Keys of Death and the Devil, Arcana of the Tarot of
the RC Brotherhood in Liber Aleph, here Crowley states – “It shall profit thee much, o my
Son, or I err, that I instruct thee in the Mystery of the Paths of Nun and of Ayin, that in our
Rota are figured in the Atu called Death, and in that called The Devil.” In Hebrew Ayin is
the letter ‘O’ while Nun is the letter ‘N’. And in the very next chapter titled Further on these
Paths he adds that one of these letters is “the Formula of the Man, as the other was of the
Woman.” Again, above the Abyss the Father (‫ )י‬and Mother (‫ )ה‬are depicted by one single
word or ON but once having descended below the Abyss as the Son (‫ )ו‬and Daughter (2nd
‫ )ה‬they become divided for love’s sake into two letters: O & N. These letters connect to the
Sun (Tiphereth-‫ )תפארת‬from opposite pillars of the Tree of Life; both left and right. Crowley
writes in Magick in Theory and Practice, Chapter III titled The Formula of Tetragrammaton
that the 2nd He – “... is both the twin sister and the daughter of Vau.” Adding that the Son’s
mission is to “redeem her by making her his bride; the result of this is to set her upon the
throne of her mother.” Of this four-fold alchemical formula he further writes – “It is the
second half of the formula which symbolizes the Great Work which we are pledged to
accomplish.” The secret is to first learn about your heritage; your Father and Mother and
then focus on living the second half of the equation which symbolizes what we are aspiring
towards as mortals, both men and women. Here we learn, as much as the Son and Daughter
have distinct roles manifesting the entirety of the Tree of Life, their marriage takes place
between only two of the Sephiroth or when they assume the roles as Hod (‫ )הוד‬and Netzach
(‫)נצח‬.

Of the Father and Mother, Crowley mentions in The Book of Thoth that these are the
Greater Mysteries “of the Lance and the Cup” (Fire and Water) which reside above the
Abyss. This union represents Light and Life. The Lesser Mysteries below the Abyss refer to
the Son and Daughter who represent the Sword and Disk. The Sword “slays the god that his
head may be offered on a Plate, or Disk” (Air and Earth). This union represents Liberty and
Love and refers to mortal copulation. As it is said, every number is infinite, and there is no
difference, so let the Son and the Daughter come to terms with the fact that they are divided
for love’s sake, for the chance of union and so let there be no difference between them;
whereas these two must seek to become One. Basically, the mindset of the Son issuing forth
Liberty (i.e. Freedom) must be positioned in Hod while the Daughter, who expounds Love,
does so in Netzach. Their Sacred Marriage will unite the letters O and N in the sphere of
Tiphereth (‫ ;)תפארת‬this being the sphere of The Great Work. In Liber XV, which is the
central rite of the O.T.O. both private and public, ON is described as, “Our Lord and Father
the Sun who travellest over the heavens.” To appreciate this formula of mortal copulation in
regards to Crowley’s sex magick you must understand that he denotes this cryptically
throughout his writings by the letters PK which he states is “the initials of our athanor and
our cucurbite, their name in the language of the Greeks.” The letter P stands for Phallus
(Φαλλος) which is often referred to in alchemy as the Athanor. This instrument provides a
uniform and constant heat in which the Lion is tamed and it necessitates that the Lion
cannot be allowed to boil over. The Lion must be slowly heated, and after repeated boiling
and simmering, which allows the vapour to rise, it will then flow into a glass tube, where it
cools, condenses, and finally under “full flame” Crowley claims that “the Lion passeth
over” and runs into the second vessel or flask underneath which he refers to as the cucurbit.
The letter K stands for Kteis (Κτείς) or a woman’s vagina. This is the Cucurbit or the
‘vessel’ where the blood of the Red Lion is mingled with the Gluten of the White Eagle.
With the drawing below it becomes very clear of the sexual implications of these two
alchemical glass vessels. The Athanor is seen to the left which refers to the sphere of Hod (
‫ )הוד‬with its ‘extended phallus’ inside the Cucurbit or Netzach (‫ )נצח‬which is depicted to the
right. The Fire (Bunsen burner) refers to the path of Shin and the Water (faucet) refers to
Mem which are the two paths on either side of Hod on the Tree of Life. These paths are
heating and cooling the Lion in preparation for transferring it to mingle with the Eagle in
the Cucurbit.

It is these Lesser Mysteries of PK which are symbolically portrayed in the Gnostic

Mass. This ritual is designed to unconsciously draw the participants into the Greater
Mysteries of the Sacred Lance and Holy Grail above the Abyss. To understand: the High
Altar represents the Grail Castle. The twin pillars or Columns of white and black are known
as Jachin and Boaz. The Lotus Crowns on top of these pillars respectively refer to Binah
and Chokmah. Between these pillars is a hidden or Single Column, not to be seen in the
Lesser Mysteries. Besides representing the first Qabalistic sphere of Kether (‫)כתר‬, the
Crown, one should also remember these words from Crowley’s The Ship, A Mystery Play
(Liber DCCC-800), scene I titled The Temple of The Sun, which begins – “Behind a veil is
a column ...” It is upon this column that the main character named John is bound and
scourged until the white robe is red with blood. The secret behind this column will be
disclosed when a candidate takes Fifth Degree O.T.O. which occurs in the sphere of the
Tiphereth (i.e. the Sun). Here we learn that all three pillars teach us how to fortify our
journey on the path toward the Holy Grail so that we do not err, so that we will be sustained
in every ordeal and so that we will be comforted. This refers to the Mysteries of the letters
T.S.L. which a candidate now sees as independent letters on three columns. These letters
refer to Truth (‫)אמת‬, Silence (‫ )שתיקה‬and Love (‫)אהב‬. In the Gnostic Mass the High Priestess
of the Holy Grail sits on the High Altar between these pillars which forms a triangle. The
Double-Cube altar directly in front of the High Altar represents the sphere of Tiphereth. In
front of this altar is the Font and being a holder of the Sacred Water it represents Yesod.
Beyond this is the Tomb, referring to our bodies on Malkuth or the Kingdom (‫)מלכות‬. In an
essay titled 666, Sex and the O.T.O., Gerald Yorke notes that Crowley wrote how the
‘Gnostic Mass’ is “a service in which he enshrined the secret of the Ninth Degree.”
According to Grady McMurtry, Crowley told him that the O.T.O. lessons which are
unconsciously taught in the first two points of the Mass (I & II) refer to Malkuth-10 and
Yesod-9. Stage III refers to Hod-8 and is called Of the Ceremony of the Introit. The word
introit is from the Latin introitus, meaning the entrance, or one who enters. Since Hod is the
sphere of the Son (Vau-‫ )ו‬and the Phallus, it is at this stage where the Priest exits the Tomb
carrying his Lance ‘erect’ which implies much; especially considering that upon
‘completion’ of this section the Priest is given a crown adorned with the Uraeus Serpent or
rearing Cobra which sits directly over his Ajna chakra (Chokmah). This implies that the
Priest is successful in ‘thinking correctly’ having been taught VIIth Degree, he has tamed
the Lion and fully understands the Mystery of Mystery behind the symbolic phallic Temple
of Saladin (Minerval through Third). To fully grasp what has just been said one should read
De Formula Tota in Liber Aleph. Here we learn that in the Mass the Priest’s crown is a
representation of the Lion-Serpent (i.e. child) that is being properly put into place and thus
what is on the Mind now has “the Right of Incarnation.” 

To achieve this state the Priest must know how to formulate a Magical Link which is an
alchemical process known as Solve et Coagula. This is carefully taught in chapter XIV Of
the Consecrations: with an Account of the Nature and Nurture of the Magical Link in
Magick in Theory and Practice. Gerald Yorke has written that – “the ‘solve’ form of the
alchemical formula is unavoidable. The technique of creating the particular ‘astral being’ or
‘thought-form’ that you require is reasonably simple, since it merely involves a
development of concentration and willpower within the scope of the normal man. The
difficulty begins with the second half of the operation – ‘coagula.’ The ‘astral being,’
‘thought form,’ ‘bud-will’ or whatever you choose to call what you have created needs
nourishment and direction. It cannot affect another person or thing if it dies or if you have
not perfected the ‘magical link’ between it and the object of your will. This technique still is
and should remain secret. If you cannot work it out for yourself you are not entitled to be
entrusted with it.” This was exactly how the O.T.O. used to acknowledge a IX . They
could not be made, they had to prove to Crowley that they already knew the secret and then
he would recognize them as a IX and give them the final secret; a grade paper called IXo
Emblems and Mode of Use. To appreciate what Yorke is saying about this you must know
the secrets behind the letters TSL. Basically, the Son within the Phallus of Hod (III ) must
be duly prepared for transcending Death into a new incarnation (Solve). His Word must
utter only Truth (T) for like the mysteries of Al-Hallaj, nothing but Truth can lie under his
Turban closest to his ‘head’ (i.e. ϕαλλος). Upon conquering death he is then properly
nourished (Coagula) through Love (L) within the Kteis of the Daughter who resides in
Netzach (IV). Love is the Law, love under Will. The Great Work is accomplished in
Silence (S) but failure to create this Magickal Link proper makes IX  all but impossible.  

To elucidate this Mystery a bit further I might use, as an example, the First Degree
initiation ritual of O.T.O which is the link between the Seed (Minerval) above the Abyss
and Life (Second Degree) below. The ritual is divided into three sections. The first point is
called The Oath, the Second Point is called Bringing-forth and the Third Point is titled
Nourishment. 

According to Grady McMurtry the First Point or Oath refers to the lessons a magician
will learn in VII (Chastity). In this section the candidate is hoodwinked; which implies
many things, but in sex magick this informs us that the ϕαλλος should pay more attention to
what lies within at the center of the circle rather than focusing on the world around itself. It
is in the scented garden of our Hearts where we must raise an Idol on Temple Mount and
worship it proper, while most importantly, not releasing the Lion. The Book of the Law
should never be ignored at this stage for it offers us Truth (Thelema). 

The Second Point or the Bringing-forth refers to lessons taught in VIII ; the
candidate’s hoodwink is removed allowing the Lion to be free, hence the teachings about
how to release the Lion which is known as the way of the Dagger (Air) in the Lesser
Mysteries. 

The Third Point or Nourishment refers to IX or sexual Union wherein the proper
nourishment of the Lion with the Eagle occurs. This is the way of the Disk (Earth) in the
Lesser Mysteries and of the Host in the Gnostic Mass. This stage is bathed in Love (Agape).
“Love is the law, love under will.” (AL I:57)

It is in the Third Point of the First Degree initiation where the first three secrets of the
Order were communicated to the candidate. These represent the Trinity above the Abyss;
The Book of the Law, the Dagger and the Disk; Kether, Chokmah and Binah. Since First
Degree occurs in the sphere of Binah each candidate is given a copper Disk.

Reviewing each Point of this ritual with these ideas in mind opens up the real Mysteries to
this initiation and how it creates a Magickal Link from Above the Abyss to Below, although
admittedly this will be hard to understand due to the fact that certain important secrets have
yet to be revealed which can only be acquired in future initiations. 

No matter how much a man prepares, without proper nourishment the Lion dies. To
appreciate a woman’s role as it relates to Love (Agape), consider the fact that after Stage III
of the Gnostic Mass we arrive at Stage IV which refers to Netzach-7 or Venus whose sacred
metal is copper. This stage is called Of the Ceremony of the Opening of the Veil. The Son is
about to ‘enter’ the realm of the Daughter (2nd He-‫ )ה‬or rather Babalon’s Temple below the
Abyss. This section begins with the Priest raising his Lance which is symbolical of an erect
penis having been properly prepared in the sphere of Hod (III). Toward the end of this
section is where the Priestess sits bare and rejoicing upon the altar behind closed veils in a
‘Secret Temple’ (AL I:62). In Tantric rites a ‘veil’ is emblematic of a woman’s labia and
once this is realized the symbolism behind the Gnostic Mass makes perfect sense as to what
enters and is being entered and why the veils are inevitably parted by the Priest’s ‘Lance’.
The long glass tube of the Athanor is being inserted in the Cucurbit. At this single moment
we find the portrayal of the union of the Left and Right Hand Pillars, of O and N. This
union produces ON or the Sun, which brings us to the next stage of the Mass or Part V titled
Of The Office of the Collects which are Eleven in Number (The Sun). Again, the Sun refers
to Tiphereth-6 wherein an individual takes Fifth Degree and where the Great Work is first
embraced, not fulfilled as so often believed. 

Now that we understand some of the overall principles related to Tetragrammaton it is

important to examine the dual role of Kundry as Mother (‫ )ה‬and Daughter (2nd ‫ ;)ה‬as saint
and sinner which bathes a woman’s Tree of ‘Knowledge of Good & Evil’ with virtue and
vice. Below the Abyss a women’s role as the lower Kundry is situated between Malkuth (
‫)מלכות‬, Yesod (‫ )יסוד‬and Netzach (‫ )תפארת‬but she should primarily focus on the path ruled by
the Thoth card known as The Moon to understand her nature. Kundry epitomizes the two
major phases of the Moon, both full and new. In Aleister Crowley’s IXteachings he informs
us that when a woman’s phase is that of Full she receives the Light of a Sun down through
the path of Death (N) and glows like the Holy Grail in the last act of Wagner’s Parsival after
it has finally been uncovered. Then again, in her New Moon phase of darkness she becomes
overwhelming and all consuming. In this phase, a demon takes control of the woman and
possesses her in lustful ways, wherein she has no Light. This informs us that while
traversing the path of The Moon a woman is able to divide herself between Light and
Darkness, good and evil. When wallowing in her New Moon phase on the path of The
Moon she resides closer to Malkuth (Want) while in her Full Moon phase she is drawn
upward toward Netzach (Will) in order to fulfill the formula of N in ON. Crowley
acknowledges this basic theory; women being evil in their capacity to restrict and ‘pervert
men’ while at the same time being the High Priestesses of the Holy Grail. The question is; if
this is her nature, can either extreme be wrong? The mask that every woman wears at birth
must have been given for a reason. 

To understand, consider the fact that Minerval initiation in O.T.O. occurs in two of the
seven primary Chakras which are wheel-like vortexes attached to our spine. The chakras
activated are the Ajna and Muladhara chakras or ‘Mind and Body’. In both men and women
these will assist in helping to discern between good and evil. Carl Gustav Jung (1875-
1961), the founder of modern analytical psychology, saw the interchange of these two
specific chakras as being essential in his theories regarding Kundalini yoga which are
examined very carefully in The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga, Notes of the Seminar Given
in 1932. In Crowley’s magickal system men naturally begin in the sphere of Chokmah
while women begin in Malkuth/Yesod; but neither is better off than the other and Mind
(Chokmah) should never be considered as intellect or intelligence. Mind is, in a Thelemic
sense, the absence of mundane thought which allows us to be driven by our True Will. With
this knowledge we learn that men must first learn to control their Mind in sex magick,
women must focus upon their Bodies. Thelemically, Hadit quests for Nuit, Nuit quests for
Hadit. The interplay of these poles in both sexes produces Ra-Hoor-Khuit, or the Sun.
“Every man and every woman is a star.” (AL I:3) In regards to this Sacred Union from an
O.T.O. point-of-view, Grady McMurtry taught that a IX man uses his Mind while all
woman use their Bodies hence the reasons why a woman, merely sleeping with IX, can
become a IX. However, for her to deny her flesh, ignoring her sexuality, means that she
‘nourishes’ nothing according to the IX secrets and she is not worthy of the degree.
Nourishing implies redeeming a barren Kingdom of which she, like Eve, must take part of
the responsibility for corrupting in the first place. However, since women (as Kundry) have
used their bodies for centuries to corrupt men and hinder them in their spiritual pursuits
many religions see them as being evil creatures but in truth, a woman’s body is not evil  per
se, since her flesh is part of God’s creation. Instead, exactly like men, her free choice to
operate her flesh either through her Wants or her True Will is the determining factor as to
whether or not she embraces herself as a spiritual vehicle or a hindrance not only to herself
but to men as well. The ancients knew that of all aspects relating to mankind, none is more
elusive or harder to understand than our bodies. Our bodies are the Sanctum Sanctorum or
the Holy of Holies containing a Spirit of God and in The Holy Bible it is metaphorically
referred to as the Tabernacle which is a portable shrine or dwelling place of God. If we
delve deep enough into the bowels of this Temple, down one corridor and then another, we
inevitably approach what the Qabalists call the Abyss or what the Knights refer to as the
Grail Castle. When we cross this threshold we enter into the Inner Sanctuary of the Order
known as the S.S. (Silver Star) whose initials add to 120; the same value as the word ON.

Crowley informs us that for a woman to shift her sexuality into becoming a vehicle of her
True Will she (and men for that matter too) needs to exercise constantly the first of Eight
Limbs of Yoga which is called Yama. According to most authorities this limb details
“Universal Morality.” However, Crowley opposed using the term ‘Morality.’ He wrote –
“Yama is the easiest of the eight limbs of Yoga to define, and corresponds pretty closely to
our word ‘control.’ When I tell you that some have translated it ‘morality,’ you will shrink
appalled and aghast at this revelation of the brainless baseness of humanity.” All in all,
women must remember that morality is a misleading term. It implies someone, somewhere,
has decided what is good and what is bad for you in order to control you. It is imperative for
a woman to always remember that accepting any moralistic beliefs by others may well be
contrary to the Laws of your own Universe as a newly Fixed Star. Consider these words of
William Blake – “I must create a System or be enslav’d by another man’s.” Crowley would
most likely agree, as he informs us – “The result of all this is that all of you who are worth
your salt will be absolutely delighted when I tell you to scrap all the rules and discover your
own.” And then he adds, “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. That is Yama.”
He then notes – “Your True Will is to attain the consummation of marriage with the
universe, and your ethical code must constantly be adapted precisely to the conditions of
your experiment. Even when you have discovered what your code is, you will have to
modify it as you progress.” Crowley then quotes Omar Khayyam – “remould it nearer to the
heart’s desire.” The bottom line; women must first discover their Yama, the Laws of their
Universe. It is imperative for every woman to understand their sexuality intimately;
remembering the axiom “Know Thyself” (γνῶθι σεαυτόν). This is not a command to simply
know what transpires in the depths of her soul but also of those things regarding their flesh.
She picked the zodiac sign in which she desired to incarnate and as is the case with every
sign, it has fantasies and personal proclivities that we either fulfill behind closed doors or in
the secret passageways of our mind but sadly, most women seldom find the ability to act
them out. This is primarily because too many women feel uncomfortable in their own skin
due to their childhood upbringing, religion, and society or family morals or even due to
sexual conflicts with their mates whose zodiac sign might not be complimentary. Rarely are
women taught to explore themselves sexually but if they are not fully in control of their
sexuality then it controls them and in a moment of arousal they will falter, as do men
themselves, and she will lust after the mere flesh of a man while casting aside the Holy
Grail. 

Yes, it is important to recognize the fact that all women begin their journey
Qabalistically entrenched in Malkuth-Yesod. However, where these spheres can drag a man
down, for the woman, it is here where she finds her freedom and redemption. Crowley has
noted that the love of a woman can only be worthy when it is truly free and is only worth
having when it is freely given, and worth keeping when freely held; such is Divine Love
(Agape), whether it be from a virgin, whore, a girlfriend or a wife. As Capt. J. F. C. Fuller
notes – “Happiness, Wisdom, Knowledge, and at length Perfection, can no more be gained
by solely travelling along the direct and spotless road of Virtue, than man can be evolved
from the primal protoplasmic jelly without countless generations of weeping and tortured
life. The path of Vice we must tread before we can find the high road of Virtue, and Vice we
must wed before we can open the gates of a more perfect understanding. The great
Commandment is: ‘Live in the midst of Vice; but heed that Vice doth not live in thy
midst.’” Women, like men, are being tempered in an alchemical furnace. They must learn
that the role of Kundry or the Daughter is to Balance both Virtue and Vice in her Sacred
Tabernacle whereupon one she controls while the other controls her and with that she either
succeeds or fails. It is important to remember that there are two words used for a whore or
prostitute in Hebrew; zonah and kedeshah. One simply denotes a loose woman or ordinary
prostitutes while the other is the feminine form of the word KADOSCH which refers to a
specific ‘consecrated women’. Such women are Dame Companions of the Order of the
Holy Grail also known as KADESHA, being the complement of the Illustrious Knights
Templar of the Order of KADOSCH or VI O.T.O.. 

Let us explore the Grail legends in which the duality of Kundry emerges. First, you must
know about the sorcerer Klingsor whom Crowley clearly acknowledges as residing in the
sphere of Chokmah along with King Amfortas. In truth, he is merely the alter ego of
Amfortas. In the beginning Klingsor was a Knight of the Holy Grail but, upon falling from
grace, his Mind took up residency in the Castle of Perdition which lies at the base of the
Holy Mountain in contrast to the Grail Castle which resides at the top. In other words,
Klingsor began thinking solely from the point-of-view of his body as if it, above all else,
was important. He twisted his thinking, he perverted his logic and inevitably he become evil
and with the use of his magick he swore to destroy the Knights of the Grail, whom he felt
had rejected him. He accepted the role of a Black Brother. At this point enters Kundry. In
the light of day she is still seen as the shabby and repulsive old crone who serves King
Amfortas in Netzach as the manifested representative below the Abyss of the guardian of
the Holy Grail. It is Klingsor who summons her at night toward Malkuth and transforms her
into a beautiful irresistible Daughter. Here Klingsor uses her as his instrument, as his
Temptress and she obliges him with her new found talents relating to her luscious body that
she now embraces. He then unleashes her upon King Amfortas who inevitably yields to her
sexual advances whereupon he forgets his Oaths as a Knight (in Hod III) and employs his
Lance or phallus incorrectly down the Left Hand Pillar of descending influences toward the
woman who lay in wait for him. As is the case with all mortal men, a moment’s pleasure
leads them into a lifetime of shame; for like Adam in the Garden of Eden, men are easily
swayed from the grace with God. Mankind itself, as if driven by the ghost of Klingsor, now
holds the Sacred Spear as if it was their own personal weapon. Most men refuse to sacrifice
their personality or ego in order to reverse sexual temptations toward mundane Wants and
thus their True Will remains fleeting. In the Castle of Perdition, which is simply another
name of a man’s body, Klingsor metaphorically shifted the Mind of Amfortas away from
God to embrace the throbbing desires of his Body. And while lost in an act of sex with
Kundry, Amfortas realized his error which opened up a wound in his soul both ‘externally’
and ‘internally’ which could never be healed. This single act led to the Grail Kingdom
falling into disarray and ruin. What was once a Sacred Lance of God’s True Will had
become merely a penis grasped by the hands of Klingsor to do with as he Wants. The jokes
are legendary about men having to choose which head gets the blood flow and which one
must temporarily shut down. Tragically, in the case of Amfortas, his Mind failed and his
Body ruled. Grady McMurtry simply acknowledged such mortal failures as the “pecker-
boys.”

ON THE SCARLET WOMEN continued

Love is the law, love under will. - AL I:57