The Magical Revival - CH1 The Return of the Phoenix

[Paolo]

The Magical Revival (TMR) is the first book of the first trilogy of Kenneth Grant's Typhonian series.

Of course we would not all be here if we did not think the series was not ground breaking and influential. I very much feel that Grants work is very like a snowball however and it is just beginning to really get some momentum.

Grant understandably begins with Aleister Crowley himself and sets the scene by discussing Crowley's denials against black magic. I feel that this is very quite vital. Crowley did have a bad reputation and to clarify that he was not a black magician is important given that amongst many of the mysteries discussed in the book much space is given to those of Shaitan, a name often corrupted into ideas of Satan in recent centuries. I also feel that Crowley to an extent sought publicity and revelled in his reputation. Grant is a much more private man and in "defining his terms" places his work above reproach and away from the crass accusations of Satanism which unfortunately marred Crowley's work.

The vast bulk of the chapter is very much setting the scene and Grant talks about the historical impetus which is behind many orders, illustrating how various currents of learning blend into oneness and ultimately give us the many orders of magic today. This is placed in context with the acceptance of social taboos making almost acceptable the use sex and drugs and their application in exploration of reality and consciousness. Crowley was of course not the first explorer using these paths, but he is certainly among the most prominent.

There are a few pages of history where Grant discusses The Golden Dawn and Theosophy, however I feel that the evolution of magical systems was something very prominent to Grant. This is the trace from antiquity through to the Golden Dawn, The OTOs etc. Grant gives considerable space over to discussing this and its growth/mutation linking it to the 18th century work of Adam Weishaupt founder of the Order of the (Bavarian) Illuminati. Some of Crowley's ideas such as that of the "kingly man" can be traced back to Weishaupt.

I actually think that whilst short and relatively high on history rather than magical technique, The Return of the Phoenix hits on so many levels. Grant says that the phoenix was Crowley's name for the OTO, indicating that as a shining silver thread glimmering throughout history showing many forms and can be seen as a phoenix in that the many forms of esoteric society is continually regenerating and renewing itself.

Grant also expands on the phoenix making a note on bird symbolism linking the phoenix with the Egyptian Bennu bird but also mentioning other important birds such as the peacock and the swan. The modern importance of Cygnus is just beginning to be explored in the work of Andrew Collins and I feel that there are many fruits here which future explorers will examine.

I think that we do see a major strength of Grant reflected in this chapter, that he was able to build upon both Crowley and Spare. Crowley systematised a vast amount of magic ranging from the Golden Dawn through to many religious and eastern systems such as yoga. In a sense we can say that Crowley set the outward looking boundaries of the circle with his many correspondences and in-depth work on these subjects.
Austin Spare defined the inner looking circle and showed how to utilise a shamanic world view and psychic abilities to voyage into spaces where the mind touches the void and the places where reality leaks through into the phenomenal world. Kenneth Grant building upon both perspectives unify these two approaches to give a very clear, almost heartbreakingly crystalline perspective on the mysteries.

It always amazes me that occasionally Kenneth Grant makes the odd throwaway reference to things which other occultists has expanded on, sometimes quite profoundlty. For example the peacock, mentioned above links to the Peacock angel which Andrew Chumbley expanded on in Qutub. We will see this phenomena at work throughout the trilogies as the extent of Grants scholarship becomes apparent.

It feels a bit like Carl Sagan's voyage in Cosmos just setting out on a glorious journey

The eye of Shiva, the eye of Set has been opened.

Paolo

[chapter53]

I started rereading this last night and I have to say, it feels weird that it says Crowley died over 60 years ago on the first page of chapter 1 (newest edition). I know this is true, but the book was written 40 years ago? I really don't want to be rude at all but that threw me for a loop. It feels great to be given a reason to study these up close and I really don't mind that the dates have been updated but I very much want to be part of this conversation and this is the only question or comment I had from the first three pages.

[Michael Staley]

Personally I think it would have been odder had the reference not been updated in the 2010 edition, but remained as "a quarter of a century after his death". A matter of taste, I expect.

[chapter53]

Yeah, I suppose that would have been weird if it had been left as is. This is probably a common problem with reprinting anything that refers to history.

[horus93]

93,

First of all I believe this study group idea to be great, not only is it good to have someone to talk to about Grant's work but also an opportunity to digest it bit by bit is helpful.

I hope no one minds but after reading this chapter I do have a two questions about some of the things contained in it, overall the chapter was a great introduction to the origins and connections between the so called mystery tradition. So here goes my questions, I would appreciate any help and I hope yo guys don't mind me asking;

1) Grant says that "our sun us but a reflection of the greater sun, Sothis". Is there any scientific proof of this? I have researched but found nothing, I know he said according to hermetic tradition and not modern science, but even on this account I cannot find a source of hermetic literature stating this....I just want to see where this idea originated is all.

2) Grant also states that "To awaken and exalt the magical consciousness, Crowley used a type of ritual reminiscent of the tantras." What is the ritual which Grants is referring to? (Assuming it isn't secret of course.)

I enjoyed this chapter as a whole especially Grant's explanations of the various symbols, my most favorite association was the figure 8 representing the caduceus and kundalini energy alongside Hadit saying he is 1 in eight, a number on ein eight is an actual caduceus symbol.....I never thought of that before I was so excited... This is the first time I have really read Grant, I can't wait to move on to the next chapter.

93, 93/93.

[Paolo]

Sothis is probably Sirius which speaking scientifically is very different to our sun, being twice the size, something like 25 times more luminous than the sun etc. However I dont think that we should be looking for science for answers here.

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the early reverence for Sirius was that it rose at the same time the Nile inundated. The ancient Egyptians could therefore see a connection there. When you look at the direct life giving of our Sun, and then the less obvious (ie behind) attributes of Sirius appearing to flood the Nile, I think the early associations fell into place.

There is also the interest I have in that Sirius is very similar to both the names Isis and Osiris. That whole myth cycle seems embedded into that name.

On top of that there are also concepts such as "The Sun behind the Sun" as a light visible to initiates. I cannot prove but suspect that the above idea of the Nile lead to the idea of a light for initiates. "The Zelator" by Mark Hedsel and David Ovason go into this brilliantly.

For your second question, Its hard to know exactly what practices were used. However it is no secret that spiritual practices such as the Middle Pillar, meditation, vision magic etc have, over time the ability to exalt magical consciousness. There may be many secret methods but the ones which are in the public domain generally focus upon meditation and visualisation though discipline to build or connect with structures such as the chakras.

cheers Paolo

[horus93]

93,

Thank you for your reply.

Your thoughts on sirius being connected to osiris and isis is interesting, I did a quick google search and found an article suggesting that Isis is Sirius and Osiris is orion, if Sirius is fairly close to our system and is 25 times bigger, it would be plausible to believe that some light would be absorbed and reflected by our own sun...I suspected that this whole thing was more of a philosophical notion rather than a physical one.

93, 93/93.

[Paolo]

I am glad to have given you some mind-fodder to work with, Could you elaborate a bit more on your point regarding philosophical rather than physical notions; I sort of agree with that but it seems at odd with your previous statements.

There is some weird cosmology and astronomy out there. The fact that the sun and the moon has the same apparent size blows my mind. Eclipses are rare in the universe because of that but so common on earth that we have to beat drums to scare the sun eating dragon away.

[horus93]

As in I believed Grant mentioned it with a philosophical notion in mind rather than our sun actually being a reflection of sirius. In all honesty I just wanted to know why Grant thought to mention this...I haven't read it anywhere else is all.

[nyar261]

Oct 10, 2013 18:09:16 GMT horus93 said:

Grant also states that "To awaken and exalt the magical consciousness, Crowley used a type of ritual reminiscent of the tantras." What is the ritual which Grants is referring to? (Assuming it isn't secret of course.)

Certainly, the Star Sapphire ritual, among others, would fit that description. Plus the "star" is directly referred to in the title.

[chapter53]

Please delete this posting if you feel i'm quoting too much and not being respectful of copyright. I'm not too terribly knowledgeable about this stuff but I was blown away when I read a paragraph which really puts a lot of what I think Grant is talking about in a neat little package.
"Set represents the absorption of the projected energy of Horus. It is the silence of the 'death' of desire that the Child of the "blasphemous union" of Babalon and Therion (Woman and the Beast) realizes its identity with Absolute Consciousness. Set, therefore is the means of return to the Supreme State represented by Nuit (le Neant), and, as such, is the Formula of the Phoenix"
i really see this as a big over arching statement that explains sexual magick (absorption, death) and hints at golden dawn style qaballistic self improvement (means of return).
my question here: is Set the lightning path and Nuit the supernal triad? If so, I think this will shed light for me on many of Grants writings.

[Edward Gauntlett]

I would have placed Nuit (as Void / Neant) in the Ain 'above' the supernal triad. The formula is 0=2; all creation, as he indicates earlier, arises from the void in the form of passive and active twins. In Mercer's book about Horus he states that "there are many references [in ancient texts] to Horus and Set as 'brothers'; they are called twins or one and the same person." In Grant I would see Set as the nightside of the Tree, with Horus as the 'dayside' and therefore the tunnels of Set as the means of return to the Void as Absolute.

Going back to the astronomical points... Grant says the Phoenix was the constellation of which Sothis (aka Sept and Sirius) was the chief star. According to Budge Hathor (= Aphrodite) was identified with Sirius / Sept aka "the second sun" connected with the rising of the Nile through the heliacal rising of Sirius on the first day of the Egyptian new year; when Ra rose in his boat Hathor, as Goddess of Sothis, went with him and took her place like a crown on his forehead. I think Grant's reference to our sun being a reflection of Sirius is probably based on this mythological / astral material as discussed by Massey.

I wonder if anyone could clarify a purely astronomical point for me? Grant says the Phoenix constellation (containing Sirius) corresponds to Cygnus and Aquila, but these seem to be on the opposite side of the sky to Canis Major, Sirius's current home. (Apologies if I'm being really dim here.)

[N0T 2]

Oct 10, 2013 20:00:36 GMT Paolo said:

There is some weird cosmology and astronomy out there.

The fact that the sun and the moon has the same apparent size blows my mind.

Eclipses are rare in the universe because of that but so common on earth that we have to beat drums to scare the sun eating dragon away.

I love this statement!

Humans live in an apparent Goldilocks Zone that must surely make Azathoth foam at the mouth. Then again, he does that anyway...

Great thread btw.

[Frater Shaddad]

Jan 25, 2014 3:22:46 GMT N0T 2 said:

Humans live in an apparent Goldilocks Zone that must surely make Azathoth foam at the mouth. Then again, he does that anyway...

Ha! I sppreciate that joke there, having recently been Working with Azathoth. The All in One, One in All, the Deamon Sultan who sits on His throne at the Center of Ultimate Chaos lulled by the thin monotonous piping of a demonic flute held in nameless paws. Azathoth from which the 23 Current that informs the Esoteric Order of Dagon emanates. I have come to an Understanding, or Gnosis, if you will, of Azathoth, and "foaming at the mouth" isn't exactly the way I, personally, would describe Him. Though, I can see how you might have mistaken him drooling in his Infinite Sleep for foaming at the mouth. I will not, at this time and place, go into this Gnosis of Azathoth any further.

All jokes aside, it's good to see you around the boards, Noctifer!

[N0T 2]

Jan 25, 2014 19:33:23 GMT Frater Shaddad said:

Jan 25, 2014 3:22:46 GMT N0T 2 said:

Humans live in an apparent Goldilocks Zone that must surely make Azathoth foam at the mouth. Then again, he does that anyway...

Ha! I sppreciate that joke there, having recently been Working with Azathoth. The All in One, One in All, the Deamon Sultan who sits on His throne at the Center of Ultimate Chaos lulled by the thin monotonous piping of a demonic flute held in nameless paws. Azathoth from which the 23 Current that informs the Esoteric Order of Dagon emanates. I have come to an Understanding, or Gnosis, if you will, of Azathoth, and "foaming at the mouth" isn't exactly the way I, personally, would describe Him. Though, I can see how you might have mistaken him drooling in his Infinite Sleep for foaming at the mouth. I will not, at this time and place, go into this Gnosis of Azathoth any further.

All jokes aside, it's good to see you around the boards, Noctifer!

Busted or what! Hello kidneyhawk, nice to see you around too mate

I wasn't aware that Azathoth ever sleeps (that's Cthulhu, where I come from, or where Lovecraft comes from), nor that he's called the All in One, One in All (that's Yog-Sothoth), but hey, they're all pretty damn wierd so who am I to say?

[Frater Shaddad]

No...Not, Kyle. He kindly allowed me to use his Dagonian Gate as my Avatar (thanks again!). Yog-Sothoth is, indeed the All-in-One, One-in-All, however Azathoth is Lord of All things, and the creator of Great Old Ones. I have seen that Throne in the Center of Ultimate Chaos, and dared gaze the face of the Oldest One. He appeared alseep, lulled by the musick those maddening beating of vile drums and the thin monotonous whine of accursed flutes. He has always been and always will be, Infinity with that maddening musick has caused his eyes to close, lulling him into a sleep, but He does not rest as we humans do. His "dreaming" on his Throne is what shapes the Ultimate Chaos into All Manifestation. Should that musick stop and he awaken from his Infinite Nod, his "dreaming" Visions will cease. All will cease even the Great Old Ones. Yea, Yog-Sothoth The Gate and Guardian of the Gate. The Gate through which flows Current of Manifestation that Azathoth dreaming forms Chaos which surrounds the Him. Yog-Sothoth Guards the Gate, ever insuring that accursed musick never stops. Azathoth must never awaken from his Dreams. It cannot, it must not! He would awaken into his Nightmare....an Idiot.....Infinitely.....Alone!

I have seen these through his Dreaming Eyes. Kneeling there weeping, in front of his Throne, seeing him just sitting there asleep, a look almost serene on the Daemons Sultan face, but seeing Him like this, I could not help but weep. Tears flowed for what seemed like ages, until I cried myself to sleep at the foot of his Throne. That's when he shared these Visions with me, perhaps he heard me crying knelt there in front Him. Perhaps, he heard the anguish that I, who like all else is but a Dream to Him, was shattered into Nothing but a kneeling, crying, heap, at his feet. I wanted to just let him hear my voice, to let him know, for once in All Eternity, he was not Alone. We saw each other in Our dream. In that moment,dreaming together, he bade me stand up and look at him, face to face, and I could see into his now open eyes, a light a glow. Then, I Understood. He Understood. We Understood. As I awoke on the floor of my Temple, cheeks still wet with tears, and I heard an echoing laughter fading away as the Gateway closed, meant that the Idiot had already forgotten. Then I laughed too. For I shall never forget. Because of the gift Yog-Sothoth gave me as the Gate closed. It's a book. It's contents I cannot share, but let me assure you, once I saw it the memory of being with Azathoth was seared into my memory forever. That memory, of the Dreams and Nightmares of the Lord of All, is the foundation upon which the terrifying vistas of alien dimensions are conjured forth by the Eldritch magicks with it's pages. He has  even given me their Names! Those Paws playing those accursed Instruments aren't nameless anymore....and the rite in which I speak their names......and kill them! That idiot Azathoth want's to awaken. HAHAHA! Laughing this Daemoniac laughter, the tears are flowing again. I can't see to write anymore. Through my tears I could barely see, and I saw that terrible page with those names....was at the end. In my Blindness (perhaps another gift from Azathoth) I had the book upside down. I'm going to begin reading that terrible tome, once this maddening laughing and crying ceases. Just know that, if you can still read this, I have not finished with the book yet. The number of pages is constantly changing. Seemingly at random. Azathoth's laughter begins to echo inside my being as I open the book to some new page. I begin to laugh and the page numbers warp into strange, chaotic figures. I laugh because I Understand that the Idiot, our Lord of All, and only He understands the strange mathematics and when he will Dream the books end. Until then there is always work to be done, pages of magicks and things that I can't even describe. I shall never stop, I cannot.


Until the day I reach the last page.....and the Nightmare begins.....or not. Only He Knows.



The preceeding was a page torn from my magickal diary. It's written on the flesh of some horror I conjured from that book, with ink made of our blood from the battle that ensued. This gift of theirsw sure keeps things interesting. END TRANSMISSION.

[N0T 2]

Apologies for the mistaken identity, Frater Shaddad, and thank you for the explanation of your terminology and experiences.

[Frater Shaddad]

Introduction
My preceding post is a fictionalized expression (a stream of consciousness story made up on the spot that I hope coveys some of the Current in an entertaining way.  I hope everyone enjoys reading it.  I had fun writing it!)  of some the Gnosis of Azathoth (it is from Azathoth that the 23 Current emanates), and the Other Old Ones that I have gained from Working with the Mythos for some time, and as a member of two Orders. Their Currents (the 23 and 93 "double current", if you will), emanate from their core, their heart, a Non-Dual nature that is simply, purely, beautifully, elegant.  This is by no means a full and accurate account of all of my Workings with the Great Old Ones and the resulting Initiations in both Orders.  Only a small portion which I have chosen to present as a gift to you all here.  I'm a very private person and the rest shall go no further than the Orders and some future publications by us. This may differ drastically from others experiences of working with the Mythos in a magical and mystical way.  Nothing written here should be taken as some sort of dogma nor as a statement about said Orders and the members experiences in working with the Mythos.  It is solely my own Gnosis. Vibrations that I received from my own experience with the Inner Plane Contacts and Magical Currents that inform and empower those two Orders.  In ANY genuine magical and mystical Order it is necessary, in my opinion, to have the Inner Plane Contacts and Currents to inform/empower/energize the Order and it's members.  Without any of that power flowing through the Magical Engine that is the members and Order as a whole, they are, in my opinion, as useless as a dead battery.  Pardon my slight tangential digression there, but I wanted to fully explain what the terms used above mean: Inner Plane Contacts and Magical Currents, and how they inform my own Workings.  Finally, I realize that none of this might make sense to some people, but that's okay with me. 

COMMENTARY

It's no mere coincidence that both Azathoth and Yog-Sothoth's names end the same.  The other "titles" Lovecraft gave them are also absolutely accurate, in my experience.  There is an interpenetration and/or inter-dependent relationship between these two entities. The Lord of All and the One-and-All All-in-One.  Azathoth is the creator of all other Great Old Ones.  To me, Azathoth and Yog-Sothoth are like a single entity and yet have a dual nature at the same time.  Like "Set-Anubis" or "Typhon-Set", for example.

I, originally, presented it as a fiction (and as we all know Grant says and demonstrates in the Nightside Narratives that certain magical concepts are easier to grasp when presented in a work of fiction) to put into words some of what I have experienced during a series of Workings I am currently engaged in, which involves, among other things, the Invocation of both Yog-Sothoth and Azathoth.  I'm sure that the elegantly simple, beautiful, Non-Dual nature underlying this Gnosis is needlessly complicated by the following words, but here they are anyway.  I'm trying to convey in words something that is really not suited for it.  Words aren't adequate.  The state of Non-Dual consciousness experienced during the climax of the Rite when the full power of the invocation of Azathoth released resulting in the Destruction of All Duality and the complete interpenetration of Azathoth and I.  We were no longer separate entities, but One.     

The feelings of excitement, horror, empathy, sadness, and hysterical laughter presented in the story were very real during and after my Workings.  I have come to know Azathoth.  To BE Azathoth....it inspired in me an enitrie range of emotions.  The horror of being there on that Throne surrounded by Chaos, Blind, Alone with only darkness and that infernal musick for eternity......of course it eventually, inevitably lulled Azathoth to what I call "sleep".  This is not the same "sleep" ordinarily experienced by humans and other creatures in our dimension.

Infinity with that maddening musick is exhausting.  Finally, the lull turns into a hard Nod, where he is no longer Blind and "sees".  His sight causes out of the Ultimate Chaos to rise: Manifestation.  Azathoth can only "see".  He dreams and births out of himself a "descendent", Yog-Sothoth the Gateway enabling and ensuring the continuity of Manifestation.

The same laughter that issued from by my physical body as it sat on a Throne during this part of the Rite was not solely my own.  Azathoth was laughing too.  Laughing with the joy the Visions gave him.  Able to see, no longer Alone, lost in his ecstatic creation, Manifestation.  That the source of this Manifestation is Ultimate Chaos, this too makes Us laugh.  Will those Nameless Paws cease playing that infernal music and Azathoth fully Awaken, resulting in the End of All?  Awakening into Non-Manifestation.  Even He doesn't know if or when.  He's an Idiot, and has forgotten that he's even "alseep" and lost in the dream Visions of Manifestion.  This too makes Us laugh.

I can see in this Gnosis a correspondence between Azathoth and Brahma of Advatia, and even Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva of Hinduism.  Using the mythos for me has been an extremely effective system of magical and mystical development  Since TMR goes into the correspondences between Lovecraft's Mythos and Thelema I thought this thread would be a good place to discuss this.  Feedback welcome.

[Gregory Peters]

more on this later.. but excellent post, thank you for sharing this Frater Shaddad!

[Frater Shaddad]

Jan 27, 2014 19:04:46 GMT Gregory Peters said:

more on this later.. but excellent post, thank you for sharing this Frater Shaddad!

I look forward to it, Gregory!  You're welcome!  Hopefully, it will inspire others who have Worked with the Mythos (and there are many members here that have) to also share.

[exnuit]

I think The Magickal Revival is the key to Grant's thought. The subsequent books in the Typhonian Trilogies are commentaries or extended footnotes, if you will, of the first. Indeed, The Magical Revival may be the fabled system Grant "failed" to articulate in one form or another, albeit in couched terms.

[movebywillalone]

Which statue is Grant standing in front of in the dust jacket photo of The Magical Revival? Sekhmet or a form of Set?

[Nalyd Khezr Bey]

Sept 30, 2014 1:59:44 GMT movebywillalone said:

Which statue is Grant standing in front of in the dust jacket photo of The Magical Revival? Sekhmet or a form of Set?

That is Sekhmet.

[stephen]

Have not been to see them for awhile, but there are two fine statues of Sekhmet at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, England.

They used to be outside in a colonnade in the gardens and there was a mosaic on the floor in front of them of the Cavendish family symbol - featuring a star and a snake.

Apparently they have now been moved inside the house.

www.chatsworth/attractions-and-events/art-archives/art-and-archives-collections/collections/sculpture/egyptian-figure-of-the-goddess-sekhmet

Hope this link works.

[Nalyd Khezr Bey]

Stephen, the link you posted only re-opens this thread in a new tab for me. Tried pasting it into the address bar and it does nothing for me there either.

This Sekhmet statue housed in the British Museum is similar in style to the one in the photo of KG.