LAM is not Amalantrah

[IGP=93]

By any object measure, the descriptions of the appearance of Amalantrah in Liber 729 do not correspond to the drawing of LAM.

The drawing of LAM was not produced as a part of the Amalantrah Worlkng, and appears, with an explanation of the meaning of the name, as a frontispiece to The Voice of the Silence.

There is nothing in The Amalantrah Working to suggest that Amalantrah is extra-terrestrial in the scientific sense, or that the egg motif refers to a spaceship whether physical or astral: Amalantrah appears in Liber 729 as quite a conventional human figure, and the egg motif is quite obviously, in context of the theme of Roddie Minor's visions generally, perfectly literal not metaphorical.

[Michael Staley]

Whether or not the drawing of LAM was done during the period of the Amalantrah Working, I think that the indications of a connection are strong. Firstly, the subject of the drawing is egg-shaped, and the egg is a recurring motif in the visions of the Amalantrah Working. An early vision of Roddie Minor's concludes with Amalantrah saying "It's all in the egg". Crowley made a link with the Abuldiz Working of some years previously which, he said, terminated with a vision of an egg under a palm tree. From the session of 12th February, Amalantrah is reported as saying "The egg is a work which must be done – the Great Work." This does not sit easily with your contention that the egg motif is "perfectly literal not metaphorical".

The mofif of the egg reaches a climax, in my opinion, in the early exchanges of the working of Saturday April 27th.

T: “What is the work of this week end?”

A: “Geburah.”

T: “Geburah applied to what?”

A: “The egg. The egg is resting on the point of mountain tops, very sharp. Water around, lotus flowers on it.”

T: “Egg is symbol of some new knowledge, isn’t it?”

A: “ Gimel. Lamed. ” ( = spring, fountain.)

T: “What does that mean?”

A: “I don’t know; followed symbol of mountain and lotus flower.”

T: “How are we to break open the egg?”

A: “In plain language it means Thou art to go this Way.”


The LAM portrait, whenever it was drawn, was exhibited in Crowley's 1919 exhibition under the title 'The Way', which suggests to me a link with the above reference. We can't know this for sure, but it seems to me a fair enough inference.

As for the relationship between LAM and Amalantrah, no I don't think they are identical.

[IGP=93]

sure, these are fair arguments, although basically all i am saying is that the often claimed identity of Lam and Amalantrah is unsustainable judging by the descriptions in RM's visions of the wizard.

As to whether the Egg is literal or metaphorical, I suspect it is both simultaneously. Particularly in the incipit vision in Liber 729, with its connected motifs of the fire that is a child, the egg, RM being 13 women, the spreading candlestick and so on, all which strongly suggest a literal meaning: Amalantrah says "Child" and "It's all in the Egg". These are all recurring motifs in RM's visions.

Also recurring is RM's dissatisfaction with her relationship with AC, and, in the question/answer sessions where AC directs the vision (as opposed to e.g. the incipit vision where RM interacts with Amalantrah without interference from AC's preoccupations) the obscure and mostly unsatisfactory (to AC) nature of the wizard's answers ("The questions where difficulty occurs are chiefly those re money and females."). Perhaps this is attributable to the basic conflict between the nature of RM's visions with Amalantrah and the nature of her and AC's sexual relationship (strictly not fertile - either p.v.n. for the most part, or if vaginal intercourse, always during RM's period.) Notable in this context is Amalantrah's repeated (7 times) answer to various of AC's questions of "83", which AC realised is a gematria of the third letter of the Hebrew alphabet, G, with the variant spelling GIML, but could make no sense of. But it is easily interpretable to us who are unhampered by profound victorian sexism and misogyny, as the priestess of the silver star fertilised. This is reinforced by the recently discovered formula of BABALON, 73 + 83 = 156. 73 is both the gematria of Chokmah and GML, again indicating a fertile magical sexuality, particularly in connexion with the notion of the woman "achieving Hadit".

In this context, there is nothing inconsistent with The Great Work and breeding "from her a child mightier than all the kings of the earth". Indeed dissolution of ego in BABALON is the essence of the final goal of Great Work (Mastery of the Temple), just as making the sign of the Rosy Cross with the magick wand and mystic rose is the principal formula of its central Goal, admittance to the sanctuary of the College of the Holy Ghost (Adeptus Minor).

All this should be considered in connexion with one of the central revelations of Liber 729 - that of the coming of ARCTEON, the unborn promulgator of the law. Although Amalantrah later answers in response to AC's question what name should CS Jones have in a particular working, ARCTEON, it is clear that the initial description of ARCTEON cannot be CS Jones (he was of course "magickally" born of AC by this time.)

It is my belief that ARCTEON is a collective name - i.e we, the true children of the new aeon, being born completely under its emergent influence unlike AC and just about all of his cronies, are all ARCTEON, and that Amalantrah was clearly suggesting that AC beget an ARCTEON with RM. it is notable that AC, as usual, ignored the unambiguously direct and specific instructions of Amalantrah (i.e. go to Egypt - just as he ignored Aiwass's instruction to return there - with RM to seek the egg).

Curiously, RM was born on 9 April, a fact AC never seemed to appreciate, and that, judging from her intellectual avchievements, political activity and AC's description of her in The Confessions, she, of all the so-called Scarlet Women, was the most likely to "achieve Hadit" had she had a Magus willing to assist.

you quote: "T. Egg is symbol of some new knowledge, isn’t it?”

A: “ Gimel. Lamed. ” ( = spring, fountain.)

T: “What does that mean?”

A: “I don’t know; followed symbol of mountain and lotus flower.”

T: “How are we to break open the egg?”

A: “In plain language it means Thou art to go this Way.”

Gimel, Lamed - the priestess of SS and Justice... In plain language it means Thou art to go this Way. I think this supports my contention of a literal interpretation of the egg symbol rather than rebuts it.

93

“Once upon a time there was a man and a girl.”
- The Wizard Amalantrah

[Michael Staley]

That's a very interesting post, igp93. I now see what you mean about a "literal" interpretation of the egg, an assertion which had previously puzzled me. Personally I think there are several strata of interpretation and meaning to the egg portrayed in the drawing, one of which links it to the "babe in an egg" of verse 49, chapter II of 'The Book of the Law' as well as to verse 49 of 'The Voice of the Silence'.