THE WAY OF THE TAO.

by Aleister Crowley

["Yorke typescript of incomplete, unreleased A\A\ liber, referred to in A.C.'s 1907 Diary. Copied from an Arabic notebook. Signed V.V.V.V.V. Two copies. (Published in pseudo Equinox V:3)" -- Note from Kenneth Anger Collection.]

1  Black part of Malkuth.

Candidate fasts in perfect darkness & silence for 24 hours.

2. Olive do.

C. bathes. He is given cool foods & wines. He reads the chapters appropriate and meditates upon the Universe as Water, according to the doctrines of Anaximander (or whoever it was).

3. Russet do.

C. in heat. He eats spicy foods & wines. He reads chapters of Fire & meditates on the Universe as Fire as said Anaxagoras & Empedocles.

4. Citrine do.

C. in open air, preferably on a mountain. He contemplates Universe as air.

5. He then goes through the 0°=0° ceremony simplified but not altogether purged.

6. He meditates again in darkness & silence, fasting.

7. He returns to his normal life for a day.

8. Jesod.

He meditates on the Universe as Generation.

9. He studies profoundly the System

10. of Correspondences.

He imagines himself as the God

11. Shu, supporting the fabric of

12. the Universe. To this end a

13. heavy globe is bound upon his back.

These practices alternate during the week.

14. He returns again to the world.

15. Hod.

16. With the aid of a teacher he

17. continues to master the Table of

18. Correspondences & prepares the

19. necessary rituals, talismans &c. for the

20. great invocations of Netzach.

21. He retires into the world.

22-27. Netzach.

During these 7 days he desperately seeks to invoke God to visible appearance by the rituals of Art.

28. Again he rests in the world. (N.B. During these days of so-called rest he must strenuously fight against any thoughts of initiation, memory or hope.)

29-30. The Ritual is performed as laid down by D.D.S. &c. in the Book.

35. The day of rest.

36. He meditates upon the Harmony of all Things

37. upon the Death of Christ & Osiris & on any convenient

38. day passes through the 5°=6° ritual modified duly.

39. He must seek to reconcile in one harmonious symbol all the antinomies.

40. He must think of all things soever with love, especially his own dead body.

41. He must seek to perceive Beauty in all things, again with reference to his body.

42. He again resteth.

43-48. He practiseth Pranayama, only ceasing from exhaustion.

The Brother will see that this is done. Scourging, vigils and feasts are applied. He is made to eat highly seasoned foods, & has as little water as may support life.

49. On this day he resteth not, seeing that it is the Path of the Lion. He shall triumph in his strength. (? a Ritual of 6°=5°)

50-55. Here in perfect ease and delight among his friends (the Brethren of the Order if possible) he shall learn to reject them & all things. He shall offer up all that he hath, if so be he may somehow attain. He shall talk with his teacher concerning the reason & shall perform the holy meditation which refuteth the same, and go through a fire ritual.

56. Again he resteth not, seeing that there is no Path. He shall sign away all his property, give his wife & children or all that he holdeth dear to another or to death: he shall take off all his clothes and plunge from a height into a certain black waterpool. He shall further reject the desire of initiation.

57. Drawn from the water he shall sit in silence and darkness with

63. love & lamentation, thus destroying the ego in the Non-ego.

64-70. He shall now destroy the pairs of opposites, thus destroying the ego in the ego.

70-77. Saying ever Hua allahu alazi laillaha ill Hua he shall abide in the supreme bliss of Samadhi, thus destroying the ego in Hua.

78-91. He shall withdraw into the Abyss of annihilation.

V.V.V.V.V. 8°=3°

This is to be worked out with infinitely greater detail.