Devil be my God:

 

Devil be my God:

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.”

Within the culture of western esotericism, the inverted pentagram is often considered an evil symbol by many, whereas the traditional, upright pentagram is considered good and holy. Certain practitioners even liken the use of these symbols to either black or white magick, two terms that I personally find detestable. However, the symbol is not evil in itself and merely represents looking at the Tree of Life from a different point of view. It ties into to the fall of man as represented by the Tetragrammarton, as the name descends through the four worlds. Malkuth is thus every individual’s starting point upon the Path of Return. The spheres leading to Tiphareth from Malkuth are called the elemental spheres and accordingly correspond to the pentagram, however it takes initiation to change the pentagram from inverted to its positively perceived form and this turning it the right way up is the work done by an aspirant of the Neophyte grade in the A.’.A.’.. Malkuth is called the sphere of the elements, or the Earth sphere, its initiatory character relates to self-analysis and self-knowledge, Yesod is Air and corresponds to the unconscious and is called the Astral Sphere. Hod is associated with Water and the rational mind and logic, and Netzach is Fire which is attributed to the emotions and impulses. The Astral Triad and Malkuth is thus a complete representation of man's constitution and shows admirably how the pentagram is used as a symbol for representing the microcosm in the Western Esoteric Tradition.

At the start in Malkuth, one is first confronted by the divine feminine or Babalon, who is sometimes referred to as the Shekinah and this meeting in turn establishes the map of return, the interaction gives an initiate a clear vision of God, this vision is projected psychically and is called the Adam Qadmon. These two principles, the Shekinah and the Adam Qadmon find their first manifestations as Yod and He of Chokmah and Binah, thus establishing a connection between a Neophyte or Malkuth and the Supernal Triad. The symbol of the Golden Dawn, which takes precedence in their Neophyte ritual, is symbolic of the same and is represented by a white triangle with a red cross on top, indicating that through initiation a connection has been established with the light of the Supernals, the light, hence, has been brought down into Malkuth as a guide for the aspirant.

Before initiation is experienced, a person has no inkling of purpose or divinity, and the pentagram is inverted with Spirit at the bottom. However, after the initiation, the pentagram is upright with Spirit at the top. From this, one can see how the formula has laid the foundation for the pentagram rituals of the Golden Dawn, that are merely ceremonial representations of initiation.

J.F.C. Fuller tells us in The Secret Wisdom of the Qabalah:

“To simplify this problem it is necessary to enter more deeply into the idea of the Fall. Sammael of necessity revolts against Deity, as symbolized by Metatron, and of necessity he is cast out of heaven - that is out of the Yetziratic World. In the Assiatic World, the World of Matter, in order to redeem himself, of necessity he has to tempt the earthly Adam. His task there is to cause death, that is to reverse the life process; as the Zohar says, “the end of all flesh has come before Me [Sammael)”; for he, as the Evil Serpent, “takes away the souls of all flesh”,12 that is he liberates them from matter. He is called the Angel of Venom, of Poison, of Death; for Sam means “poison” and El means “angel”. His number is 131, that is trinity set between two unities, the whole adding up to 5 - the Microcosm.”

Following from the above, Satan is not only God, but is inescapable as such and that we are all subject to this inverted, misunderstood force. Through union of masculine and feminine, which is derived to through contemplation and Ceremonial Magick, one experiences a necessary death, a “will to power” as such, is stirred via contemplative devotion, and the aspirant is raised up by Spirit from whence the pentagram becomes the symbol of perfection. We may think of tempting Adam as the work, that, through diligent practice and devotion leading to understanding, a new sense is enlivened. One’s aspiration which is tied into the Will and fortitude for the work, the latter corresponding to Love, both of these that also find their places in the Astral and Supernal Triads as Chokmah and Binah and Hod and Netzach, is what unites the Shekinah and the Adam Qadmon in Malkuth. This union is what drives the aspiration as a sense of purpose and certainty, which concerning the nature of the Great Work, has been invoked.

One may allegorize this union, as the courtship between the Son and the Daughter, who will consummate this relationship in Tiphareth, called the Royal Wedding and from whence the Daughter is placed upon the Throne of the Mother to awaken the Eld of the King. At this point the magician experiences his second interaction with the Shekinah, as he has attained perfection and via this accomplishment and his proximity, he realizes himself as the Adam Qadmon or God, to become a reflection of the Divine Logos. Indeed, an adept is the embodiment of the Divine Logos, and it is his work to reflect this inspiration into the world of matter. It is here, that the inverted pentagram ceases to be a symbol of evil entirely and Satan is no longer associated with the enemy, the adept has obtained perfect control by uniting Heaven and Earth, hence, from here, the inverted pentagram becomes the symbol of an adept and his Great Work. This also explains how the Thelemic ritual of the Hexagram uses this symbol throughout to suggest the above formula. And in Crowley's comment on the ritual, he goes into quite some detail, stating that the LASHTAL formula is representative of man realizing himself as God. For whoever wondered what the reason is for the Thelemic rituals not keeping with the Golden Dawn formula, I hope this serves as a reasonable explanation. It may also be noted that the Star Ruby is no longer a ritual for banishing the Earth element but serves a dual purpose for banishing and invocation and an affirmation of the magician's place within the universe and the Great Work, but certainly not an indictment against the world of matter, such as the pentagram ritual of the Golden Dawn. 

"Behold! the rituals of the old time are black. Let the evil ones be cast away; let the good ones be purged by the prophet! Then shall this knowledge go aright."

Liber AL, Chapter 2, verse 5:  

To quote from the comment on Reguli pertaining to LASHTAL and the new formula of initiation Crowley writes: 

"I ALSO am a Star in Space, unique and self-existent, an individual essence incorruptible; I also am one Soul; I am identical with All and None. I am in All and all in me; I am, apart from all and lord of all, and one with all."

“Love is the law, love under will.”