Exploring LASHTAL:

 

Exploring LASHTAL:

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

The LASHTAL formula is the formula of initiation into the Aeon of Horus and is introduced in the Neophyte grade of the A.’.A.’.. This formula forms part of the Thelemic hexagram ritual called Reguli, which is designed to harmonize the aspirant’s will to that of the Divine Logos, the law of which is Thelema. Basically, through the practice of this ritual and the use of this formula, the aspirant is projecting a vision of God, that is congruent with the Thelemic current. This projection is called the Adam Qadmon in the traditional Jewish qabalah and will serve as a guide for the initiate along the Path of Return. So, within this formula is expressed the nature of the Neophyte initiation and its attainment, which is that mentioned above.

The word AL means God and so LA is the reverse thereof, ALLAH is therefore a perfect name of God that suggests to us the notion of Alpha and Omega, although its character is wholly incorporeal. This is all good and well, and perhaps Mohamed understood the formula, however most people don’t and when a magickal formula is given to the many, the consequence is the corruption of the formula and heaven is turned into hell, and God is turned into the Devil. This is the reason that occultists in the past were so careful not to share the higher mysteries and swore terrible oaths of secrecy, as they understood this rule. In actuality the word of God or Logos is inverted resulting from a mass misunderstanding and in turn results in the moral and spiritual perversions usually associated with the populace religions. The best example of this is Christianity, sometimes referred to as the Great Sorcery and the spiritual decay it has been the poster child of in the western world for the last two millennia, dare I say, that today, Islam has entered into competition for the same title.

When taking a look at the word, its Hebrew spelling is Lamed-Aleph-Shin-Tau-Aleph-Lamed, these letters correspond to the Adjustment, Fool, Aeon and Universe cards of the Holy Tarot. Adjustment is Lamed and means the balance that needs to be maintained between the subjective and the objective worlds. The Fool or Aleph is the aspirant and the candidate for initiation, the Aeon corresponds to Spirit and the Universe represents the Shekinah in Malkuth. Accordingly, Adjustment and Lamed is representative of the Nephesh, the Aeon which is the letter Shin in Hebrew and is attributed to the Logos and the Universe, Tau is significant for its association with the Vampire and obviously the Fool, who as mentioned, is the candidate, who will need to study and understand these different aspects of his being in order to attain the reward of his initiation and establish himself in Yesod. And in the case of the Neophyte initiation, this reward is to align the will of the magician to the will of the universe called the Divine Logos. This formula thus puts all the pieces of the grade in place, so that through daily observation of the ritual, the Neophyte may attain to the grade of Zelator.

The ritual is meant to establish a connection between a Neophyte and the Supernal Triad as was done in the Golden Dawn ritual, this contact with the Logos is what establishes congruence between the Fool and the Great Mother, who manifests in Malkuth as the Shekinah and appears to the Neophyte as a Vampire that threatens to lead the aspirant away from his work. The Logos is the Spirit of the Aeon of Horus and Shin corresponds to Fire and Spirit, Fire is the element of Chokmah and Chokmah is also the sphere of the Logos, hence through this formula, on a microcosmic level, the aspirant is awakening these masculine, passionate and feminine, emotional parts of his own being, which will unite to birth the Soul or the microcosmic Logos unique to the will of the Neophyte, which is sometimes called the New Life and is that which puts the aspirant on the Path of Return, as giving him a clear sense of direction. Ergo, the androgynous character of the figure in the Fool Atu is explained in the above rationale. It is this internal conception, that creates the Adam Qadmon and the magician’s understanding, which aids its projection, that serves as the map for his Great Work. The central ordeal of the grade is the ordeal of the Nephesh, and as the work of the grade pertains to “self-knowledge” its nature is to a very large extent subjective and often leads to detachment between the Neophyte and the world around him. If this isn’t worked through, the Neophyte stands the chance of losing touch with reality and drifting slowly into a state of irreversible paranoia and detachment. This ordeal corresponds to Lamed and the Adjustment card, as to indicate the importance and the difficulty that awaits the Neophyte in his struggle to maintain this balance and his sanity while amidst the throes of initiation. At the end, the Neophyte is expected to have established himself firmly at the centre of the elements in Malkuth and is the reason for the dual nature of the word (LASHTAL), the Shekinah has been raised and united with and the courtship between the Son and the Daughter, has thus begun. Hence also, by this formula, the cycle of creation has been completed and the Goddess has been resurrected in Malkuth and her flawless perfection is felt in the heart of the aspirant, from which the Earth element takes on a new significance, as Thelema has served in the resurrection of the Goddess, no longer an element to be banished but worshipped, thus correcting the failings of the Abrahamic religions. In other words, by making contact with the Yod and Heh of Tetragrammaton and drawing down their influence into Malkuth, the initiate has established a magickal link with the A.'.A.'., that supported by the light from the Supernal Triad, will serve the aspirant throughout his magickal career.

“Love is the law, love under will.”