Diary of a Drug Fiend and Other Works by Aleister Crowley

Author:Aleister Crowley [Crowley, Aleister]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Occult, Philosophy, Esoteric, Poetry, Fiction
ISBN: 9781788882750
Publisher: Arcturus Digital Limited
Published: 2019-02-06T14:09:28+00:00

Chapter VI

OF A DINNER,

WITH THE TALK OF DIVERS GUESTS

SIMON IFF and Cyril Grey had slipped out of the reception-room to clothe themselves according to their dignity in the Order.

They returned in a few moments. The old man was in a robe of the same pattern as Sister Cybele’s – all the robes of the Order were thus fashioned – but it was of black silk, and on the breast was embroidered a golden eye within a radiant triangle.

Cyril Grey was in a similar robe, but the eye was enclosed in a six-pointed star, and swords with undulating blades issued from each re-entrant angle.

Their return broke up the conversation, and Sister Cybele led the way, with Lisa on her arm, to the lobby.

There the wonder of the house began. The wall facing the front door was masked by a group of statuary of heroic size.

It was a bronze, and represented Mercury leading Hercules into Hades. In the background stood Charon in his boat, one hand upon his oar, the other stretched to receive his obolus.

Sister Cybele waited until all the guests were in the boat. Then she made pretence to place the coin in Charon’s hand.

In reality she touched a spring. The wall parted; the boat moved slowly through; it took its place beside another wharf.

They were in a vast hall; and Lisa realised that the hill behind the house must have been profoundly hollowed out. This hall was lofty, narrow and long. In the midst, a circular table awaited the guests. Behind each chair stood one of the Probationers of the Order in a white robe, on whose breast was a scarlet Pentagram. Neck, sleeves, and hem were trimmed with gold. Beyond this table, at which a number of other members, in variously coloured robes, were already seated, though they rose to salute the newcomers briefly and in silence, was a triangular slab of black marble, the points truncated for convenience. Around this there were six seats, made of ebony inlaid with silver discs.

Sister Cybele left the others to take her seat as president of the circular table. Simon Iff himself sat at the head of the triangle, placing Cyril Grey and the Mahathera Phang at the other corners. Lord Antony Bowling was at his left, Lisa at his right; Morningside faced him from the base.

When all were seated, Sister Cybele rose, struck a bell that stood at her hand, and said: “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. O Master of the Temple, what is thy will?”

Simon Iff rose in his place. “It is my will to eat and drink,” said he.

“Why shouldst thou eat and drink?”

“To sustain my body in strength.”

“Why is it thy will that thy body may be sustained in strength?”

“That it may aid me in the accomplishment of the Great Work.”

At this word all rose, and chanted solemnly in chorus, “So mote it be.”

“Love is the law, love under will,” said Sister Cybele softly, and sat down.

“Of course it’s a most absurd superstition,” remarked Morningside to Simon Iff, “to think that Food sustains the body.

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