XXXVIII
Myst’ry of myst’ry Thou goddess divine!
Anoint me with blood as I kneel at Your shrine!
Bless me with the weapon of Avalon,
I raise up the cup and adore Babalon!
— In Nomine Babalon: 156 Adorations to the Scarlet Goddess
The Hermetic Library arts and letters pool is a project to publish poetry, prose and art that is inspired by or manifests the Western Esoteric Tradition. If you would like to submit your work for consideration as part of the Arts and Letters pool, contact the librarian.
The Nameless Quest in The Gate of the Sanctuary from The Temple of the Holy Ghost (Collected Works, Vol I) by Aleister Crowley.
“The king did start,
Gripped my strong hands, and held me to his heart,
And could not speak a moment. Then he set
A curb of sorrow and subdued its dart.
‘Go! and the blessing of high God attend
Thy path, and lead thee to the doubtful end.
No tongue that secret ever may reveal.
Thy soul is god-like and thy frame is steel;
Thou mayst win the quest—the king, thy friend,
Gives thee his sword to keep thee—Gereth, kneel!
‘I dub thee Earl; arise!’ And then there rings
The queen’s voice: ‘Shall my love not match the king’s?
Here, from my finger drawn, this gem of power
Shall guard thee in some unimagined hour.
It hath strange virtue over mortal things.
I freely give it for thy stirrup’s dower.’
I left the presence. Now the buffeting wind
Gladdens my face—I leave the court behind.
Am I Stark mad? My face grows grim and grave;
I see—O Mary Mother, speak and save!
I stare and stare until mine eyes are blind—
There was no jewel in the ring she gave!” [via]
“Video for Arcade Fire’s ‘Intervention’ cut to Sergei Eisensteins iconic 1925 film, Battleship Potemkin”
“I can taste your fear
It’s gonna lift you up and take you out of here
And the bone shall never heal
I care not if you kneelWe can’t find you now
But they’re gonna get the money back somehow
And when you finally disappear
We’ll just say you were never hereWorking for the church while your life falls apart
Singing hallelujah with the fear in your heart
Every spark of friendship and love will die without a home
Hear the solider groan, ‘We’ll go at it alone’
Hear the solider groan, ‘We’ll go at it alone'”
The ‘Worst Man in the World’ Tells the Astounding Story of His Life in Articles by Aleister Crowley.
“I was made to kneel before an altar and repeat a formidable oath of fidelity, of secrecy, and of abstinence from any kind of conduct which might impair my power of self-control.” [via, also,see]