As you delve deeper and investigate the magickal doctrines you will find there seems to be a relentless pointer towards the use of sexuality as a mode towards enlightenment. One of the great mysteries of the UK is the tale of the Knights of King Arthur and the Holy Grail. So lets have a look at this story and see what conclusions we can reach.
As for enlightenment ? We will hope to see this pop up later as an interesting phrase. An in-depth study of spiritual alchemy may discover greater trails towards sexuality. Even in the Qabalistic creation myths (specifically on the Tree Of Life Glyph), the divine traits one witnesses impose a form of incestuous sexuality. This myth follows the lightening flashes Path starting with father (Chokmah) and mother (Binah) creating a son (Hesed) who mates with his sister (Geburah) to form another child etc.
To my knowledge the first mention of the Holy Grail with this spelling (Holy Graal) was by the Arthurian romanticist Creitien De Troyes. The word Grail comes from the Latin “gradulus” which means serving dish. The Holy Grail in its many forms has changed from a dish shaped object (like a platter), a cauldron or a chalice, depending it its source in Cymru, Saxon, Pict, Norman or Anglo-Saxon legend. It is interesting to see even in some Christian depictions of the Holy Grail that it resembles beyond doubt a platter and not a Chalice .
Arguments on whether the Grail or Arthur the True King ever existed is immaterial. However what must be taken seriously is the oral tradition of narrating folklore and its esoteric symbolism. Stories of great heroes and poems were, to an esotericist, mediums to preserve and pass on wisdom from master to initiate. Not only this, but it forges a paradigm of bringing an existing but unperceptable land (i.e. the underworld or psychic realm) closer to the consciousness of the magickian. This analogy seems to make sense as astral travel / magick would seem to benefit. The medium in which this was presented would be far more powerful for shamanistic workings. Compare nowadays with our material scientific attitude we have adopted for all our stories or theorems.
A change in attitude can creates possibilities which can obviously aid or oppose the effects of magick. A cup, cauldron or the Holy Grail is a ritual object of feminine gender. Quabalistic correspondences of the cup are attributed to Binah hence Understanding . Binah is also the Great Mother, and this glyph is that of the great seas of creation.
In physical essence the cup in ritual is often crescent shaped. This symbolism links it to the moon, another feminine aspect. The cup and the great waters of Binah could be perhaps the waters of life which surround an unborn child? Furthermore a cup or Grail performs a function of a receptacle. The symbol of the Great Rite in the Book Of Shadows depicts a dagger hanging above about to enter into a chalice. The sexual concepts really need no explanation. However this rite witnesses a consecration and magickal fusion at its forte.
A union of essences evoked for the god and goddess shared in sacrament. Salt is the true consecrational element used in many magickal circles of thought. Salt in alchemy (the body, an earthy function of grounding) is seen as a bonding catalyst of the other counterparts: sulphur (the soul, energy, masculine in form) and mercury (fluidity, the spirit, feminine in form). Let us not however forget the feminine angle. The Holy Grail in some schools of thought is believed to be the female vagina or woman’s whole body, the shrine, a sanctuary men seek. In the Mabinogion, the Cauldron of Branwen is seen as a regenerating / rebirthing object able to re animate dead warriors. Does the Graal not only regenerate the land and King Arthur to former vitality? Thus could we suggest that mankind seeks its redemption by going back to the womb; the all innocent mother­p;bearing figure via enlightenment? So is a Heaven of splendour just the womb experience or Nirvana an ideal of sexual ecstacy ?
Enlightenment could be compared to that of the orgasmic experience. The great feeling of inner glow, of oneness, a loss of ego and unselfishness experienced at the climax of this act. The word enlightenment is a greatly misunderstood term which, in my opinion, is not totally grasped by many surface occult traditions. Alchemical doctrines question the magickian to know about the knowledge of metals contained within oneself. The familiar mention of transmutation and pure elixirs perhaps could refer to orgasm and semen respectively.
The great rite could be illustrated numerically in Hebrew Gematria:- A “Flower” or a “cup” is Gimel, Beth, Yod, Ayin = numbers 3 + 2 + 10+ 70 = 85. With 85 we can further investigate its meaning. If we add 8+5 together we get 13. “Unity” in Hebrew is Aleph, Cheth, Daleth. Which numerically (1 + 8 + 4) adds to 13. Therefore we could speculate that unity is discovered via the cup / flower.
The Rosicrucians” mystical Rose and Cross are believed to be the male and female genitalia. Looking closer at the rose­p;cross symbolism; could this possibly be compared to Christ dying upon a cross (penis, sperm and their death) and is put into a sealed cave (vagina) and is reborn (regenerated)?
Another example of lovemaking could be compared to Crowley’s comments in “Magick”. ‘It is a woman whose cup must be filled’ and ‘It is on the cross that a rose blooms’ points not only to Aleister Crowley’s RC involvement, but again to sexual innuendo. The Rose obviously symbolises the woman’s genitals. The act of lovemaking is both death and generation as excess semen which are unable to fertilise the egg die. Again we see a valid connection between a cup and a rose/flower.
For further reading try to read through scriptures of the Torah, New Testament, The Song of Songs, to the Sepher Yetzirah, through to twentieth century occult authors notably Regardie, Crowley and Waite. Sexual symbolism cannot be ignored. Great examples of sexual innuendo can further be researched most notably in Crowley’s “Magick”, especially in the appendix. All the rites described are pretty tongue-in-cheek. For further reference to Crowley’s innuendo check out “The Book Of Lies” poem 69. Gematrically the adopted name of Aleister Crowley, To Mega Therion, adds to number 666. This numerological concept has come under a great deal of scrutiny by many. Because numerology is a huge field one can obviously get a few bad results. However a 666 combination in Hebrew could be Vau, Samekh and Mem (in terminals ) thus numbers to letters are 6 + 60 + 600 = 666. Vau is an agent of male fertility, and Samekh its female opposite. Mem interestingly enough is the by­p;product of these intimate fruitful connections in either body or soul and in Hebrew it is grammatically a copulative or a connecting medium. To conclude, the ideals here are to provoke thought and not necessarily held by myself.
Only by playing with concepts can an element of truth be discovered, albeit partially. All creation is an exchange of energy and essences. A sexual act is but one of the microcosmic processes which parallel the great might of the cosmos. Using the Tree Of Life as a comprehensive glyph for understanding we can begin to approach processes of creation and awe at our potential power on every level. Or is this glyph a great orgasmatron?
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