The Zodiac Club #1: Love Is The Law, Love Under Will
In honor of the Solar Eclipse in Aries, I’m launching a new series of writings and art based on astrology, the tarot, Paganism, witchcraft, philosophy, metaphysics, and the occult.
Hauntology Now! is the Substack of interdisciplinary artist, designer, musician, academic writer, and cultural critic J. Simpson, where he writes about all things hauntological, atemporal, philosophical, as well as sharing thoughts, reflections, and musings on music, movies, books, and life.
Do as thou wilt
Shall be the whole of the law.
Love is the law
Law under will.
If you've spent any time at all in any modern magical, Pagan, or occult communities, you've no doubt encountered this phrase. It's, of course, the most famous quotation from that most infamous of magicians, the Great Beast himself, Frater Perdurabo, Mr. Aleister Crowley. It's usually parroted as part of a typical libertine/hedonic pseudo-spirituality, usually meant as a support for a selfish, self-involved worldview. It's repeated so often it's become a king of truism - good for bumper stickers and t-shirts, but as an enlightenment-inducing koan? It can be a bit lacking.
57. Invoke me under my stars! Love is the law, love under will. Nor let the fools mistake love; for there are love and love. There is the dove, and there is the serpent. Choose ye well! He, my prophet, hath chosen, knowing the law of the fortress, and the great mystery of the House of God. - Liber Al von Legis
"Nor let the fools mistake love, for there are love and love," is the important part. In some part of my brain I know what the dove and the serpent represent, but it's been a minute. I also know he talks more at length about that mantra somewhere but, again, it's going to take me a minute to find his commentary. I've only recently starting re-visiting his writing for the first time in a couple of decades, in preparation for this new series. By my recollection, what he means by the whole, extended phrase is "do whatever you want, as long as it's serving your True Will and Purpose." This is the marrow of this argument, and this essay. It's a passing commentary on some of Crowley's - and Western esotericism, more broadly - more scoping work, what he and other magicians refer to as "The Great Work." Much of Western magic is an elaborate series of initiations, preparations, and rituals in order to learn what your Great Work is. Once you know, you're free to joyfully further that cause to the utmost of your ability with a free and clear conscience.
Which brings us to the purpose of this essay, the inaugural outing of a series i've been wanting to undertake for a long, long time. As you may or may not know, a solar eclipse is happening today in the Northern Hemisphere. In some parts of North America, it's going to be one of the most intense solar eclipses we've had in years. It's also the last we're going to have until i think 2044 or something like that. The solar eclipse is happening in Aries, so we turn our attention to that part of the Zodiac to consider some of the potential repercussions, significance, growth opportunities, and fallout from this solar shadow.
Aries is the first sign in the Zodiac. It corresponds to the first house, in the horoscope, called the "house of Self." Developmentally speaking, the Aries is the infant, the complete newborn, before they even learn to walk or speak. It's a time in life when we are completely self-involved. There is only one concept and it is "I" - *my* needs, *my* wants. Obviously, this level of self-involvement can very easily go off the rails or get out of control. We must remember, it's an important part of life, of development. We must have health, balanced, and well-defined Egos and Selves before we hope to relate healthfully with the rest of the world.
Which brings us back to the topic of this essay, and a potential meditation for today's solar eclipse. What are you doing with yourself? What are you making of your life? This is not meant in a shaming, guidance counselor respect. It's a neutral question. In light of the deeper, realer meaning of Crowley's maxim, however, it has revolutionary potential.
Once you're fortunate enough - have done the time, hard work, and dedication to dig in and discover an inkling of what your Great Work might be, it gives you complete permission to explore and cultivate that thing to the utmost of your capabilities. It also requires some radical honesty, though, and perhaps a touch of epistemological philosophy that is maybe not always emphasized in today's world. Namely, what *is* love? Like Crowley says, "there is love and there is love." That might seem like some squishy New Age sentimentality or a bit of circular logic, but keep with me for a second. Say, for example, you have a revelation that your great purpose in life is sharing great learning and timeless wisdom. You begin your proselytization. You become a fisher of men, dedicated to spreading wise words from great thinkers. You become the world's leading know it all, waxing and weighing in on topics great and small.
After a while, though, you notice something peculiar beginning to happen, though. You're spending a lot of time arguing with people on the internet. You find yourself on Twitter singing the praises of the likes of Richard Dawkins or Steven Pinker. You can't believe anybody would be stupid enough to be Christian. You can't understand why everyone doesn't see how much better the world would be if everyone were an Atheist?
What's happening? You're just trying to do as thou wilt, to do what you love and spread the good news. Why are people so hostile and antagonistic? Why is your life becoming a dried out husk, like a 7-year cicada's?
In this hypothetical, it turns out that while you thought you were doing what you loved, in your secret heart of heart, you were merely attempting to recapture the buzz of getting a Gold Star on a spelling bee in the first grade, the first real words of affirmation you'd had, or understood at least, in your short life, mixed with a subconscious instinct to take revenge on the religious status quo of your upbringing, that made you feel like a freak and a loser and an outcast. These subconscious drives were perhaps allowed to inflate and maybe even grow slightly malignant when puffed up by some New Age mysticism and a whiff of spiritual ego.
In this example, perhaps the pure, undiluted instinct is to teach. The lack of self-awareness let that vision grow corrupted, though, and that corruption spread into real life. So while it's possible that someone's Great Work or Love or driving passion is "not feeling like the loser I was in second grade," I'd warrant that's rare.
Here, as the moon's shadow swallows the sun, ask yourself, "what am I doing? What am I doing?" To speak personally and plainly for a moment, I can sometimes fall into old or less-healthy patterns of behavior when I'm low-energy or avoiding something or just, in some regard, don't feel that hot. It's okay, but it's not doing what I love. While my own Great Work is the topic for another essay, or several, or hundred (it's important to me, it's inked on my flesh, my very first tattoo), i do know it when i'm doing it. When i've written an album review or ten in a week, pouring myself into the research, splitting my skull trying my best to think of ways to describe sounds and the visions the call up, i am satisfied. I'll be honest with you, those efforts aren't always rewarded. In fact, they're usually not. It doesn't matter to me in the slightest. Attention and praise become mere secondhand information, more data to process into the feedback loop for the next one. It's often hard, frequently exhausting, and it feeds my soul.
I'd warrant that for most of us, arguing with strangers doesn't feed our souls. It doesn't "spark joy," in the effort to be the first essay to reference both Aleister Crowley and Marie Kondo in the same work. If you're new to this work, I'd recommend spending some time getting good with yourself, spend some quality time with your own heart and soul, asking yourself "what is my purpose in life? What brings me joy? What do i love?" From there, you'll likely have to keep digging, keep unearthing buried and unprocessed traumas, hopes and wishful thinking. You'll have to heal your Ego. Then you'll have everything you need to transcend it.
For me, this is my beginning. I had every hope and thought and plan to make this a super serious, studious academic work, bringing in some relevant citations on the Will, from Arthur Schopenhauer's The Word as Will and Representation and Zen and the Art of Archery, talking about purifying your instincts so you know your aim is true, that you can shoot with a clear conscience. Those essays are coming. I *did* read the first volume of The Word as Will and Representation, while I was preparing, but it turns out that book is very complicated, and pulling out supporting arguments is going to take some time. I didn't want to miss this solar holiday. I didn't want to wait to be perfect, so this is what you get. And, yes, i have loved writing every second of it. It feeds and nurtures my soul, as does knowing so many of you, and so many more i hope to meet soon.
If you're looking for more insights and guidance for this Aries eclipse, might i recommend a reading from my good friend Theresa Buck? She's created a new tarot spread for the occasion to help you reach and unleash your inner Emperor. Follow her and connect at @ElfWitchOracle.
Welcome to The Zodiac Club, a new series of writing, art, and thoughts on Astrology, the Tarot, the Occult, and Metaphysics!
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