It is evident to anyone who has studied astrology that its use as a divinatory technique is a perversion of its original and pristine purpose, albeit a justifiable perversion. Astrology was developed purely and simply as a means of indicating when certain actions should be performed. The Egyptian Dog-Festivals were a celebration of the fecundity of the Nile Valley as presaged by the rising of Sirius, not a propitiation of the God of Gods as has been suggested. The rising of Antares, the red star in the constellation of Scorpio (called by the ancients the Gravedigger of Caravans), likewise presaged the life-threatening heat of summer. The priests who had this knowledge held the keys to two mysteries undreamed of by the non-initiate. They knew that the supreme deity is female and they knew that the critical factor in the performance of any practical magick is WHEN. Everything has its time and season and magick is no exception to this.

It is not our purpose here to teach astrology but to show the practical implications of astrological symbolism as revealed by the English Qaballa. 93 was one of the first numbers to be studied in detail. The problem to begin with was: what was the empirical meaning of 93? To answer this question we referred back to AL II:55: ‘‘Thou shalt obtain the order & value of the English alphabet; thou shalt find new symbols to attribute them unto.’’ and II:32: ’’...all their words are skew-wise.’’ NEW=42=SKEW and STAR. We took this to mean that the stars are directly related to the system, that the words of the Gods are not subject to reason but to the Stars; the verse therefore meant that we were to seek out star symbols through the English Qaballa. 93 is the value of the Zodiacal constellation Scorpio the House of Death. The Treasure House of Images, Liber 393, states that Scorpio is Unity through Denial, therefore 93 represents the formula of Unity through Denial - the formula of Life and Death. SCORPIO=93=DIVIDE and UNITY. This is emphasised in AL I:29 ‘‘I am divided for love’s sake, for the chance of union.’’

There are numerous references to the stars in AL, clearly indicating the importance of astrological synchronization. In I:34 it is said that ‘‘the rituals shall be half known and half concealed’’ which indicates star-based rituals since for half the day the stars can be seen, and for the remaining half they are hidden. In III:38 we find, ‘‘There is a secret door that I shall make to establish thy way in all the quarters.’’ This phrase adds to 813 which as we have said is the sum total of all the planets. All the planetary influences are necessary in the accomplishment of this statement. Furthermore, when 36 (SUN=36=MAN) is subtracted from 813, to express everything that is not man, i.e. the divinity, the number remaining is 777 - the three faces of the Goddess. According to AL the supreme deity responsible for Creation is a Goddess; as sure as we were born from Her as a species we were born from woman as individuals.

The practical aspect of the initial research into the English Qaballa involved a series of rituals which were performed in conjunction with specific stellar phenomena defined by Liber AL. We accomplished this in England with a network of occultists known as the O.’.A.’.A.’.. In ten years it was proved that Liber AL contained unsurpassable initiatory formulae, revealed through the correspondences of the English Qaballa. Our practical work with the O.’.A.’.A.’. was concluded in the mid 1980's, after which the group’s activities entered a new phase.

From the point of view of astrology all life is seen as ritual, in that all things can be predicted and are governed by the stars. The astrological magickian sees life as ritual, and seeks to enhance the positive and minimise the negative aspects of his or her natal chart. This he does by the practice of star-based magickal rituals performed at the astrologically correct time, that is when the planets are in good aspect to each other, and in harmonious signs. He uses particular planets for different purposes. Thus Venus for love, Mars for energy, Jupiter for good fortune and good fellowship and so on. If his spells are just they are granted. If his talismans are prepared with the love of the Gods, they work.

When an astrologer says that a particular planet governs a set of phenomena the magickian says that the phenomena is a manifestation of that planet. For example, Venus is said to govern human emotion, and the beauty and form of nature. The magickian turns this idea on its head and says that the emotions and the beauty of nature are Venus in action. The astrologer parts company with the magickian, where the magickian can influence the manifestation of Venus and the astrologer not only cannot, but refuses to accept the possibility. The magickal holistic view is that emotion and natural beauty have the same source. There is no intrinsic difference between pruning a rose bush and protecting it from pests and diseases to isolate that rose’s beauty, and the development, refinement, and isolation of a beautiful concept: each utilises these same Venus forces. The root energy is that of Venus, and by contacting that power in the self one is enabled to influence that very same force in the natural world; this is the basis of sympathetic magic. If one can contact the goddess through her primary manifestation - love, then one can influence her manifestation in the natural world. The beauty of a rose is Venus in action. That beauty cannot be stolen gathered collected or preserved - it can only be emulated by the artist and evoked by the magickian.

The remainder of this section is derived from our own ritual practice. We have not included any E.Q. so that students will find a concise presentation of an easy method of ritual magick, leaving them to explore the numeric theory at leisure.

There are four weapons required in Stellar Magick - the Wand, Cup, Knife and Pantacle. Each weapon symbolises a different element - wand=fire, cup=water, pantacle=earth, sword=air. They represent different aspects of a force and also different ways of dealing with it. The fire wand directs power, the air sword can change its nature. The cup contains and the pantacle earths in a specific way. The power invoked by the fire wand can be directed to negative symbols like the cup and pantacle. These negative weapons can then be charged with the planetary force. The method used is to invoke the power using the appropriate ritual. The power is invoked from above via the Qaballistic Cross, it is directed down the wand through the right arm. The power is visualised in the colour appropriate to the planet involved. The magickian visualises the power pouring down from the planet and suffusing him in its energy. It streams from the wand and charges the cup or pantacle with whatever energy is required by the ceremony.

The wand is used to invoke the powers of Jupiter, Mercury, and the Sun. The wand is a symbol of the will as these planets are symbols of the divine will. The sword or knife is used to invoke the powers of Mars, because the energy of Mars is so violent that only a destructive weapon can mediate it. It is a weapon not much used in Stellar Magick, except in works of destruction and vengeance where the magician invokes the power of Mars at the astrologically correct moment, charges his knife with its power and stabs the symbol of his enemy. When a magickian resorts to this kind of magick he must be certain that he has not lost the golden thread. He must know that the law of Karma will cause him to experience that which he is afflicting on others. There is no grace and guilt in magick. The balance will be redeemed and that is all.

The cup is a wonderful weapon, it is owned by all of the Goddesses and he who knows how to wield it can be assured of the hearts of all real women. The cup is used to invoke the spirits of the Moon and Venus. The powers of Venus are truly visions of beauty. She is second only to Mars in ease of invocation. The spirits of these two planets can be conjured to visible appearance easily when their stars are right. The best way of dealing with the power of Venus is to hold the cup in the left hand, and allow the power to flow through it into the cup. This is useful if one wishes to influence a lady. However if the Goddess is simply invoked and worshipped this should be enough without going to all the trouble of being specific and invoking her for a particular woman. If one is beloved of the Goddess she will give of her daughters with open arms: it is usually enough to invoke Venus to intercede on one’s behalf. She is also, being the Goddess of Beauty, the principle invoked for all works of art and beauty. The Moon is also invoked with the cup. She is invoked for specific direction.

The weapons must be made and consecrated under the correct stellar influences so that they vibrate in sympathy with and mediate the power involved. The ritual of the appropriate planet is used to consecrate the weapon. The weapons must be perfumed with the appropriate perfume and ideally kept in silks of the appropriate colour. The perfume must be blessed and consecrated on the feast day of the planet. A preliminary consecration is performed in the day and hour of the planet. The Grand consecration is performed on the feast day of the planet which governs the weapon - i.e., Sun conjunct Moon in Aries for the Wand; Sun conjunct Venus for the Cup; Sun conjunct Jupiter for the Pantacle; and Sun conjunct Mars for the Knife. A burning incense stick is used and there must be nothing left of it at the end of the rite so that the integrity of the weapon is preserved.

The Wand is of the element of Fire, and the incense used is galangal or camphor.

The Cup is of the element of Water, and the incense used is rose, sandalwood, and a tiny amount of vanilla.

The Pentacle is of the element of Earth, and the incense used is dittany mixed with cedar.

The Knife is of the element of Air, and the incense used is a general incense tinged with sulphur.

Great care must be taken when invoking a planetary power to do a specific task that the spirit invoked has authority over the task required of it. It is no use invoking a Mars spirit for material wealth, it would only interpret ‘‘wealth’’ as great energy. Therefore care must be taken to make sure that one is invoking the right planetary spirit for the job. Also great caution must be exercised in preparing Mars and Saturn talismans as they are not easily destroyed once prepared. The talisman must be completely deconsecrated by ceremony, demagnetized by heating. 'The Key of Solomon' is recommended to the student desirous of more information on this subject.

Although the names of the planetary spirits come from the Hebrew, they predate the Hebrew. They are basic sounds that have come down from antiquity, sounds that awaken the planetary Gods, Archangels and Spirits. These names are in fact sounds that influence the deepest and highest aspects of our psyche. They belong to no religion - how can the True Names of the Deity ‘belong’ to a religion? When a baby says ‘‘ma’’ because it is one of the easiest things for a baby to say, it is enunciating one of the highest Names of Power, ‘‘AIMA’’ - Mother. The root ‘ma’ for ‘Mother’ exists in most languages, as does another sound a baby makes - ‘‘aba’’, meaning Father. These are the root sounds that are the supreme Names of God and the Goddess uttered by a child who does not yet know language. The Names of God belong to us all; they were entrusted to the Hebrew race at the end of the last Cataclysm. The Jews were indeed the Chosen people, and suffered great persecution because they carried these great secrets; it is not the prerogative of a mere gentile to speculate on the destiny of the Jewish race, but they deserve the respect and, dare we say it, veneration, of all magickians.

The nature of the Houses are of paramount importance in Stellar magick, particularly the angles. The tenth is used to get into contact with the spirit by means of worship. The planet in the seventh is used when one requires the force to act upon one’s behalf. The fourth House is used for casting spells and the Ascendant is used when one wishes o embody the God involved, by the method of assumption of God-forms. In each case the planet whose God is to be worshipped must be in the appropriate angle with the planet most conducive to the magickian’s work. An aspect with the Sun in the tenth is ideal for worship as it confers the supreme Authority upon the planet. The highest aspect of the deity is invoked as an act of worship, and having the planet in the tenth ensures that it is in a totally positive polarity with the worshipper. When one requires the force to act on one’s behalf then one would have the planet in the seventh House with the Moon applying to a conjunction with it. This would also be true in the case of a spell using the fourth: again we would require an applying conjunction of the Moon. The planet’s archetype is invoked and worshipped, and a sacrifice of the appropriate incense is desirable. The more symbols consistent with the planet’s nature one can bring to bear upon the ritual the better, they will all help to attract and direct the force.

It is not always possible to have the planets in the right places. For general magickal work the use of planetary days and hours can be used when there are no astrological configurations available to aid one. However we must point out that it is not possible to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, and planetary hours are limited in their effect unless fortified by planetary influences so therefore cannot be expected to produce results nearly as powerful as the Stellar powers. Planetary hours are most useful for the making of inks, perfumes, minor magical implements and talismans of short duration and effect. An exception to this is when the Sun and Moon are conjunct in a sign that a planet rules on its day and hour and the planet itself is dignified by aspect and free from affliction.

The principal rituals of Stellar Magick are conjunctions and trines between the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and the Moon. These rituals divide into two types: those concerning the Sun which control general events and background atmospheres, and those which have a more direct effect upon day to day events that are governed by the Moon.

The planets Venus and Jupiter are known in astrology as the two great benefics, and it is the beneficial effects of astrological influences that one is primarily interested in when one begins to work with this branch of the Art. When the magickian advanced as far as to make his contacts with the powers behind the symbols, then and only then will he be allowed to deal with the more fast acting and direct forms of magical work.

The general use of the benefic powers is as follows: Sun conjunct Jupiter - invoke God for health, wealth, and general happiness. The Feast of Jupiter can make great changes of direction. An added lunar aspect is good for starting any project, or gaining favours from superiors. Moon conjunct Jupiter - invoked approximately once a month, will bring good fortune, health and prosperity, but has not got the power of Sun Jupiter. Sun conjunct Venus - the Feast of Venus. Invoke the God and Goddess for aid in all matters of love and desire, including desire for wisdom and initiation. An added lunar aspect is used to invoke for the favours of a specific lady to produce a lasting relationship. A good time to invoke the Artistic Muses for inspiration. Moon conjunct Venus will give the favours of women and girls. Will aid in any artistic project.

The Zodiac is rather like a filing system which is accessed on a day-to-day basis by the Moon, each sign being a file of information consistent with the nature of the sign. The Moon governs the personality and the unconscious, (the actions principles and motives of the personality are all generated by the unconscious moon) and as it progresses through each sign the individual is impressed with information from that file, which has been updated by his experience during the last transit through the sign. When the Moon is in Scorpio, the House of Death, events appear to ‘die’ unexpectedly, or at least cease to relate to assumptions based on the past and plans made for the future, but remain isolated in a capsule of non-expressibility. Not only do plans made at this time go perversely wrong or come to nothing, but it is almost certain that the same subject will come up again next month, and the pattern will continue according to anything but the original ideas of the planner.

In human physiology the 93 phase is represented by the menstrual flux. We live as the unfertilised egg lives. We live in the body of the Goddess in the same way that the ovum lives in woman. Our experiences are the same: we are either fertilised by our experiences and bear fruit or we die as we have lived, without the world in which we live having had any impression on us at all. The ovum is expelled with the blood of woman from her world into the greater world of death. The place is then prepared for new life. The woman during this time goes through the experience of death to be renewed or reborn in Sagittarius. The sex organs are traditionally ruled by Libra and Scorpio. Opposite them lie Aries and Taurus representing the maximum fertility of the reproductive cycle; when the Sun is in these signs it is Spring, the time for planting the seed.

Liber Al makes clear reference to menstrual blood: ‘‘The best blood is of the moon, monthly,’’ (III:24) which as we have observed is a 93 phenomenon. BLOOD=42=CROSS. The Christian symbolism is obvious, and unclouded. Christ shed his Blood upon the Cross. The Christian festival of Easter coincides with Moon in Scorpio. Thus the much-maligned menstrual flow is shown to be what it really is for a woman, a process by which she is cleansed and redeemed, a token by which she can see her mundane self symbolising the larger cycle of Nature’s mysteries. With this self-knowledge she will not suffer pain or premenstrual tension or any other indoctrinated attitudes inherited from the old male-oriented systems.

The female menstrual cycle is the physical manifestation of the most easily observed astrological phenomenon, the passage of the Moon through the Zodiac. Indeed, this very synchronicity was undoubtedly the first concatenation of events to be recognised and recorded by the prehistoric observer who laid the foundations of the earliest astrological system. The correspondences with human female physiology are an important study as the system must work on all levels of experience. Prolonged investigation and observation of the modern female psyche has resulted in the following exposition of the 28-day menstrual cycle: Relief comes to the woman in SAGITTARIUS with the end of menses; a period of happiness and peace. She does not want to be committed to anything, just to relax. She feels at one with herself in CAPRICORN, she is in control now. She can do anything. With AQUARIUS she enters a period of wanting things, she feels socially inclined, expressing desires concerning the world. In PISCES she becomes a little secretive and slightly withdrawn. In ARIES she feels very much alive with lots of energy, she is very outgoing, and this develops in TAURUS, energy increases, she is on top form and sexually at her most active. Her intellect and sociability are at their best in GEMINI; in CANCER she feels very maternal and mothers everything and everybody. With LEO she changes to the desire for social pleasures and general fun and holiday. Her light-heartedness begins to change in VIRGO: she becomes withdrawn and tense, there may be feelings of apprehension. She does not feel very creative. In LIBRA she is ready to bleed, her confidence is at its lowest. Then in SCORPIO she becomes wise with a knowledge that transcends her ordinary self. She has lost her centre and is quite sensitive.

The importance of the above can scarcely be exaggerated, for it again shows that the embodiment of the supreme deity responsible for the whole of creation is to be found in woman. Man is but a dream of the Goddess, God is but the positive expression of Her will. Woman is the great initiator, the giver of THE LAW = 59 = YONI. In the first words of AL, ‘‘Had! The manifestation of Nuit,’’ the letters H A D have the values 4 1 6, symbolising the snake (SNAKE=54=FOUR) the woman (WOMAN=46=ONE) and the Law (D=6=LAW). Note that 4 is also the first number of II:76. This describes the true Garden of Eden scenario: Eve taught Adam the knowledge of the serpent.

At the end of AL II:78 it is said ’’..and the name of thy house 418.’’ This number by English Qaballa may be read as the four (4) are united as one (1) to infinity (8). The immediate question is what four, and one is inclined to invoke the Lion, Man, Eagle and Bull as a means of escape from the problem. Yet Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius and Taurus do not add to 418. In any case this quaternary is not new and in no way represents a revolutionary New Aeon formula. The New Aeon Quaternary must not be simply a rehash of old aeon ideas. This brings us to another question: the phrase refers to THY HOUSE = 101: whose house are we required to consider? Reducing the number 1+0+1=2, leads us to consider the concept of duality. The dual God is Baphomet, expressed in the Zodiac as the balanced duality CAPRICORN=121. The power of Capricorn is derived from the three preceding Zodiacal signs. The value of Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius and Capricorn is 58+93+146+121=418 by English Qaballa. Therefore the House of Baphomet is Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius and Capricorn.

These four signs reveal the stages of the 93 process in full. Libra represents the judgment, the balance before death; the unfertilised seed in the womb; the time of harvest. Scorpio represents the crucifixion; the onset of menstruation when the lining of the womb is sacrificed; the apparent death of nature. Sagittarius represents the mysterious three days in the tomb; the period of rest following the bleed; the sleep of winter. Capricorn represents the resurrection; the renewed and restored woman; the potential for renewal in Nature symbolised by the Green Man. Other series of correspondences will no doubt suggest themselves to the student.

The Ordeal X is a star-based initiatory process which exactly follows the 418 formula. The candidate enters the House named 418 at Libra, an individual at war with himself and ineffectual in the world due to this conflict. He or she is stripped of all they think about themselves so that they are left with two ideas - who they are and who they are not - duality. The candidate dies and is reborn in the Sagittarius-Capricorn phase. Self and Not-self are united and he becomes BAPHOMET=128 or she becomes the SCARLET WOMAN=128, and the candidate leaves at Capricorn, able to do his or her will in the world. THE ORDEAL X = 128. 128 is the Unity (1) of Duality (2) to Infinity (8).

ORDEAL X = 75 = BEAST. The Ordeal X then is also the ordeal of the Beast; what beast, one asks - and horses, cows and other beasties spring to mind - but one would be wrong as Crowley was wrong. BEAST means literally ‘be as T’ where T=24= GOD. Therefore to be a BEAST one must BE AS GOD (=T) and to be as God one must transcend manifestation.

The Ordeal X is a 93 process one must go through if one is to comprehend the mysteries of AL with any degree of understanding and remain with even a semblance of what is known as sanity. Once this initiation is begun it cannot be stopped, any more than the stars in their courses.

The ordeal entails entering the unmanifest and experiencing nonbeing. This will provoke a state of madness that will last as long as it takes for the initiation to take place. The would-be candidate must be warned that the ordeal is real and not a step to be taken lightly. By his action the candidate is recreating his whole (WHOLE=41) universe which results in at the least insanity and at worst death. Upon his return he will have to resolve the conflict of realities. This is a really bad experience. People who have gone through the Ordeal X have become very wobbly for a very long time, some like Crowley himself wobbled and wobbled until they fell off the world all together, a not uncommon state of affairs with opportunistic Thelemites. There are many different ways of experiencing the ordeal; all systems of magic have this experience, but this system provokes it more easily than most methods. The symbol of the cosmic Christ, the God of Love, that 93 represents is the only power that can save the candidate.

The initiation called the Ordeal X begins with the celebration of the conjunction of the Sun and Venus in Scorpio. SUN AND VENUS = 128 = THE ORDEAL X. These conjunctions form the points of a celestial pentagram once every eight years. Here again Aleister Crowley came within an ace of a great secret. That the stars were somehow connected with the successful performance of sexual magick was a fact well known to Crowley. It was so obvious to him that he figured genethliacal charts (omitted from the published version of Rex de Arte Regia) for the consummation of each operation of this nature. However, none of these charts betrays a knowledge of the Key to WHEN such rites should be performed. This is also evidenced by the prolific number of such operations recorded in his diary. Nevertheless, he did combine sexual magick with the rite of the pentagram in Chapter 25 of the Book of Lies and he did refer to Venus in her Babalon aspect, her name of seven letters. It was this chapter which misled the Rosicrucian order, the O.T.O, into the belief that he had discovered the Key and it was this assumption which led to his initiation into that Order. He became the Most High and Holy King of Ireland, Iona, and all the Britons within the Sanctuary of the Gnosis, etc, etc, with no knowledge of the Key; and he spent the remainder of his life pursuing it. Had he but looked at the Book of the Law he would have seen, ‘‘Thou knowest not; nor shalt thou know ever. There cometh one to follow thee: he shall expound it.’’ (II:76). Had he taken note of this, the inane rituals over which the uninitiated lodges of the O.T.O. have struggled for years might never have been written.

Eliphas Levi in his ‘Transcendental Magic’ makes the following statements about the pentagram:- ‘‘The Quintessence itself is represented by (it);’’ ‘‘(it) is the sign of the word made flesh.’’ ‘‘This sign, ancient as history, and more ancient.’’ He goes on to say by what perfumes this sign should be consecrated. All are perfumes of an essentially female nature. It is evident that Levi was not concerned with any common symbol scratched on stone or metal or the fetishes which festoon the gathered multitudes at occult tea-parties, since he goes on to mention the Morning Star and the Star of Lucifer, both being alternative names for the planet Venus. Anyone who has pondered over the sign of the pentagram in order to fathom its significance will have been totally dissatisfied by references to the Star of Bethlehem, the elements, microprosopus and so on, and rightly so. The pentagram, in its essential form, is not a manufactured symbol, a convenient unicursal glyph. It occurs naturally - in the heavens.

In reference to the Heavenly or Blazing pentagram Eliphas Levi declared that its representation should be constructed of the seven metals on virgin white marble. Again we have an allusion to Venus, white marble being sacred to her, and we have the number seven in reference to the pentagram. This last point would seem to be an absurdity not only in the disparity of the numbers but also in the impossibility of alloying the seven metals. So what did he mean? There has long been a tradition that Venus contains within herself a synthesis of the other planets. By the word ‘metal’ Levi actually meant ‘planet’. The Golden Dawn expressed this concept in its fifth knowledge lecture which contains a diagram of the ten Sephiroth within the symbol of Venus. (It is interesting to note that in Hebrew Qabalah there are ‘thirty-two paths of concealed wisdom’, and that it takes Venus that number of weeks to orbit the Sun.) Here then is the solution to the mystery of the Rose Cross: that the synthesis of all the planets is expressed in Venus and that when the Sun forms a conjunction with Her the Grand Elixir may be prepared. The Rose is Venus and Woman, the Cross is Man and the Sun. In uniting these principles the Elixir of Life is produced. The magickian harmonizes and balances the Universe by taking two elements of the microcosm and uniting them in their unity with two united elements of the macrocosm.

This Key is referred to in AL I:53, ‘‘This shall regenerate the world...unto whom I send this kiss.’’ THIS=56 which in terms of the E.Q. means pentagrammic (5) Law (6) or the Law of All (ALL=5). KISS=42=STAR, as we have already noted. THIS KISS is therefore the five pointed star which manifests the Law. SUN+VENUS+SCORPIO=200=MANIFESTATION; through the formula of 93 the divine union represented by the pentagram manifests in the microcosm of man. SUN+VENUS=107, the union of being (1) and not-being (0) expressed in the Goddess (7). The correct celebration of this ritual will result in the beginning of the Ordeal X.

The Part of Fortune at first appears to be one of those bits of astrological impedimenta that has come down to us from the mists of antiquity with seemingly little purpose or meaning; and yet as is often the case with occult symbols, the apparently unimportant conceals a great mystery. It is a factor in astrological work that has been neglected by modern astrologers as its function is not obvious in Natal Astrology. It is an esoteric concept, symbolised by the cross in the circle. Its position is found by adding the longitude of the Ascendant to the longitude of the Moon and subtracting the longitude of the Sun. The Ascendant is the ego, it is the part of the chart that reveals itself to the world. The Moon is the personality derived from unconscious sources, that reflects the light of individuality that is the Sun. These three forces combine to give an ego that is unconsciously directed. To remove the power of the Sun from this symbol would render it an empty container. Incidentally, the symbol Å is said in AL III:47 to be a Key, which justified this line of investigation.

Christ when he was on the cross said, ‘‘Father, Father, why hast thou forsaken me?’’ He is without the Sun of spiritual light - he is the symbol of Ascendant plus Moon minus Sun. Christ upon the cross is a symbol of the Part of Fortune, and the Part of Fortune is a symbol of the crucified Christ. It is the astrological symbol of the Holy Grail. The postulant goes on the search for the Grail, but in fact the search is for the spiritual light of the Sun that illuminates the Grail.

The Part of Fortune is a supreme negativity that could only be described in ideographic terms as a Goddess. It is the final perfection of Venus whose symbol is a cross surmounted by a circle, where the cross at last harmonises the circle. It is the cup ready to be filled, the waiting earth, the receptacle of the power of the stars, changing its plane of existence from the macrocosmic plane of the stars to the microcosmic plane of the world and individual existence. The Part of Fortune takes the power of the stars and gives it to the earth; as the earth transmutes the power of the cosmos into energies to sustain itself, and the mother takes energies from man and uses that power to nurture her children, so the Part of Fortune sustains the individual. It is the great winged disk of the Goddess traversing eternity, drinking the blood of the stars to feed the children of earth, she who by her power gives at all times wherever she is found. She has been mistaken as a Solar emblem, but he is not inside her and can only radiate his power upon her. This aspect of the Goddess has been in exile for thousands of years, in part due to the inability of Adepts to place her astronomically. Her characteristics cannot be found among the female planets Venus, Saturn, the Moon, or even the Earth, although the Earth most nearly encompasses her nature which is why they share the same symbol, Å. She is the Great Mother Isis, going on her search round the Zodiac for the dismembered body of Osiris. She gives the benefits from whatever she touches; she is the only astrological phenomenon that cannot afflict. Where Scorpio removes phenomena from this world, the Part of Fortune (FORTUNA=93) brings ideal phenomena to this world. When a planet is conjunct the Part of Fortune the ideal of that planet is manifest and may be successfully invoked.

Each day at dawn the Moon is conjunct the Part of Fortune. This means that at dawn the personality (which is ruled by the Moon) is a chalice for the stellar influences. This explains the strange feeling of oneness with the universe that is often experienced at sunrise, and is the reason for the emphasis on performing invocations at that time. The personality is flooded with the Divine Will at dawn and this is felt by anyone who can stand still and open their awareness at that time. Even the most ignorant of men cannot fail to be moved by the dawn, even his soul will be stirred by the rising Sun, even the grail in his empty heart is temporarily illuminated as the emptiness of the celestial Grail is temporarily filled by the light. But then unlike the spiritual Sun, the temporal sun moves on and the magic moment of the Grail is lost - and the man moves on, conscious that he has seen something beautiful, but he cannot really say what. The mystery is that he has had a fleeting glimpse of the Grail.

Both the Grail Cup and the Wheel of Fortune resume the same feminine symbolism. (WHEEL=59=YONI and THE LAW). All these symbols vibrate with the same power in different forms: life, material wealth, spirituality, the Sun; they contain the same formulae and each is capable, by pursuit or emulation, of teaching one the great mysteries of life.