The Path of Initiation - The Abyss

This article is Part Fourteen of a series. Part One can be found here, Part Two can be found here, Part Three can be found here, Part Four can be found here, Part Five can be found here, Part Six can be found here, Part Seven can be found here, Part Eight can be found here, Part Nine can be found here, Part Ten can be found here, Part Eleven can be found here, Part Twelve can be found here, and Part Thirteen can be found here.

Crossing the Abyss is the fourteenth step on the path of initiation into the into the mysteries of Western Esotericism. On the Kircher Tree of Life, the Abyss is the boundary separating the potential from the actual, represented by the three supernal sephiroth on the one hand and the rest of the Tree of Life on the other. Unlike some of the other variants of the Tree, the Kircher does not have a path that runs directly between Chesed and Binah.

Aleister Crowley does relate the Abyss to Da'ath, Knowledge, the "false sephira," so that provides a few possible attributions. However, according to many of his other writings, the fundamental nature of Crossing the Abyss is such that, by its very nature, symbolism itself is transcended. What crosses the Abyss is not the mundane personality - that remains behind, as it essentially consists of the Ruach and is thus limited to the bounds of Yetzirah - but rather nothing more than the point or spark of awareness that represents the Adept's most fundamental spiritual nature.

Crossing the Abyss confers the grade of Master of the Temple, or Magister Templi, and was considered by Crowley to be the second great initiation in magick, the first being attaining the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel which confers the grade of Adept. So in effect, there are essentially three initiations and three classes of magical practitioners - Initiates (1=10 to 4=7), Adepts (5=6 to 7=4), and Masters (8=3 and above).

As I go through this exposition, keep in mind I am now writing from the perspective of my studies rather than personal experience. I've never claimed to be a Master of the Temple - that is, one who has crossed the Abyss - so this article remains speculative. When I finally do cross the Abyss, it's not entirely unlikely that I may turn around and declare that back when I wrote this I had no idea what I was talking about and made tons of mistakes. I will, however, make my best effort to be as accurate as I can based on the sources I have reviewed and what my magical experiences so far have taught me.


In order to Cross the Abyss, according to the A.'. A.'. system you should already be the founder of an established school of thought. If you're not, you haven't completed the task of the Exempt Adept (7=4)and you shouldn't be thinking about moving on until you get that done. You should have published your thesis that lays out your perspective on the spiritual and magical world, and it should have gotten at least a little bit of traction. If it doesn't, you didn't perform the task right - so go back to the drawing board and get that taken care of.

Keep in mind, though, that I'm not a member of any of the A.'. A.'. groups currently in operation, and I have no idea whether or not this is a requirement that they enforce. I am going off of Crowley's original published blueprint laid out in One Star in Sight, and I don't speak for any A.'. A.'. group or teacher. You would need to check with whoever is in charge of any given group to get some idea of whether or not this requirement has been modified for their students.

Obviously, what the original schema means is that only a tiny percentage of people are ever ready to Cross the Abyss, but my guess is that was probably Crowley's intent. His "magical son," Frater Achad, swore the Oath of the Abyss as a Neophyte, and it set in motion a series of events that resulted in a falling out between the two of them. Likewise, Jack Parsons allegedly swore the Oath of the Abyss not that long before he was killed in his infamous lab explosion. Now that doesn't mean you'll get blown up if you swear the Oath - it just means that potentially, bad things can happen.

There are a couple of misconceptions that it is easy to arrive at when reading Crowley. Crowley may have been an exponent of the New Aeon formula of life and growth, but much of his writing about the Abyss is framed in what strikes me as Old Aeon thinking, the dynamic of death and rebirth. It's easy to read Crowley and come to the conclusion that in crossing the Abyss, the mundane personality or "ego" (a psychoanalytic concept that to my way of thinking is profoundly inaccurate, but that's a whole other post) is destroyed in some fashion.

That obviously isn't true. If it were, no Master of the Temple would be able to function in the world in any capacity. Crowley certainly had an "ego" well beyond his attainment of Master of the Temple as documented in The Vision and the Voice. Some people suggest that this means Crowley never crossed the Abyss, but if you look across the various spiritual traditions of the world that idea almost certainly isn't true. Rather, a better description of the process is that the point of awareness - consciousness itself - transcends the boundary of the mundane personality into the realm of pure potentiality.

From the standpoint of life and growth, consciousness simply expands outward to include more and more elements within its purview, its boundaries increasing like the rings on a tree. The two big "jumps" happen at 5=6, where the transpersonal realm is integrated, and at 8=3, where the same happens within the cosmic realm - that is, the consciousness of the whole universe viewed as a whole. This is a tall order for any mystic, and as you can probably imagine is quite difficult to achieve and even harder to stabilize.

Because the Adept is assumed to have the council of the Holy Guardian Angel, it is not necessarily of much use to include a lot of exposition and instruction. The Angel is a valuable resource in that regard, and should be able to recommend practices particularly suited to who you are and what your situation happens to be. Any instructions that I or Crowley or anyone else can give are thus inferior to information obtained directly from the source.

Above the Abyss the consciousness of the Master of the Temple and the Holy Guardian Angel are one - which is by necessity, as the Master of the Temple must integrate the entire universe into his or her sphere of awareness. This is what is meant by "higher self" in the context of the Holy Guardian Angel - the intent is not to imply that the Angel is some sort of psychological projection. Likewise, the statement that the Master of the Temple must divest of all, including the Holy Guardian Angel, refers to union with the Angel on the other side of the Abyss.

There is no particular ritual for crossing the Abyss. This is because the Abyss itself is the antithesis of structure. Trying to push yourself across is like trying to push the ocean. In effect, you accomplish all the necessary preparations, swear the Oath of the Abyss, and let the momentum of the universe and your practice up to that point carry you across. It's simple. But simple and easy are two entirely different things.

Crowley recommends the following preparations for the Exempt Adept working towards to Crossing the Abyss:

To attain the Grade of Magister Templi, he must perform two tasks; the emancipation from thought by putting each idea against its opposite, and refusing to prefer either; and the consecration of himself as a pure vehicle for the influence of the order to which he aspires.

As for the “consecration of self as a pure vehicle,” Crowley recommends the following magical practices:

1. The fortification of the Body of Light by the constant use of rituals, by the assumption of god-forms, and by the right use of the Eucharist.

2. The purification and consecration and exaltation of that Body by the use of rituals of invocation.

3. The education of that Body by experience. It must learn to travel on every plane; to break down every obstacle which may confront it. This experience must be as systematic and regular as possible; for it is of no use merely to travel to the spheres of Jupiter and Venus, or even to explore the 30 Aethyrs, neglecting unattractive meridians.

Crowley's Magister Tempi Oath, also referred to as the Oath of the Abyss, has been published in a number of places. The version of it that I am familiar with reads as follows:

1. I, ___________, a member of the Body of God, hereby bind myself on behalf of the Whole Universe, even as we are now physically bound unto the cross of suffering:
2. that I will lead a pure life, as a devoted servant of the Order:
3. that I will understand all things:
4. that I will love all things:
5. that I will perform all things and endure all things:
6. that I will continue in the Knowledge and Conversation of my Holy Guardian Angel
7. that I will work without attachment
8. that I will work in truth:
9. that I will rely only upon myself:
10. that I will interpret every phenomenon as a particular dealing of God with my soul.
11. And if I fail herein, may my pyramid be profaned, and the Eye closed to me.

Many people on the Internet are under mistaken assumption that the entire Oath consists of Point 10, "that I will interpret every phenomenon as a particular dealing of God with my soul." But as you can see, the Oath essentially runs down the Tree of Life from Kether to Malkuth. It is intended to apply universally, excluding nothing. According to Crowley, swearing the Oath automatically makes you a Master of the Temple - but anyone who is not ready will be unable to handle the forces that the Oath sets in motion.

And frankly, if you know where to look you can find plenty of that on the Internet. Self-proclaimed "Masters of the Temple" who comport themselves like toddlers is practically a cliche in the magical community. I'm of the opinion that an easy way to judge someone's attainment is to watch how they behave in online forums. The more ridiculous, self-important, and obnoxious they are, the less enlightened I assume them to be - usually. I'm not going to put that forth as a general principle, but I have found it to be a helpful rule of thumb.

So unless you want to wind up like one of those folks, be sure you're ready before trying to take this step. Crowley refers to Adepts who fail to integrate the cosmic realm and this fail to Cross the Abyss as "black brothers" - which, by the way, is a concept that is entirely different from that of a "black" or evil magician in modern parlance. It may not be true that the mark of a black brother is throwing temper tantrums on social media, but let's just say if that turned out to be the case I wouldn't be that surprised.

The real danger is this - when you go to Cross the Abyss, nobody thinks that they fail. However, the difference between what is essentially entrenched narcissism and genuine enlightenment is vast, but from moment to moment it can be difficult to perceive. In the end, it all boils down to ignorance - if you think you're enlightened and you're not, your actions can result in all sorts of ridiculous ends. So even if you perform this operation and think you have succeeded, be on your guard. Test everything, all along the way.

After all, even if Crossing the Abyss is the second great initiation in magick, you're never really done. You have to keep up the work, day in and day out, and every realization simply opens the door to the next one down the line. You just have to keep moving forward, no matter what.