The Lamen of the Master Therion
9. The Lamen of the Master Therion
Acrylic on canvas
76cm x 51cm x 1.5cm
SOLD
At first sight, the Memorial Pillar would appear to be unique in the body of work Crowley has bequeathed us. However, its form can be discerned in the geometry of the Lamen of the Master Therion. The Lamen's circular head and its triangular body with the projecting points of the hexagram clearly follow the outline of the Memorial Pillar.
The Lamen was first published in 1929 in Crowley's magnum opus Magick in Theory & Practice. Its design incorporates Crowley's unicursal hexagram, the seven-pointed star of Babalon and a version of the Rose-Cross that he developed from the three-armed Hierophantic Cross.
10. Star Sapphire
Acrylic on canvas
50cm x 40cm x 1.5cm
SOLD
In Magick Without Tears, Crowley describes a lamen as a 'sort of Coat of Arms', a 'harmony of symbols' that expresses in a single design the character and powers of the wearer. He also said of the Memorial Pillar at Cefalu that it was 'inscribed with various symbols descriptive of the Work of bringing the new Message of the Masters of Wisdom to Mankind'. As a 'harmony of symbols' in a 'single design', the Memorial Pillar functions as a type of lamen.
Acrylic on canvas
50cm x 40cm x 1.5cm
SOLD
As a design from the hand of its founding father, for purely historical reasons the Memorial Pillar from the Heaven mural at Cefalu should be treasured as an icon of Thelema alongside other better known images from the Chamber of Nightmares such as the 'Eternal Idol'.
Acrylic on canvas
50cm x 40cm x 1.5cm
SOLD
As a symbol that affirms the basic tenets of Thelema the Memorial Pillar should be the foundation stone of any Thelemic temple or shrine.
13. Hell's Mouth
Acrylic on canvas
50cm x 40cm x 1.5cm
SOLD
As a lamen, we can find the whole armoury of magical symbols, circles, triangles, hexagrams and pentagrams, in the simple form of the Memorial Pillar. Whilst the original wall painting may now be beyond saving, we can still restore it as a treasure of Thelemic iconography if we understand, adopt and use it.
14. Unchanging Wisdom - Changing Life:
A Work in Progress
Acrylic on canvas
50cm x 40cm x 1.5cm
NOT FOR SALE
It was on the advice of the I Ching that Crowley went to Cefalu. He wrote a paraphrase of the text whilst there and considered his attribution of the 8 Trigrams to the Qabbalistic Tree of Life as one of his greatest achievements. He continued to consult and study the ancient oracle throughout the rest of his life. However, he died before he could complete and publish his work which remains a 'work in progress' for his heirs.
15. The Chinese Universe
Watercolour & gouache on paper, after Lady Frieda Harris
54.5cm x 44cm x 1.0cm framed
SOLD
Crowley considered his attribution of the 8 trigrams of the I Ching to the Qabbalistic Tree of Life as one of his greatest achievements but much of his work on the I Ching remains incomplete. Frieda Harris was initially a student of Crowley's I Ching and he encouraged her to pursue her studies as the 'key to the art after which she was seeking'. However, she is best remembered for painting Crowley's Thoth Tarot deck.