A∴A∴

How do I teach my students?

by Frater N.O.X.

March 22, An CXXII 2026 e.v.

Sol in 1° 43’ Aries, Luna in 15° 41’ Taurus

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Perhaps you’ve read our Essays and our Books. You’ve studied the Curriculum of Scientific Illuminism published by the A∴A∴, and decide, after some spiritual impulse, to sign the Oath and Task of Probationer. The occasion is solemn and serious. Without irony, I inform you that you’ve just kicked a hornet’s nest. Full of newfound zeal, you proudly declare yourself a Thelemite who will become an Adept in this lifetime. I grin back at you, but you didn’t realize it at the time: you didn’t see the glint behind My eyes; a challenge to your integrity initiated by none other than yourself.

We exchange correspondence. I instruct you in the proper protocols of communication, and the expectations that We have for you to become a Neophyte of the Outer College of A∴A∴, how to keep a Magical Record according to Liber E. If you’re actually serious, you begin those practices which you find interesting while studying the Curriculum in Class B according to your Oath and Task. If you’re disciplined, you begin memorizing a Chapter of Liber LXV, make your Robe according to Our specifications, and start your daily Magick. 

One day, or night, you remember my warning: “You’ve just kicked a hornet’s nest.” You didn’t know what to make of those words at the time, but now the ordeals have started. You ask yourself: “Do I have what it takes to become a Neophyte? Why is my life so difficult? I thought this was supposed to be all fun and joy unto Nuit!” Yes, well, that’s up to you to determine whether or not you become the sovereign at the Center of your own Magick Circle. 

You quickly realize that there are practically infinite distractions keeping you from your daily practices. Perhaps you write Me all sorts of letters detailing your deep spiritual experiences. You act surprised when I coldly tell you to write it all down, to not get carried away; that you must utilize the Method of Science to pursue the Aim of Religion. You write letters, and I ask you precisely how this fulfills your Oath and Task to the letter. Then, by chance, you find My Motto in the Curriculum: N.O.X., the Key to the Abyss.

Perhaps a grim terror sets in? The howling begins, and you find yourself confronted by vampires, witches, and the strix. You persist, and if you’re really lucky, you may feel like you’re about to die or go wonderfully insane. The old life before your Oath and Task begins to die, to rot, to decay away, and you don’t quite understand why this is happening to you.

While all of this is occurring to you, a realization sets in: Frater N.O.X. doesn’t write, doesn’t initiate contact; only responds to your inquiries with crystal clear instructions that seem confusing at the time. You ask about this apparent lack of Energy from Me, and I remind you that You must prove yourself to Us, that it is You who must demonstrate fitness for advancement to Neophyte; that We have strict instructions not to interfere with the Natural Growth of the Child.

One day, or night, an insight occurs: all of the ordeals in your life that seem like Death are a transformation as you begin your withdrawal from the Aeon of the Dying God. Perhaps you catch a glimpse of the Higher Life of the Adepts and Masters and boldly proclaim: “I will never give up!”

Adjustment occurs. What was once bewilderingly difficult becomes familiar. You notice that every action has an opposite and equal reaction. Your Magick, though clumsy, comes with an unexpected (to you!) effect: there is Magical Recoil as you scratch away at the World of Action known as the Plane of Disks.

Perhaps you consider quitting? No. You decide that if you must withdraw from the Dying God, you will do so on your own terms. You decide that you are both good and strong. The forces and forms of the Old Aeon have less sway over you as your persist, day after day, night after night. Reading through Liber ABA, you realize that you, and you alone, must Consecrate yourself to the Higher Life of Initiation. 

Then, without warning, it is as if a Door appears. There is a Dweller on the Threshold that you, and you alone, must confront, but you resist the fight for now. Bewildered, you remember: “Love is the law, love under will.” You ruthlessly analyze your efforts so far, and although you have no Success as you define it, you begin to understand: there are infinite possibilities, and for the first time, you realize that you must balance the classical Elements.

In time, you learn the value of Silence. Perhaps you’re writing to Me more often, or maybe you’ve withdrawn? It doesn’t matter: the process continues regardless of your follies. Mistakes are bound to occur. If you were already an Adept, you wouldn’t need Me to instruct you. 

You keep fighting the inertia and realize: in this Aeon, the 93 Current works with you, not against You, and You persist; building a Magical Current of your own. The Essence of the Great Work comes into sharper focus, and by an act of volition, decide to confront the Dweller on the Threshold. You’re ready for the fight! You remember: the Lord of the Aeon is a god of War and of Vengeance.

With no little surprise, you find that you no longer feel as if you’re about to die or go horribly insane from the internal pressure that’s been building from your daily Magick. The body that was at rest is now in motion, and once in motion, tends to stay in motion. One day, or night, you write to Me proudly proclaiming that you’re certain you’ve experienced a Vision of the Holy Guardian Angel.

Maybe you did experience the Vision of the Holy Guardian Angel, and maybe not. What’s actually important is that, in face of the odds seemingly stacked against you, the Magical Record demonstrates the blossoming of a daily discipline that you will cultivate for the rest of your Life as you continuously adjust to the Law of Θελημα in love under will unto Nuit while clustering to exalt Ra-Hoor-Khuit upon the Throne of Ra.

If you have made it this far, it is time to withdraw from the realms of the decaying forces of the Dying God. You call it intuition, and realize that that You are also a Child in the Womb of the Goddess on subtle planes.

You learn to Veil the Shrine and cultivate a single-pointed concentration upon the Oath and Task. The time comes for you to submit your Magical Record for inspection by Frater N.O.X. All of that work over the past year comes to a head when you recite your chosen Chapter from Liber LXV, knowing that mistakes mean you go another year until memorization is complete to Our satisfaction.

A Doorway opens up, and you cross the threshold into the Kingdom of the New Aeon; becoming newly planted as a Neophyte in the Garden of the Master who your Neophyte serves with furious zeal. As a Neophyte, you obtain a certain kind of Knowledge and Conversation of A∴A∴ as you meet your Zelator.

In Silence and Secrecy, you have achieved something most Probationers never accomplish. By your own hand, you have become a true Initiate in the Aeon of the Crowned and Conquering Child!

For your next Opus, you’ve tasted the Magical Power of Initiation, and realize it is time to conquer the Astral Plane. You maintain your invisibility, and wonder: “What’s in the Egg?”

Love is the law, love under will.