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Charles Stansfeld Jones Diary Entry Wednesday, 17 June 1914
June 17th 1914. 9.30 to 10.30 P.M.
Have been waiting for the inspiration to start this question, and it was not until this morning that I decided to make a definite attempt tonight. (We have had visitors staying with us for a fortnight).
Having first swept out the temple
and made ready, I robed and entered same just before 9.30
p.m., said a short prayer to the Lord of the Universe and
then traced Circle with wand. Performed L.B.R. [Lesser
Banishing Ritual] followed by L.B.R. of Hexagram.
Invoked
Knelt down and formulated astral, travelled a short distance upwards rather unsuccessfully at first, but kept on by force of will.
After this I felt I was upon a small spur of rock, jutting out of the perpendicular side of a high mountain, sheer space below, with sea at the bottom. Wondered what would come next and how to proceed, till a ladder or rope of silk suspended in space from an invisible source, was swung towards me. This I grasped and proceeded to climb. I could perceive nothing above me but the first few rungs, and the distance below seemed rapidly to increase as I climbed higher and higher. I then saw other feel climbing just ahead of me, and with this came the idea of another following in my wake. I might not stop without interfering with another's progress and yet could not progress faster than the one before. And it seemed to me that this was symbolic of him who aspired to climb, the goal was entirely hidden, the pace was set by those who had gone before and it was impossible to stop without injury to those behind.
I understood that in some way this
answered to
As I travelled higher, the ladder became thinner and thinner until it seemed that the support was but a hair's breadth in thickness and then something seemed to say that I must travel on without visible support. It then came to me that the next world, or Yetzirah, could only be explained by Symbols, and all at first seemed blank. Afterwards I got a deep Blue Pentagram surrounded with golden Light, but no explanation came to me.
I got more at sea than ever in the world of Briah, and had no vision but an impression only that this was the place of the 'hand' that supported the ladder and that Reason must end there. Those who arrive here are One. After this, I aspired to Atziluth, and it was as if there was a deep night sky above, and the void was pulsating or heaving with a sort of movement of expansion and contraction within its lf. And the idea came that this was the cause of the apparent duality below.
I was unable to get more, so returned and after Banishing performed the L.B.R. of P.[entagram] again and closed Temple.
N.[ota] b.[ene]. It was not until after all was over that I noticed I had not lit the incense before this experiment.
[Aleister Crowley's Comments]
Comment. Here again I see hints of what is a very serious obstacle to your progress; you have the idea of explaining the physical world by the moral world. I am not saying this is a bad idea, but it is a very serious hindrance to investigation because it implies bias. If I asked you to describe a policeman and you replied that the police are a very steady and excellent body of men who never failed in anyone's conception of duty, I say that it would be very difficult to paint a policeman on these data. I want you to see the beings who live in Aquarius and describe them in exactly the same way as a botanist would describe new plants. You should not be content with a single vision, you should make a whole series. I want you to be an authority on Aquarius! I know this means work, but you won't mind that. O.M. [Aleister Crowley]
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in the four worlds.]