A Resh Alternative

(c) Tankhem House of Life & Mogg Morgan

Liber Resh vel Helios is a favourite ritual of mine although it seems a bit garbled. There's probably no hope of ever weaning the born again Thelemic types(1) from the Crowley version - but others might like to consider an alternative version. In Egyptian Theology, Seth was said to be one of the emanations of 'Ra' or 'Amun Ra'. Thus in the famous image of Ra in his night time boat in the underworld, the passive 'authorizing' image of Ra, has various emananations, most famously as Seth to ward off Apophis, the demon of 'non-being' at one of the dangerous twilights just before dawn. The theology of Amun Ra was put together during the so-called Ramesside period. The Ramesside's had a continued loyalty to their Sethian ancestors. Amun was originally a mysterious god of wind and air .Amun-Ra’s role is very like the 'pantocrator' of later Hermetic philosophy - a fact that underlies the Egyptian roots of Hermeticism. Egyptian theology conserved Amun-ra to have three aspects - much as they divided everything else up into three, the day, the years etc. The three are :
Morning sun - Kephra (Beetle)- literally the 'becoming one' (2)
Midday sun - Ra (Falcon)
Evening or setting sun - Tum or Atum (Ram)

Crowley, along with a lot of contemporary magi, felt compelled to cast all ritual material into the fourfold schema of earth, air, fire and water. (see Crowley's reframing of PGM ?? otherwise known as Liber Samech.). I agree this is all very psychologically pleasing to the modern mind but it MAY be alien to the Egyptian mindset. Even so - the above schema lends itself to a fourth, 'hidden' or 'secret name' of the sun at midnight. You might like to remind yourself of the legend of Isis and the secret name of Ra, a version of which is given in my book Tankhem. Now it might be that you prefer to keep this as an individual secret? Alternatively if there is a secret name or midnight version of Ra, then i would think it could be a Hidden god such as Osiris, or maybe even Horus. They all have lots going for them in this role. Whereas 'Kephra' as the midnight sun doesn't really get you very far and seems at odds with the original mythology. So the rite lends itself to personal customization depending on the magicians own will - but one version could be:

1. In a footnote to a new edition of Crowley's Magick - there is a feeble attempt to explain the apparent 'mixed metaphor' engendered by the insertion into the schema of the goddess (A)Hathor - who otherwise really seems out of place - Bast/Sekhmet/Hathor/Tefnut can sometime represent other aspects of the sun in its course, especial the counterpart of Bast (morning sun), Sekhmet (fiery sun)

2. The contemporary Temple of Seth seem to have adopted this as their titulary diety, hence ‘Xeper’ - the ‘X’ is actually Greek 'Kh'



1. HAIL UNTO THEE WHO ART KEPHRA IN THY RISING
EVEN UNTO THEE WHO ART KEPHRA IN THY STRENGTH
WHO TRAVELLEST OVER THE HEAVENS IN THY BARK
AT THE UPRISING OF THE SUN

2. HAIL UNTO THEE WHO ART RA IN THY TRIUMPH
EVEN UNTO THEE WHO ART RA IN THY BEAUTY
WHO TRAVELLEST OVER THE HEAVENS IN THY BARK
AT THE MIDCOURSE OF THE SUN

3. HAIL UNTO THEE WHO ART TUM IN THY SETTING
EVEN UNTO THEE WHO ART TUM IN THY JOY
WHO TRAVELLEST OVER THE HEAVENS IN THY BARK
AT THE DOWNGOING OF THE SUN

4. HAIL UNTO THEE WHO ART HIDDEN IN THY HIDING
EVEN UNTO THEE WHO ART HIDDEN IN THY SILENCE
WHO TRAVELLEST OVER THE HEAVENS IN THY BARK
AT THE MIDNIGHT HOUR OF THE SUN

TAHUTI (or SETH) STANDS IN HIS SPLENDOR AT THE PROW
AND INTELLIGENCE IS AT THE HELM

HAIL UNTO THEE FROM THE ABODES OF NIGHT!
HAIL UNTO THEE FROM THE ABODES OF MORNING!
HAIL UNTO THEE FROM THE ABODES OF DAY
HAIL UNTO THEE FROM THE ABODES OF EVENING!