Concerning Words

By
Don Webb
Ego Sum Ipissimus in Ipissimus

This article reflects my understanding of Words, the Utterances of Magi, in the context of the
Aeon of Set. It is neither more nor less than my understanding, and should not be viewed as
an offical Temple document. .
The article will deal with five things: the Reception of the Word, the Magus/Maga, the nature
of a Word, The Utterance of the Word, the Understanding of a Word by Masters of the
Temple. It will focus on Setian practice but will have comparative examples from magical
systems of Late Antiquity, Indian system of sonic theology, and European and American
philosophical systems. It is not written to evaluate any particular Utterance or concept that
may be Coming Into Being. It does not address the concept of a Word outside of Setian
thinking and practice except tangentially.
The Aeon of Set is the Working of the Prince of Darkness upon the Earth at this time. Its
primary components are human beings, who both individually and interpedently refine,
evolve and spread Xeper by thought, word and deed. A principle component of this Working
is the Temple of Set.
One of the more obvious ways the Temple of Set aids the Prince of Darkness is by the
Recognition of Words, which are easily accessed imperatives for actions that are seen to
refine, evolve and spread Xeper across space and time. The Temple is not an infallible source
of Recognition,, nor can the Masters of Temple completely foresee the effects of adding
another tool to enhance free will.
The founding Root of the Temple is, was and shall be the Utterance of Xeper by Michael A.
Aquino. The principle of Xeper holds the notion that an Idea that is becoming manifest as an
evolving idea has the Power to create its own field to grow in. It will displace other less vital
ideas, and will require of the humans who use to engage in self-development in all areas of
Being. The task of the Temple is to distinguish between useful concepts and tools from
Words. The former bespeak the wisdom and excellence of the humans who have created them
from their struggles. The later represent an enlivening influence from the Price of Darkness
though a human. The latter must be subjected to great scrutiny and testing. This process of
scrutiny provides very useful material for the continued development and empowering of the
Masters of the Temple.
The Reception of a Word
The Prince of Darkness is not deus absconditus. He is perceived as aware of the human
struggle and capable of Divine Intervention in such ways hat do not hinder the evolution and
expression of Free Will. He provides Gifts, which are seen as amplifications of his Gift to the
human race of Self-modifying Isolate Intelligence. This gifting is accomplished by the giving

of Words to enable motivated humans useful imperatives to aide in their own quest for
immortality, power and pleasure.
The Prince though magic presents Words to certain humans at certain times. As each Word
represents an unbinding of the conditioned order of the Cosmos, its effects can be estimated
and guessed at but all of the consequences can not be known. Each human takes in certain
risk as he or she adds to possibilities of Becoming.
Words are not the property of the human who Utters them. The human, and his or her
methods, are part of the meaning of the Word. This distinguishes the life teaching of a Master
of the Temple. A Masters Teaching is a Remanifestation of him- or herself. A Word is the
Remanifestation of the Will of the Prince.
Among the tests that a Master must use in testing an Utterance is discovering the story of its
Reception. Each Word will have a unique path of Coming Into Being and that path will be
resonant with the Masters apprehension of the Prince of Darkness.

The Magus or Maga

The Magush was the Persian fire-priest. Zoraster had determined that there was not a Cosmos
full of Gods. There was one god, the God of the Mind. Every concept on the divine world
illuminated a portion of this god, just as human had a Self that wore many faces (from greedy
to Noble, wonder-filled to angry). The symbol of the Mind in the physical world was the fire,
the fire-priest because of his knowledge of the Cosmos as well as the force that displaced the
laws of the Cosmos as needed, was a perfect example of what Victor Turner calls the ritual
specialist. In other words the fire-priest knew what you needed to do to Change things.
The notion of a dynamic divine world symbolized by fire entered the Greek world through
Heraclitus, who also invested us with the philosophy of Becoming. The Magush became the
Greek Magos and our word Magus.
The Magus knows how to bring about Change at a price.
He or she can teach you to perform magic but you have dedicate your soul to his or her Word.
When you pay your price you gain a new Tool for manifesting and expressing your psyche
and all you manifest or express will further the Will of the Prince of Darkness,
The Magus or Maga can only Hear the Word if he or she has a great Need for it. The
struggles of the Magus to understand the Word are the magical sacrifice that empowers it.
The need to understand (and therefore Experience) the Word requires more than one humans
experience. The Magus is therefore compelled to speak. The process of Recognition may
empower the Magus by drawing attention to his words and deeds, but is not necessary for the
Magus Task.
Philo of Alexandria wishing to portray Moses as being more important than Plato said that a
Magus needed a Word, a Book and a Law.
After Aleister Crowley, the Law, has come to be seen as an imperative phrase that tells
Seekers something they must Do but also describes an existing Process in the Cosmos. It is

both prescriptive and descriptive. The Utterance of a Law does not bring any new thing into
being, but brings an anticipatory Awareness of that thing. To use that problem form your
beginning philosophy class if there is no one in a forest to hear a tree fall it does not make a
sound the phenomenon described the law did not happen because no was listening. But now
the Law has come to humans, they will not only listen for the phenomena, but will be out
felling trees.
The Book of the Magus is that collection of magical techniques that can allow the Seeker to
perceive certain aspects of the Word, which cannot be accessed by ordinary consciousness.
This includes mystic communions, noetic understandings or hand-on experience with the
Creation of the Universe. Setian jargon for the later is Greater Black Magic.
In many mythological systems Hebrew, Aztec, Germanic, Egyptian etc -- the universe is
presumed to full of chaotic stuff before a conscious god acts upon it to Create the ordered
Cosmos. In such systems the gods Plan would be equivalent to the Word, Book and Law
and it should be noted that when the God has done these Deeds, the Cosmos will still contain
Mysteries for him, which will provide the material for his furter conscious development.
In other systems the Vedic and the Gnostic for example the universe is Created by the
Word. In these systems the Word would equate with the Magus Word, and the Book and Law
are those things that come into being as a sort of operating manual.
Either mythological model can be used to understand the Setian view of the Magus as Creator
and the Word as Tool.

The Nature of a Word

A Word is a two-fold thing. One part is a label for a group or constellation of ideas. For
example we all know what we mean when we say, Capitalism, Communism, Democracy,
Racism. We use some Words to define who we are, and others to define who we are not. We
can gain motivation when we think about Words because Words separate us from the
mechanical universe. A rock never worries if it a good enough Capitalist, nor does a locust
think ants to be Racist. All Words are ways that human being align themselves with
movements and as such with the power and limitation of groups. At their worst Words can
lead to sleep for example we all know other people that are so self-identified with their label
Mormon or Democrat or Feminist that they have ceased thinking. We also know
people that think a good deal about their label and by bringing to their highest level of
thinking shape themselves and their world in good ways (or at least in ways that appear good
to them). Words are also a magical act. In a psyche-centric religion such as the Temple of
Set, the Word of an individuals self-creation is the word of cosmic creation. The sentient
observer and actor is what is created, and his or her actions and perceptions of the Cosmos
create his or her world. Purely philosophical systems see the contemplation of Words as a
method of purifying the soul, or even casusing an Ascent into powerful regions such
systems generally look upon ritual enactments of the Words as a lower or superstitious
system. Most magical systems usually think that Words are keys to power only through a
magical technology. The Setian system (in many ways harkening back to Chaldean theurgy)
sees both approaches as complimentary and necessary. Thus we are neither wholly
magicians nor philosophers, but a unique modern synthesis cast forth as a Left Hand Path
school. In a later article I will address why this synthesis not only is, but must be, manifest in

a Left Hand Path School even though the term itself (from the Sanskrit vama marg) is less
than a thousand years old
Words do not have to be new concepts. All Words represent principles that are part of the
multi-faceted process of individuation. Words have to be something that is Needed in the
world as a living and evolving concept. On human scale, Words are concepts that need to be
activated in the world. They can not be so broad that they are two large to define - such as
"Justice" or "Liberty" Or "Meaning." They should exists as part of natural language - if they
are simply made-up nonsense, there is no chance of exploring the Word beyond the Magus'
writing and saying. The act of seeking out the meaning in context should itself provide an
enriching process for the users of the Word. Words do not have to be from an exotic lexicon
(ie they do not have to be Greek, Norse, Egyptian etc.), but that have to be from unusual
discourse so that they may appreciated. This is an example of the Setian idea of the magical
tool. You could use the knife you crave the turkey with to be your magical dagger, but the
Inspiration a special tool will have will increase your power. Likewise common language
may suffice for holding most of the straightforward meaning of the Word as a philosophical
imperative, but the full magical force of the Word needs something that sets it aside from
average discourse.
The Utterance of a Word appeals to the approach of Reason over Tradition. The Word should
provide new thought that displaces older patterns and destroys/renews a Tradition. The
mythic model is that of Jesus, who came to fulfill the law, and thereby create a new law.
Words are resisted emotionally because they threaten Tradition. Words are tested by seeing if
the further Reason. Words have areas of growth and friction (that leads to strength) on all
levels of reality. In the emotional realm Words challenge long-held beliefs, and also create
and destroy alliances. (Matthew
10:35). In the intellectual realm, Words (like mental concepts) must be tested by reason and
debate - and will grow when one human seeks to teach/share the word with another. In the
physical realm writing, broadcasting etc must spread the Word. - this requires money, effort,
development of talents and so forth. In the daemonic realms the Word must cast out
collections of energy from other Words - and must provide such magical experiences that
those who rally under Its banner shall be able to empower and protect their number against
the forces of stupidity.

The Utterance of a Word

The world is filled with self-help and how-to-do-magic books. It seems that almost every
struggle or problem you may have has been figured out by somebody, who will gladly tell you
what to do in order to fix your sorry self, blast your way to mega-bucks, or finally hook up
with Bootsy Collins. And wonder-of-wonders the authors of these books just plain know
better than we do. They have articulated a formula; does this not make them Magi?
We do not live in a purely intellectual universe where only ideas count. Nor do we live in a
world of things where no ideas have any place. We dwell in a reality that is both physical and
mental, not two realities. Change in the one reality comes by the interaction of planning and
deed, thought and hazard, trial and error. The Magus does not float outside of the world
dropping helpful hints to us mere mortals. The Magus struggles, has victories and defeats
and in order for both him and us to profit we must watch, judge help, wonder at, and
occasionally be glad we arent him.

The Utterance of a Word consists not only of the Magus words, but also of his deeds, his
Signs and his Wonders. We have to watch and evaluate. We have to decide if it will further
us to be part of his Rituals. We have to decide would it help out our friends or family if we
exposed them to some (or all) of the Word. We may decide that we want to buy a copy of his
book for the library of our college, or we may decide to challenge him to a debate on an email list: or we may decide to perform our own Illustrative Working to see if we can see what
he Sees. Some will be moved to resist the Magus, and his Utterance may grow stronger by
overcoming an obstacle. Others may fall in love with him, or take him to Thanksgiving
dinner, or put a blog about his ideas in their native Korean.
All things become part of the Utterance, which soon grows beyond the control of the Magus.
Some will purposively not understand and by spreading their mis-understandings set up
patterns of resistance that the Magus followers will deal with for decades. Other may
misunderstand but feel so rightiuos in their misunderstanding to challenge the Magus on his
own Word. Others still will mock the idea of a Word as the Will of the Prince of Darkness
and even others will accept that notion with such blind religiosity as to hypnotize themselves.
The Temple seeks to aid the human with an Utterance. It can help him or her to Understand
that the Word is or is not from the Prince of Darkness. It can provide both resistance to its
coming into being by the formal Recognition process Words are nominated by the High
Priest and need a unanimous vote of the Council of Nine.

The Master of the Temple Understands the Word

Words are easily accessible imperatives. They tell you to Do something.
The Master of the Temple is involved in integrating, understanding and expressing himself.
The Master has achieved a level of self-sufficiency from the Universe. The Master can take
the universe on his or her own terms. To grow the Master must cause the Universe to relive
certain aspects of his life. This is an extroverted form of sammastti meditation. Allen Bennett
had taught the First Beast this method. In Remanifesting his or her life, the Master
experiences triumphs of the art of his existence.
The Master having reached a level of self understanding, neither falsely proud nor falsely
humble, can reliably receive magical communication from the Cosmos. The master can
evaluate mysterious signs without self-serving or facile explanations.
An apparent Curse falls upon a very few Masters. The material of their lives does not supply
them with the knowledge, luck or magical method they need for a particular Need. This
Need, for example the crisis of the Church of Satan in Year X, causes the master to Seek an
answer. This process is an act of magical memory wherein one discovers the moment a
certain Sign was presented to him or her. The reception is a Willed deed wherein a principle
presented to the human is made into a channel for the Prince of Darkness' Will. The moment
of first "hearing" is not what makes one a Magus -- Aquino did not become a Magus reading
Budge, Crowley did not achieve the grade in Cairo, Flowers was not elevated during his car
ride in the Year IX. When the outer stressor forces the Master of the Temple, he or she must
abandon what has been their life (ie. Words kill Tradition) in order to deal with the outer
world.

Other Masters have the ability to evaluate the Word. They can judge magical signs. At their
best they are not moved by their feelings toward their fellow human (Magister Billy-bB has
been a member twenty year, this is a reward" or "I hate that woman she split Jell-O on my
shoe at the San Francisco Conclave."). The Master evaluates the Word on two poles. "Can I
use this Word in my own life?" and "Can I understand this Word in the development of the
philosophy of the Temple of Set?" This level of dual thinking personal-greedy/impersonalwise is one of the marks of the Master.
There is an allure of the Grade. When watching a football game we do fancy ourselves the
one carrying the ball - when he makes a touch-donw. We may not ev him when he is tackled,
fumbles or has no personal life. For those possessed of the Grade, there is little allure. It is
humbling. All of your students seem to Understand things better then you, all of your failures
are known, and no feels that they have the least barrier toward criticizing you. The imbalance
of becoming an expression of the Will of the Prince of Darkness has a heavy toll. The Master
of the Temple has the relationship that people dream of when they seek to become magicians.
The Magus has bought his ticket. At the best he is riding on a roller coaster. At the worst the
Hindenburg or the R101.
Questions to Consider
Interacting with a Word is a process of discovering principles of consciousness, Self
discovery, releasing of magical energies and communing with the Will of the Prince of
Darkness. You can learn a great deal by discovering that particular concept is a good tool and
not a Word. Some Words will open to you at once, others will be very slow to reveal
themselves to you. The Words that are the Sun and Moon to your best friend may be tiny dim
stars for you. Here are some questions that may help you in determining if a certain utterance
is or is not a Word:
1. Is the Word (and its Law) descriptive? Can you see example in myth, history and people
you know wherein the principle described helped them get ahead in the Cosmos?
2. Is the Word (and its Law) prescriptive? Does it tell you something you should Do? Can
you see a situation in your life that the Word would point a path of action?
3. Is it simple enough to grasp quickly, but subtle enough so that one could spend a lifetime
working out its refinements?
4. Is resonate with and expands the philosophy of the Temple of Set?
5. Would you feel comfortable with the idea of performing a ritual to help you Understand the
Word in your life?
6. Could you describe its philosophical principles to someone without using the jargon of the
Temple of Set? Words are a medium by which the Will of Set interacts with the world. Not

only should they be accessible to all levels of Setians, but they should understandable by
intelligent people.
7. Can you understand (at least in broad terms) how it relates to other Words of the Aeon?
8. Does the Word exist as an idea on its merit and not simply a subsection of an existing
Word?
9. Once you have Heard the Word does your mind and heart return to it often? Are your
dreams, deeds, and thoughts drawn to It by no effort on your part?
(A nod to my Teacher)