Babalon Working
Encyclopedia
The Babalon Working was a series of magic
ceremonies
or ritual
s commenced on March 2, 1946 by author, pioneer rocket-fuel scientist, and occultist Jack Parsons
, essentially designed to manifest an individual incarnation
of the archetypal divine feminine called Babalon
, as well as to catalyze the emergence of that force in society and as it exists latently in every man and woman.
, who later founded Scientology
, acted as a scribe
noting the results of the magic
al workings. When Parsons declared that the first of the series of rituals was complete and successful, he almost immediately met Marjorie Cameron
in his own home, and regarded her as the creation of the ritual, considered her his "Scarlet Woman", and soon began the next stage of the series--an attempt to conceive a child through sexual magick workings. Although no child was conceived, this did not affect the result of the ritual to that point. Parsons and Cameron soon married.
The rituals performed drew largely upon the Enochian
magical system devised by Dr. John Dee
and Sir Edward Kelley
. They also drew heavily from rituals and sex magic described by English author and occult teacher Aleister Crowley
, who in turn borrowed many aspects of his Babalon from combining the Babylonian goddess Ishtar
with the figure of Mystery Babylon, the "Great Whore" in the biblical Book of Revelation
.
as a transmission from the goddess or force called Babalon
received by him during the Babalon Working. Parsons claimed that Liber 49 constituted a fourth chapter of Crowley's Liber AL Vel Legis (The Book of the Law
), the holy text of Thelema
.
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
ceremonies
Ceremony
A ceremony is an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin.-Ceremonial occasions:A ceremony may mark a rite of passage in a human life, marking the significance of, for example:* birth...
or ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
s commenced on March 2, 1946 by author, pioneer rocket-fuel scientist, and occultist Jack Parsons
Jack Parsons
John Whiteside Parsons , better known as Jack Parsons, was an American rocket propulsion researcher at the California Institute of Technology. He was one of the principal founders of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Aerojet Corp...
, essentially designed to manifest an individual incarnation
Incarnation
Incarnation literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. It refers to the conception and birth of a sentient creature who is the material manifestation of an entity, god or force whose original nature is immaterial....
of the archetypal divine feminine called Babalon
Babalon
Babalon—also known as The Scarlet Woman, The Great Mother, or the Mother of Abominations—is a goddess found in the mystical system of Thelema, which was established in 1904 with English author and occultist Aleister Crowley's writing of The Book of the Law...
, as well as to catalyze the emergence of that force in society and as it exists latently in every man and woman.
The Babalon Working rituals
During the ceremony author and fellow magician L. Ron HubbardL. Ron Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
, who later founded Scientology
Scientology
Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
, acted as a scribe
Scribe
A scribe is a person who writes books or documents by hand as a profession and helps the city keep track of its records. The profession, previously found in all literate cultures in some form, lost most of its importance and status with the advent of printing...
noting the results of the magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
al workings. When Parsons declared that the first of the series of rituals was complete and successful, he almost immediately met Marjorie Cameron
Marjorie Cameron
Marjorie Cameron Parsons Kimmel was an artist, occultist, actress, and wife of rocket pioneer and occultist Jack Parsons. Cameron played a major role in the 1946 Babalon Working ritual.-Biography:...
in his own home, and regarded her as the creation of the ritual, considered her his "Scarlet Woman", and soon began the next stage of the series--an attempt to conceive a child through sexual magick workings. Although no child was conceived, this did not affect the result of the ritual to that point. Parsons and Cameron soon married.
The rituals performed drew largely upon the Enochian
Enochian
Enochian is a name often applied to an occult or angelic language recorded in the private journals of John Dee and his seer Edward Kelley in the late 16th century. The men claimed that it was revealed to them by angels...
magical system devised by Dr. John Dee
John Dee (mathematician)
John Dee was an English mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, occultist, navigator, imperialist and consultant to Queen Elizabeth I. He devoted much of his life to the study of alchemy, divination and Hermetic philosophy....
and Sir Edward Kelley
Edward Kelley
Sir Edward Kelley or Kelly, also known as Edward Talbot was an ambiguous figure in English Renaissance occultism and self-declared spirit medium who worked with John Dee in his magical investigations...
. They also drew heavily from rituals and sex magic described by English author and occult teacher Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...
, who in turn borrowed many aspects of his Babalon from combining the Babylonian goddess Ishtar
Ishtar
Ishtar is the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility, love, war, and sex. She is the counterpart to the Sumerian Inanna and to the cognate north-west Semitic goddess Astarte.-Characteristics:...
with the figure of Mystery Babylon, the "Great Whore" in the biblical Book of Revelation
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation"...
.
The Book of Babalon, Liber 49
A brief text entitled The Book of Babalon, or Liber 49, was written by Jack ParsonsJack Parsons
John Whiteside Parsons , better known as Jack Parsons, was an American rocket propulsion researcher at the California Institute of Technology. He was one of the principal founders of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Aerojet Corp...
as a transmission from the goddess or force called Babalon
Babalon
Babalon—also known as The Scarlet Woman, The Great Mother, or the Mother of Abominations—is a goddess found in the mystical system of Thelema, which was established in 1904 with English author and occultist Aleister Crowley's writing of The Book of the Law...
received by him during the Babalon Working. Parsons claimed that Liber 49 constituted a fourth chapter of Crowley's Liber AL Vel Legis (The Book of the Law
The Book of the Law
Liber AL vel Legis is the central sacred text of Thelema, written by Aleister Crowley in Cairo, Egypt in the year 1904. Its full title is Liber AL vel Legis, sub figura CCXX, as delivered by XCIII=418 to DCLXVI, and it is commonly referred to as The Book of the Law.Liber AL vel Legis contains three...
), the holy text of Thelema
Thelema
Thelema is a religious philosophy that was established, defined and developed by the early 20th century British writer and ceremonial magician, Aleister Crowley. He believed himself to be the prophet of a new age, the Æon of Horus, based upon a religious experience that he had in Egypt in 1904...
.
See also
- Goddess movementGoddess movementThe Goddess movement is an overall trend in religious or spiritual beliefs or practices which emerged out of second-wave feminism, predominantly in North America, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand in the 1970s...
- Sex magicSex magicSex magic is a term for various types of sexual activity used in magical, ritualistic or otherwise religious and spiritual pursuits. One practice of sex magic is using the energy of sexual arousal or orgasm with visualization of a desired result...
- BabalonBabalonBabalon—also known as The Scarlet Woman, The Great Mother, or the Mother of Abominations—is a goddess found in the mystical system of Thelema, which was established in 1904 with English author and occultist Aleister Crowley's writing of The Book of the Law...
- Libri of Aleister CrowleyLibri of Aleister CrowleyThe Libri of Aleister Crowley is a list of texts mostly written or adapted by Aleister Crowley. Some are attributed to other authors. The list was intended for students of Crowley's magical order, the A∴A∴....
- Works of Aleister CrowleyWorks of Aleister CrowleyAleister Crowley —mystic, occultist, and mountaineer—was a highly prolific writer, not only on the topic of Thelema and magick, but on philosophy, politics, and culture. He was also a published poet and playwright and left behind a large number of personal letters and daily journal entries...
External links
- The Book of Babalon from Sacred-Texts.com
- The Book of Babalon from Hermetic.com
- Kaos Magazine 14, dedicated to Babalon Working.
- Artistic approach to The Babalon Working on YouTube