Night of Pan
Encyclopedia
Within the system of Thelema
, the Night of Pan, or N.O.X., is a mystical state that represents the stage of ego death
in the process of spiritual attainment.
The playful and lecherous Pan is the Greek god of nature, lust, and the masculine generative power. The Greek word Pan also translates as All, and so he is “a symbol of the Universal, a personification of Nature; both Pangenetor, "all-begetter," and Panphage, "all-devourer" (Sabazius, 1995). Therefore, Pan is both the giver and the taker of life, and his Night is that time of symbolic death where the adept experiences unification with the All through the ecstatic destruction of the ego-self. In a more general sense, it is the state where one transcends all limitations and experiences oneness with the universe.
, he then must cross the great Abyss
, where he meets Choronzon
, who will tempt him to hold onto his subjective self and become trapped in his realm of illusion. To escape the Abyss, the adept gives up his deepest sense of earthly identity, in the symbolic gesture of pouring out his blood into the Cup of Babalon
. The adept then becomes as a Babe in the Womb of Babalon
—impregnated by Pan—and his lifeless Self becomes as a pile of dust, taking rest in the City of the Pyramids, which lies under the Night of Pan. This is why it is called Night—it represents the lightless Womb, and also the time before the dawning of the new Sun (or rather, the new Self). He then waits in this sublime state until he is ready to be move on to the next stage, and become “born” again from the Great Mother of Babalon, begotten by Pan.
identifies this process as one of Love
. He explains in Little Essays Towards Truth:
It is also described in the mystical text Liber VII:
Finally, Crowley writes of the Night of Pan in his The Book of Lies
, in the chapter "Sabbath of the Goat":
In his commentary on this writing, Crowley explains:
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...
, the Night of Pan, or N.O.X., is a mystical state that represents the stage of ego death
Ego Death
Ego death is an experience that reveals the illusory aspect of the ego, sometimes undergone by mystics, shamans, monks, psychologists, and others interested in exploring the depths of the mind....
in the process of spiritual attainment.
The playful and lecherous Pan is the Greek god of nature, lust, and the masculine generative power. The Greek word Pan also translates as All, and so he is “a symbol of the Universal, a personification of Nature; both Pangenetor, "all-begetter," and Panphage, "all-devourer" (Sabazius, 1995). Therefore, Pan is both the giver and the taker of life, and his Night is that time of symbolic death where the adept experiences unification with the All through the ecstatic destruction of the ego-self. In a more general sense, it is the state where one transcends all limitations and experiences oneness with the universe.
The City of the Pyramids
In the A.'.A.'. system of attainment, after the adept has achieved the Knowledge and Conversation with his Holy Guardian AngelHoly Guardian Angel
The term Holy Guardian Angel was possibly coined either by Abraham of Würzburg, a French Cabalist who wrote a book on ceremonial magick during the 15th century or Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, the founder of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, who later translated this manuscript and...
, he then must cross the great Abyss
Abyss (Thelema)
Within the mystical system of Thelema, the Abyss is the great gulf or void between the phenomenal world of manifestation and its noumenal source.-Theory and Practice:...
, where he meets Choronzon
Choronzon
Choronzon is a demon or devil that originated in writing with the 16th century occultists Edward Kelley and John Dee within the latter's occult system of Enochian magic...
, who will tempt him to hold onto his subjective self and become trapped in his realm of illusion. To escape the Abyss, the adept gives up his deepest sense of earthly identity, in the symbolic gesture of pouring out his blood into the Cup of 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...
. The adept then becomes as a Babe in the Womb of 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...
—impregnated by Pan—and his lifeless Self becomes as a pile of dust, taking rest in the City of the Pyramids, which lies under the Night of Pan. This is why it is called Night—it represents the lightless Womb, and also the time before the dawning of the new Sun (or rather, the new Self). He then waits in this sublime state until he is ready to be move on to the next stage, and become “born” again from the Great Mother of Babalon, begotten by Pan.
In writings by Crowley
Aleister CrowleyAleister 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...
identifies this process as one of Love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
. He explains in Little Essays Towards Truth:
- The truly magical operations of Love are therefore the Trances, more especially those of Understanding; as will readily have been appreciated by those who have made a careful Qabalistic study of the nature of BinahBinah (Kabbalah)Binah, , in the Kabbalah of Judaism, is the second intellectual Sephirah on the tree of life. It sits on the level below Keter , across from Chokmah and directly above Gevurah...
. For she is omniform as Love and as Death, the Great Sea whence all Life springs, and whose black womb reabsorbs all. She thus resumes in herself the duplex process of the Formula of Love under Will; for is not Pan the All-Begetter in the heart of the Groves at high noon, and is not Her "hair the trees of Eternity" the filaments of All-Devouring Godhead "under the Night of Pan?"
It is also described in the mystical text Liber VII:
- Ascend in the flame of the pyre, O my soul! Thy God is like the cold emptiness of the utmost heaven, into which thou radiatest thy little light.
- When Thou shall know me, O empty God, my flame shall utterly expire in Thy great N. O. X.
- —Liber Liberi vel Lapdis Lazuli, I:39-40
Finally, Crowley writes of the Night of Pan in his The Book of Lies
The Book of Lies (Crowley)
The Book of Lies was written by English occultist and teacher Aleister Crowley and first published in 1912 or 1913...
, in the chapter "Sabbath of the Goat":
-
- O! the heart of N.O.X. the Night of Pan.
- PAN: Duality: Energy: Death.
- Death: Begetting: the supporters of O!
- To beget is to die; to die is to beget.
- Cast the Seed into the Field of Night.
- Life and Death are two names of A.
- Kill thyself.
- Neither of these alone is enough.
In his commentary on this writing, Crowley explains:
- It is explained that this triad lives in Night, the Night of Pan, which is mystically called N.O.X., and this O is identified with the O in this word. N is the TarotTarotThe tarot |trionfi]] and later as tarocchi, tarock, and others) is a pack of cards , used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play a group of card games such as Italian tarocchini and French tarot...
symbol, Death; and the X or Cross is the sign of the PhallusPhallusA phallus is an erect penis, a penis-shaped object such as a dildo, or a mimetic image of an erect penis. Any object that symbolically resembles a penis may also be referred to as a phallus; however, such objects are more often referred to as being phallic...
. NOX adds to 210, which symbolizes the reduction of duality to unity, and thence to negativity, and is thus a hieroglyph of the Great WorkGreat WorkThe term Great Work is a term used in Hermeticism and in certain occult traditions and religions such as Thelema.-In Hermeticism:...
.
- The word Pan is then explained, {Pi}, the letter of Mars, is a hieroglyph of two pillars, and therefore suggest duality; A, by its shape, is the pentagram, energy, and N, by its Tarot attribution, is death. NOX is then further explained, and it is shown that the ultimate Trinity, O!, is supported, or fed, by the process of death and begetting, which are the laws of the universe...It is then asserted that the ultimate letter A has two names, or phases, Life and Death.