Thelemicly speaking, there are three primary deities: Nu2; Had; and Heru-Ra-Ha, who is divided into two entities - Ra-Hoor-Khu and Hoor-Paar-Kraat. Within the Thelemic/Xaos mythos, there are further prominent deities3: Babalon, Therion, Pan, IAO, Baphomet, Choronzon, Aiwass, and Thanateros. I shall attempt to present here a brief description of each deity listed above as they are understood within the Temple. Note that this list includes Created, Manifested or Actual, and Trans-manifest/Potential and Meta-Deities.
Nu (or Nuit)
Nuit is the first deity of Liber AL and the author of Chapter I. This deity corresponds to the Egyptian Goddess Nut. One of Her names in predynastic Egypt is believed to have been Nathor. A popular figurine, simply referred to as 'The Nile Goddess', is a predynastic representation of Nuit. She is a Star/Sky Goddess and represents All that is and could be. Gerald Gardner utilized this Goddess for the 'Great Goddess' in Wicca.
On a psychological level, She is the Not-I.
Cosmologically, She is all Matter and Space. She is the first manifestation of the incomprehensible Xaos, the filter through which it operates.
Her Element is Air. Her sign is Puella4. Magickally, She is the source of all things that are manifest and unmanifest.
Had (or Hadit)
Hadit is the author of the second chapter of Liber AL. He is corresponds to the Egyptian God Geb as the brother/lover of Nut. His symbol is that of the Winged Solar Disk, or Behdety, which the Egyptians used to symbolize the Solar God Aten. The name Hadit is Arabic for divine breath and symbolizes the Point or Individuation. This deity is not Egyptian and can be pointed to as proof that Thelema is not "Poorly Reconstructed Egyptian Paganism", but rather that Thelema is a new formulation that borrows from various traditions, one of those being the Egyptian. Hadit is the perfect balance of Nuit. He is the I to her Not-I. The Spirit of Individuality within each and every being is the Hadit Nature. He is the source of the Black Flame5 and the Gift of Set6. He is the model for the Horned God of Wicca.
Psychologically, He is the self (or the I).
Cosmologically, He represents each and every star in isolate. He is also a metaphor for our incarnated spirits and by extension, the planet Earth7.
His element is Fire. His sign is Puer8. Magickally Hadit symbolizes the Will of True Nature of the Magickian.
Heru-Ra-Ha (Hoor-Paar-Kraat and Ra-Hoor-Khu)
The third chapter of Liber Al is the province of Ra-Hoor-Khu, who is typically associated with Horus the Elder in the Egyptian Mythos. Ra-Hoor-Khu represents that which results from the application of the Will (Hadit) upon the Universe (Nuit), and Hoor-Paar-Kraat, is correlated with Horus the Younger (the Babe in the Egg), who might symbolize the further effects of the Will being applied to the Universe, or it's possibly the reciprocal effect of the Will upon either the I or the Universe9 Together they form the Lord of the New Æon, Heru-Ra-Ha, which in hieroglyphs translates to Horus, Lord of the Rising Solar Force10. Ra-Hoor-Khu and Hoor-Paar-Kraat also translate readily into hieroglyphs. They are The Crowned and Conquering Solar Lord and The Eternal Lord enters the Solar Tomb to utter the Logos respectively. This discovery amazed me for two reasons, 1) Crowley was unfamiliar with Hieroglyphs as far as is known11 and would not have been able to construct a word whose Hieroglyphs contained relevant and intelligible symbols; and 2) the translation is fully consistent with the formula of the Æon of Osiris but creates a Thelemic result.
Psychologically, these are the components of the Psyche, with Ra-Hoor-Khu being the conscious mind, Hoor-Paar-Kraat as the subconscious (or the perceived environment) and Heru-Ra-Ha uniting both. Just as the subconscious or the conscious mind is only half of the psyche, so too are Ra-Hoor-Khu and Hoor-Paar-Kraat each half of Heru-Ra-Ha.
Cosmologically, Heru-Ra-Ha is the child of Nuit and Hadit's love and is the Lord of this Æon. His is the position of authority from whose formula all magick derives for the next period of socio-political and spiritual growth12.
This Two-but-One deity symbolizes Spirit, Ra-Hoor-Khu is Active Spirit, Hoor-Paar-Kraat is the Passive Spirit. Their signs are the Rending of the Veil13; (Active) and the Closing of the Veil (Passive).
Babalon (Scarlet Women)
Babalon is the Thelemic Goddess for the Baubic archetype14 and figures prominently in the "Revelations of St. John"15 . Crowley was instructed to change the spelling after traveling through the Enochian Æthyrs16. This change was then proven to be valid through various Qabalistic proofs, the first of which is that in the Hermetic Qabalah, the enumeration is 156, which is seen as the manifestation of Nuit whose number is 56. She is also a Baubic Goddess. In Her Graal, She carries the Blood of the Saints17. This is a mystery that has been misunderstood by the Christians for so long. We, the Priest-King and Priestess-Queen Magi of the Æon are the saints whose blood must fill the Cup of Babalon. Crowley emphasized repeatedly that unless the magickian was willing to die in the Graal of Babalon and give every drop of blood, one would not achieve the state of "Union with one's Holy Guardian Angel"18. Finally, there are many mysteries contained in this formula that are beyond the scope of this work19.
Babalon is the feminine balance to Therion (q.v. below), the All-Begetting, All-Devouring Fornicator; and the Manifestation of Nuit into Active form. She rides the Great Beast (Therion) and is drunk on the wine from her Graal . Rather than sire children, the Union of Babalon and Therion is a magickal act that reflects and manifests the Union of Nuit and Hadit as the Sensible World.
Psychologically, She is the fully liberated woman creating and destroying the world in Her lust and inflaming the passions of all. She is the feminine aspect of Pamphage/Pangenitor (All-Creator/All-Destroyer).
Cosmologically Babalon is the method of Nuit's manifestation. Nuit is the nubile young woman; Babalon is the experienced and passionate lover. As Nuit and Hadit can only exist in potential, Nuit's creation of the sensible world occurs through Her manifestation as Babalon and Her joining with Her match, Therion.
Her Element is Water, and Her Sign is Mulier20.
Therion (the Beast)
Therion is the Thelemic God for the Priapic Archetype. He also plays a prominent role in the end of the world thriller, "The Revelations of St. John". He is a form of the Greater Pan, the All-Begetting, All-Devouring fornicator from Greek Myth. The name "Therion" is Greek for "Beast" and He is the perfect compliment for Babalon. He is the Fighter-Warrior and Father in the Union with Babalon. This God is the Manifestation of Hadit, manifest and divided for union21. Therion is the recognition and utilization of Priapic energy through a formula both familiar and new. The reclamation of the forgotten & neglected entities and their related spiritual depths is a required step toward the realization of the new Æon.
Psychologically, Therion is a Priapic archetype, He is the fully liberated man creating and destroying the world in His lust and inflaming the passions of all.
Cosmologically, Therion is the manifestation of Hadit necessary for the creation of the manifest world. He is locked in union with Babalon, a mystery leading to enlightenment.
Therion's element is Earth, His Sign is Vir.
Pan
Pan has two forms: the older pre?Olympian Pan, the Great Priapic Lord of All, who is nominally referred to as the Greater Pan; and the post?Olympian lord of pastures, flocks and chasing nymphs, who is foolishly referred to as the Lesser Pan22. Pan was the model upon which the Christian church derived their conception of "the devil", and when the powers of the Devil are examined, without the baggage of "good" and "evil" their powers and spheres of influence were very similar. This God is a "brother" to Therion, their appearance is similar as are their realms and energies; however, Pan is an older atavistic form dating back to a more primal and primitive conception of morality.
Pan is savage and lustful. He can hypnotize, terrorize and seduce with the same actions. His best known ability is to be able to seduce anyone (usually females) and make them heedlessly desire Pan sexually. The sexual act is normally savage, vigorous, prolonged and normally bruising and yet so great was the victims desire that they are pleased about the act (though probably not pleased with the reactions she will get when she explains what happened).
Psychologically, Pan is an older Priapic archetype, He is the primal male creating and destroying the world in His lust and inflaming the passions of all.
Cosmologically, Pan represents one of the oldest deities in the Western World. As such He was the Creator-Destroyer for the entire world. As civilization encroached, Pan was recast as a minor god of pastures and husbandry. Despite attempts to minimize the role of Pan in Grecian Society the energy from its original role was still there, waiting to erupt in a riotous orgy of primal lust and power -- a perfect way to experiment with primal, basic needs and to counteract the dehumanizing trends common in mainstream society.
His element is Earth. His sign would also be Vir. He is attributed to Kether (Greater Pan) and Yesod (Lesser Pan).
IAO
IAO is a one of the transcendent deities. Its origins lay with the Gnostic Movements of the Mediterranean. In the Western Tradition, IAO represents the Supernal Triad of the Tree of Life. The Golden Dawn broke down the name as being Notariqon for Isis-Apophis-Osiris, which depicts the union or synthesis of Isis and Osiris into Apophis. This lays nicely onto the Supernal Triad of the Tree of Life, where the transmogrification of Binah and Chockmah form Kether. It further ties in with the belief that the three Supernals are one. Finally, the letters form, in order, a lingam, the product, and the Yoni - thus the method of Creation and Magick are presented symbolically by this one Name of the Elder Gods23.
Psychologically, this is a glyph for the cycle of life and the method of creation. It transcends mere archetypes such as Priapic or Baubic. This deity contains the sum of all creation.
Cosmologically, IAO represents the creation & manifestation of the sensible universe.
Symbolically, This god symbolizes the cycle of life and the method of creation. Each letter of IAO takes a supernal: O to Binah, A to Kether, and I to Khesed. The Thelemic variant of this word is VIAOV24.
Baphomet
Baphomet was the deity that the Knights Templar supposedly worshipped. The "Devil" by Eliphas Levi is the most famous representation. Do to the mythic heritage that the Western Mystery Tradition claims from the Knights Templar, Baphomet has played a rather strong role in Western Occultism. Baphomet is an androgyne, being both Male and Female he represents the "Whole Human" or the Spirit that is neither Male nor Female and at the same time both.
"And I believe in the Serpent and the Lion, mystery of mystery in his name BAPHOMET."25 This line is the fourth line delivered by the people and the fifth by the Deacon in the Gnostic Mass . In fact, it is the 6th line in a ceremony of one to two hours. It would be safe to assume that Baphomet concealed some core mystery of the Thelemic formula. He is identified as the Lion and the Serpent, an ancient pairing of solar and phallic symbolism that has been utilized by Mithraic, Egyptian and Gnostic iconography. Baphomet symbolizes the "Lust"26 which drives the wheel of birth, life and death.
Some possible sources for the name Baphomet:
Choronzon
Choronzon is the grand demon of Thelema. He waits in the Abyss between the second triad and the supernal triad on the tree of life. When the magus hurls himself across in the attempt to gain "Union with the Holy Guardian Angel", he will be set upon by the demon Choronzon. He does this by taking the magus' every doubt, fear and flaw and using these as weapons. Choronzon's goal is the destruction of the magus. Failing that He will attempt to merely drive the magus back into the lower Tree or even the Qliphoth31. Those who are defeated by Choronzon end up dead (rare), insane (if one is driven to the Qliphoth and one is unprepared) or tired and drained (if one merely fails to cross). If one defeats Choronzon (or rather the caricature of oneself that Choronzon erects to face you) one must then give oneself up into the Graal of Babalon. Failure to do so will result in one becoming a "Black Magician" (q.v. Section III.8).
Psychologically, this is every doubt, fear and guilt you have ever had blown out of proportion and multiplied a thousand-fold. Every psychological hang-up, every egotistical aggrandizement, will be held up to accuse you. The great secret of Choronzon is that He does not fight anyone, He causes the magus to fight himself. No trickery, nor any subterfuge will allow one by this demon. Only preparation, discipline, acceptance and resolution of the various problems in one's psyche will do this.
Cosmologically, Choronzon is the gatekeeper to union with the HGA. Choronzon exists to ensure that every magickian attempting to cross the Abyss is fully prepared, balanced and capable of comprehending the nature of their true selves. If one were unprepared to integrate with their HGA, they would go insane if they were to "succeed". The mind would snap like a metal bar with a fatal flaw. He is brutal and unforgiving because He is your "lower" nature, your ego that realizes success means its own destruction.
Symbolically, Choronzon is the final challenge between the Magickian and Enlightenment. He inhabits Da'ath and is the guardian of the Qliphoth as well as the Supernal Triad. In essence, He is the Qliphotic you.
His element is unknown and He has no Sign.
Aiwass (Aiwas, Aiwaz)
This is the entity that for three days revealed the Book of the Law to To Mega Therion (Aleister Crowley). He is the minister of Hoor-Paar-Kraat and thus the messenger of the true self to the conscious mind, thus enabling the True Will to be actively implemented. He is also believed to be the Holy Guardian Angel for the prophet To Mega Therion and is often used when the aspirant is unaware of his or her own Holy Guardian Angel's actual name.
Psychologically, Aiwass is representative of one's true self and intuitive understanding.
Symbolically, He is the pathway for communication between one's conscious mind and one's true self until the time that one discovers the name of one's own personal Holy Guardian Angel.
He is symbolized by the Sephira Tiphareth and thus Balance and the Sun.
Thanateros
Thanateros is a Chaos deity. He represents a synthesis of the Greek Gods Thanatos and Eros, or Death and Sex. This would make it a deity similar to Pan, Baphomet and ultimately deriving from IAO. He is normally utilized when working with Xaos rituals or extra-Temple workings with Chaos mages or groups.
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Footnotes
1. This is by no means definitive. Each description fails to provide the full depth of each deity and is only provided as a basis to build your own understanding. Each deity can contain multitudes and a greater understanding may contain information that is fully contradictory to what is provided here. { Return }
2. The '-it' suffix for Nu, Had & Ra-Hoor-Khu is an honorific. { Return }
3. I.e., they are prominent by virtue of usage. Thelemic and/or Xaos Mages typically utilize all of the deities mentioned to some extent due to their prevalence within the source materials. { Return }
4. This is a Sign of N.O.X. (q.v. Appendix I). { Return }
5. The Black Flame is the name that the Satanist give to this spirit of individuality. Personally I think this is to increase its dark and spooky factor, but I am sure they have a rational and justifiable explanation for the term. { Return }
6. The Gift of Set is that which differentiates us from the animals around us and makes us humans capable of thought, reason and spirituality. However, I am only familiar with the Temple of Set's entry level materials and am not a member so this interpretation may vary slightly from the Temple's official explanation. { Return }
7. In theory this would also include any other Point of Manifestation that we might utilize if there were other dimensions or planets on which to incarnate. { Return }
8. Another Sign of N.O.X. { Return }
9. The reason for the hesitancy is that no where does Hoor-Paar-Kraat speak in any of the corpus of Thelemic literature, nor am I aware of any detailed discussion on his nature in any book, classified 'A' or otherwise, written by Crowley or any other reputable Thelemic author. { Return }
10. Further Analysis of the Hieroglyphic Meanings for these three names can be found in Appendix G. { Return }
11. Crowley commissioned a third party to translate the Stele of Revealing, an action that he would probably have preferred to do himself had he been familiar with Hieroglyphs. { Return }
12. The exact time of the end of the Æon is unknown. We believe that it is approximately 2000 years and is probably in synch with the Astrological Age. They are different, but they tend to cycle in patterns (the Astrological Signs influences the manifestation of the Æonic Cycle). { Return }
13. Also known as 'Horus' or 'the Enterer' (q.v. Appendix I). { Return }
14. q.v. Section I.1.). { Return }
15. The apocalyptic text of Christianity. It figures prominently in many Protestant sects. Unfortunately, they are interpreting it as a prophetic text, rather than as an instruction manual for achieving enlightenment within the Osirian Formula. Another slant is to put Ra-Hoor-Khu as the Christos with a sword and it becomes a prophecy of how we are predicted to win after much persecution, etc. { Return }
16. See The Vision and the Voice (Liber 418). { Return }
17. Revelations 17:4-6. { Return }
18. Prior to this enlightenment, one perceives their will as external of themselves and tend to personify it. This personification is called the "Holy Guardian Angel" (HGA) and the first stage of enlightenment is to achieve "Knowledge and Conversation with the Holy Guardian Angel" (K&C of HGA) which means that you are able to meet and talk to your HGA & get advice on a situation or plan of action. The next step is to achieve "Union with one's HGA, which takes the personification and integrates it within the reconstructed self. Once you have given all, you create a new ego (q.v. III.6 "The Nature and Components of the Individuation") around the spirit and draw this down into the body rather then the natural method of constructing the ego from the body to the spirit. There is only one state beyond this, which is similar to the Boddhisattva of the East. This entire process revolves around the Graal of Babalon. { Return }
19. But for starters, Graal is often a synonym for Yoni/Kteis and Blood is often used to symbolize spermatozoon. { Return }
20. A Sign of N.O.X. { Return }
21. Liber AL vel legis I:29 { Return }
22. Foolish because despite civilized man's attempts to revise Pan's image, or rather to deny his power, He remains Pan. Which explains why such an innocuous deity has such deep powers. { Return }
23. Not to be confused with Lovecraft's Elder Gods. { Return }
24. VIAOV is also spelled FIAOF or UIAOU. This is do to it being spelled in Hebrew, where the letter Vav is phonetically equivalent to the three English letters V,F & U. Pronounce as "oo-EE-AH-OH-oo" (with a 'ü') { Return }
25. From the third affirmation in "The Creed" of Liber XV: The Gnostic Mass by Aleister Crowley. { Return }
26. Atu 11 in the Thoth Tarot deck. { Return }
27. Greek source provided by Von Hammer. { Return }
28. Greek source from Raspe. { Return }
29. Hebrew Source from Aleister Crowley. { Return }
30. Reverse Notariqon Latin Source by Eliphas Levi. { Return }
31. The Qliphoth is the imbalanced shadow tree of demons created through the process of the Tree of Life re-establishing its equilibrium. The extraneous imbalanced (and thus corrupted) sephiroth and paths were cast into the Abyss where they formed a Shadow Tree. The Tree of Life exists in perfect balance and harmony, its shadow Tree contains all of the obsessive negative traits of the "True" Tree (e.g. Geburah is discipline and energy- the Roman God Mars, but the shadow version is mindless bloodshed - the Greek God Ares) are here waiting to latch on to the unwary and possess/obsess them. This danger explains the need to explore and understand both the tree and its shadows.. { Return }