17
ΚΕΦΑΛΗ ΙΖ
THE SWAN11
There is a Swan whose name is
Ecstasy: it wingeth
from the Deserts of the North;it wingeth through
the blue; it wingeth over the
fields of rice; at its
coming they push forth the green.
In all the
Universe this Swan alone is
motionless; it
seems to move, as the
Sun seems to move; such
is the weakness of our sight.
O
fool! criest thou?
Amen. Motion is
relative: there is Nothing that is
still.
Against this Swan I shot an arrow; the white breast
poured forth blood. Men
smote me; then, perceiving
that I was but a Pure
Fool, they let me pass.
Thus and not otherwise I came to the
Temple of the Graal.
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COMMENTARY (ΙΖ)
This Swan is Aum. The chapter is inspired by
Frater P.'s memory of the wild swans he shot in the
Tali-Fu.
In paragraphs 3 and 4 it is, however, recognised that
even Aum is impermanent. There is no meaning in the
word, stillness, so long as motion exists.
In a boundless universe, one can always take any
one point, however mobile, and postulate it a point
at rest, calculating the motions of all other points
relatively to it.
The penultimate paragraph shows the relations of
the Adept to mankind. Their hate and contempt are
necessary steps to his acquisition of sovereignty over
them.
The story of the Gospel, and that of Parsifal, will
occur to the mind.
NOTE
(11) This chapter must be read in connection with
Wagner's "Parsifal".
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Original text by Aleister Crowley
Commentary by Karl Germer
I need your help! This stuff is very cryptic, feel free to provide your own commentary.