The Chalice of Ecstasy, Ksiazki, Books, Occult Collection
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THE CHALICE OF ECSTASY
BEING
A MAGICAL AND QABALISTIC INTERPRETATION OF THE
DRAMA OF
PARZIVAL
BY
A COMPANION OF THE HOLY GRAIL
SOMETIMES CALLED
FRATER ACHAD
Dedicated to my Beloved Friend and Companion FRATER AD ALTA Who passed
from our view into THE GREAT HERE AND NOW November 29th, 1918 exactly
four years prior to the completion of this essay.
Key entry by Fr. Nachash Uraëus-Hadit Camp, O.T.O., 1991
HTML and Adobe Acrobat conversion by Benjamin Rowe, January 1999.
INTRODUCTION
T
he collective tradition of mankind is endowed with a relative
infallibility, and when rightly interpreted, must represent the largest
truth, the most perfect beauty and the purest goodness known on earth.
This transcendental truth and goodness and beauty represents the divine
substratum of human nature, the ideal humanity which lies above and behind
the aberrations of individuals, races and periods. It is not subjected, as are the
latter, to Time and Circumstance or to the limitations from which the
appearance of error, evil and deformity seem to spring.
The Legend of Parzival is not subject to Time or Circumstance; it
represents a glimpse of the Eternal Reality, the Everpresent Here and Now. The
circumstances of its enactment and the place wherein the festival is beheld,
need not be sought outside the Human Heart that has learned to beat in time
and tune with the Soul of the World. All who are born of “Heart’s A
Z
iction”
nd their way to that spot where they “Scarcely move, yet
swiftly seem to run” and having become one with “The Way, The Truth and
The Life” they will discover that the shifting scenes of the world they had
thought to be so real, will pass by them as a pageant until the Vision of the
Grail Itself is presented to their pure Understanding.
It is in the hope of awakening some spark of the smouldering
W
re of this
inner consciousness in the hearts of those who may read these lines - not
having previously understood the Legend - and from that spark enkindling a
great
W
re that will burn up the veils which hide man from Himself - from God
- that I have dared to add these fragments to the great mass of Grail Literature
already given to the world.
And to those who are slumbering contentedly, wrapped round with the
delusion and dreams of this illusory like, I cry with Gurnemanz:
Hey! Ho! Wood-keepers twain! Sleep-keepers I deem ye! At least be moving
with the morning! Hear ye the call? Now thank the Lord That ye are called in time
to hear it.
3
must eventually
W
POINT I.
THE COMING OF PARZIVAL
“BY PITY ‘LIGHTENED THE GUILELESS FOOL - WAIT FOR HIM, MY CHOSEN
TOOL.”
t is not my intention to set forth the complete Argument of the Great
Musical-Drama of “Parsifal” derived from the ancient legend of Parzival by
Richard Wagner, to whom be all praise and honour.
Those who have not had the privilege of witnessing this festival-play, or
even of reading a good translation of the Libretto, should avail themselves of
the help that a study of the latter will give them before expecting to gain a
thorough grasp of the interpretation herein set forth.
I shall also suppose that the student has some slight knowledge of The
Mystic Path and of The Holy Qabalah, although I shall endeavor to make the
points dealt with as comprehensive as possible to the uninitiated enquirer who
is prepared to “wake and hearken to the Call”.
The Music of Wagner I cannot give you, nor shall I even attempt an
interpretation of that which, in the Opera, helps so much toward the opening
of those channels of consciousness whereby we may eventually receive some
comprehensive of the Music of the Spheres.
Fortunately this is not entirely necessary, for the true Path leads to a point
when each individual may feel himself to be a highly-strung musical
instrument whose Will runs over the strings causing complete and harmonious
vibrations in his own being, which will then seem to give forth an
unformulated but delightful melody.
What is the Keynote of Parzival?
ECSTASY!
And what is Ecstasy? It has been well described by one known to us as
Frater Perdurabo, and I shall quote his own words:
“There is a land of pure delight, Where saints immortal reign.”
“So used some of us to sing in childhood, and we used to think of that
land as far away, farther even than death that in those days seemed
so far.
“But I know this now: that land is not so far as my flesh is from my
bones! it is Here and Now.
4
I
“If there is one cloud in this tranquil azure, it is this thought: that
conscious beings exist who are not thus infinitely happy, masters of
ecstasy.
“What is the path to this immortal land? To the Oriental, medita-
tion offers the best path. To the Western, there is no road better than
ceremonial. For ecstasy is caused by the sudden combination of two
ideas, just as oxygen and hydrogen unite explosively.
“But this religious ecstasy takes place in the highest centres of the
human organism; it is the soul itself that is united to its God; and for
this reason the rapture is more overpowering, the joy more lasting,
and the resultant energy more pure and splendid than in aught
earthly.
“In ritual therefore, we seek continually to unite the mind to some
pure idea by an act of will. This we do again and again, more and
more passionately, with more and more determination, until at last
the mind accepts the domination of the will, and rushes of its own
accord toward the desired object. This surrender of the mind to its
Lord gives the holy ecstasy we seek.”
ect
is not made upon the consciousness of the onlookers. This is doubtless one the
reasons why Wagner made arrangements that this Work should only be
produced at Bayreuth in a proper setting and under right conditions, for it
represents the summit of his Magical Mountain of which the base was the
Ring. He called it a Stage-Consecrating Festival, and its e
V
ects were intended to
uence upon the Drama of Life itself.
We will pass over the early part of the opening Scene with its introduction
of Gurnemanz, Kundry, and Amfortas, and concentrate our attention on the
entry of Parzival; heralded by the falling of a Swan brought down by his own
weapon.
What is this Swan?
X
ECSTASY!
How do I know? Never mind, let me quote once again from one who is
the Master thereof:
5
Here we have one of the most important keys to the interpretation of the
Drama of Parzival, and also an indication of the result which Wagner desired to
produce upon the minds of his audience.
Unless the Play is properly staged, and the parts taken by those who
themselves understand at least something of the “Way of Holiness”, this e
V
exert their in
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