by Erica M Cornelius
In psychology we learn that the nickname one chooses in their childhood often contains tidbits of inner truth of what might be manifesting long before one’s creative self becomes apparent in adulthood. … How many famous people, authors and actors, shed their birth names in quest of a new image that might best represent their fashionable artistic character? In magick we try to consciously duplicate this process by choosing a Magickal Motto that we feel might best represent our True Will.
–J. Edward Cornelius, In the Name of the Beast: A Biography of Grady Louis McMurtry, A Disciple of Aleister Edward Crowley, p. i.
A magickal motto must be adopted by an Aspirant entering the A.A. as a Neophyte. The choice could not be more crucial. A well-chosen magickal motto can greatly aid the Aspirant in their quest. A poorly-chosen motto can quickly wash the Aspirant out of the Order or even off of the spiritual path entirely. In order to understand why, it is first important to understand how names of any kind work on a magickal level. From there, it is necessary to understand the intended function of the magickal motto.
One of the foundational books on our A.A. reading list is the two-part biography of Grady Louis McMurtry, a disciple of Aleister Crowley, by J. Edward Cornelius titled In the Name of the Beast. Even the title of the biography contains the word name, thus raising the question of ‘what’s in a name,’ and Cornelius opens his introduction by discussing the psychologist James Hillman’s thoughts on the relationship between aliases and genius. According to Hillman, people in pursuit of their genius often end up using a name that is different from their birth name. To Hillman, it is sometimes as if the genius needs its own identity, as distinct from the human being. Somehow the new name works better as a carrier for that genius, and its genesis creates a new persona to go with it. Names are not neutral. Knowing nothing else, would you rather buy blue jeans designed by Irma Ethel Klump or by Gloria Vanderbilt? The question is superficial, but the principle it trades upon is not. A name sets up a current of thought, both from and toward the person named, which in turn helps to crystalize a destiny. Cornelius points out that in magick, we follow the same idea: we create the magickal persona as distinct from the human persona, and we can do so well or badly.
To create a magickal persona, the Aspirant begins with an appropriate name, the motto. The Aspirant chooses a motto that formulates his or her highest intent—the Will. He or she makes sure it does so by examining both its overt meaning and the correspondences of its numerical value. For instance, after Crowley recognized Grady as a IX° in Ordo Templi Orientis, he suggested that Grady choose a motto to reflect his new role. Grady said he wasn’t sure how a motto worked and needed some help. Crowley asked Grady, “What is your will?” Grady responded, “…[T]o unite that which is above with that which is below.” Soon enough, Crowley got back to Grady with the suggestion Ὑμεναιος α (Hymeneus Alpha). Hymeneus is the God of Marriage. Alpha is the Fool of the Tarot, the vital spark, the Way, Parsifal the Redeemer. Grady liked this suggestion of Crowley’s, and adopted the motto.
A good motto, such as Hymeneus Alpha, summarizes an intent that is not only noble and lofty, but also impossible of complete attainment. Hymeneus Alpha, for instance, does indeed accurately name Grady’s will as “…[T]o unite that which is above with that which is below.” However, it also does so in such a way as to open the avenues of attainment infinitely. The symbolism of Alpha (in Hebrew, Aleph) opens out the field of the divine marriage to absolutely anywhere the Adept might tread. To recap so far, the motto must be both properly spiritual and framed in an open-ended way. Soror Lady Deathstrike may be on her way to kicking ass on the Earth plane, but she’s only assassinating herself in the magickal realm with an asinine motto. Frater Choronzon has placed himself on the fast-track to ego-fueled dissolution in Idiotsville. But even the prudent Frater I-Journal-Daily has made his motto too easy of attainment, too Earthly, and too closed.
A good motto also has numerical resonances that are deeply significant to the bearer. In Qabalah, whether Greek, Hebrew, English or otherwise, every letter of the alphabet has a numerical value. To find the numerical value of a motto, add the values of the individual letters. For instance, the Greek letters that spell Hymenus Alpha, as Ὑμεναιος α, add to 777. Due in part to the resonances of this number, Cornelius makes the case in his biography that Crowley suggested this motto to Grady specifically in order to open the possibility that Grady would eventually be Crowley’s magickal successor—if he would and could “grab the sword.” Cornelius also documents the fascinating tale of a magickal life shaped by a motto, a life running parallel to that of the human who was called to fulfill it. According to that narrative, Grady had little idea when he embraced the motto what kind of karma he was embracing along with it. Yet the biography also makes clear that to take a magickal motto is to accept a unique responsibility and commitment as a carrier of Will. It is not necessary or even possible to understand all of the implications of the numerical value of a contemplated motto. However, it is required for the Aspirant to research as much as he or she can about the number’s implications and to weigh them carefully before committing to the motto. Sometimes there is more than one way to spell or formulate a motto, and, if so, it behooves the Aspirant to choose the motto whose numeration best aids his or her Will.
The choice of a motto is so important that if a student chooses a stupid one and refuses to heed our advice to change it, we refuse to have anything more to do with them. As harsh as that may sound, we have better things to do than to watch someone crash and burn out of sheer, stubborn foolishness. So powerful is a name that to choose a poor one guarantees failure. By contrast, to choose a good motto gives an Aspirant a fighting chance at success in what is, after all, a hostile environment. Choose wisely!