“The Book of Pleasure” (Selected Plates) by Austin Osman Spare (1913).
“The Kia which can be vaguely expressed in words is the Neither-Neither, the unmodified “I” in the sensation of omnipresence, the illumination symbolically transcribed in the sacred alphabet, and of which I am about to write.
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Know the sub-consciousness to be an epitome of all experience and wisdom, past incarnations as men, animals, birds, vegetable life, etc., etc., everything that exists, has and ever will exist.
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My formula and Sigils for sub-conscious activity are the means of inspiration, capacity or genius, and the means of accelerating evolution. An economy of energy and method of learning by enjoyment. A bat first grew wings and of the proper kind, by its desire being organic enough to reach the sub-consciousness.
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Sigils are the means of guiding and uniting the partially free belief with an organic desire, its carriage and retention till its purpose served in the sub-conscious self, and its means of reincarnation in the Ego.
All thought can be expressed by form in true relation. Sigils are monograms of thought, for the government of energy (all heraldry, crests, monograms, are
Sigils and the Karmas they govern), relating to Karma.They are a
mathematical means of symbolising desire and giving it form that has the virtue of preventing any thought and association on that particular desire (at the magical time), escaping the detection of the Ego, so that it does not restrain or attach such desire to its own transitory images, memories and worries, but allows it free passage to the sub-consciousness.”All images and text by Austin Osman Spare. A print version of “The Book of Pleasure” is available from Jerusalem Press in London.