Saturday 14 March 2009

A Boleskine Adventure - by Barry Van-Asten




Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law


‘In the East, that is, in the direction of
Boleskine, which is situated on the south-
eastern shores of Loch Ness in Scotland,
two miles east of Foyers, is a shrine or
High Altar.’
Liber XV.
The day was one of great importance, but to mere mortals of a superstitious nature it was simply Friday 13th April in the year of the old God two-thousand-and-seven E.V. The sun shone bright over Inverness as Aimee the Seer and I took the D&E coach to Upper Foyers at quarter past midday. We travelled upon the B852 road which skirts Loch Ness and was once known as General Wade’s military road. As the sunlight caught the ripples on the Loch I recalled seeing the sub-station on the Loch side and I knew Boleskine House would soon be visible on the left of the road, and suddenly the Gate House came into view with its drive up to the main House, and then the Burial ground appeared on the right, next to the Loch. The coach drove past the Foyers Hotel and reached the Upper Foyers Falls monument, dated 1896-1996 at one P.M. After the Seer stopped off at a local shop to purchase a walking map, we both set off on our trail.
We walked past the white building, Loch side which is the Police station and noticed that children were playing outside, in its garden. Then we came to the Forest Trail which divides away from the military road and climbs up towards the Parish Church and the Primary School, both on the left of the track. We walked the ‘red’ Forestry walk route which leads from Foyers to Inverfarigaig, a hill route the distance of two miles. It was a delightful walk and we soon passed the green still water of the dam on the left of the track (1).
The track became steeper and steeper as we climbed the Creag a’ Griubhais hill, which reaches 244 metres in height. The woodland was carpeted with primroses, blue bells, wood anemones, wood sorrel and violets; on the open ground and over the rocks there was bell heather clinging to the rock faces and blaeberry. On the wet boggy ground there were orchids and bog asphodel. A lizard crossed my path and we came upon a little stream. If one is lucky one can see roe deer in the woodland and red deer on the higher ground. There are also red squirrels, pine marten, fox and wild cat. And not forgetting the grouse and capercaillies.
We skirted the hill Tom an Eig and passed the disused shaft on the right (2). We then climbed to the top of Toman Tarsuinn hill and had some excellent views over Loch Ness and all around. We then came upon a clearing in the woods where the track diverges; we turned left, off the ‘red’ route and pushed on towards Easter Boleskine House. Entering the gates and walking up the driveway track we passed the out-buildings which the owners were renovating. Coming upon the main House we heard a lady’s voice greet us from behind a hedge in the front garden, where she was weeding and tending to flowers. The Seer and I stopped and talked with her. We learnt that she and her husband had lived in Paddington, near the canal and had fallen in love with Loch Ness and the House and she said she would never go back to London. She told us that she is originally from Essex and she invited the Seer and I to tea and scones next time we passed that way. Just then her husband came out and he also welcomed the Seer and I. But I was eager to be moving on to see Boleskine House which I knew to be a little way down the track and soon visible, but the friendly welcome from the owners of Easter Boleskine House was a happy interval.

‘But your holy place shall be untouched
throughout the centuries: though with
fire and sword it be burnt down &
shattered, yet an invisible house there
standeth, and shall stand until the fall
of the Great Equinox; when Hrumachis
shall arise and the double-wanded one
assume my throne and place.’
A.L. III.34.

Further along the track, I caught sight of Boleskine House with its out-buildings. Aleister Crowley owned Boleskin House from 1899-1913 and it was built by Archibald Fraser in the late eighteenth century.

‘The first essential is a house in a more or less secluded
situation. There should be a door opening to the north from
the room of which you make your oratory. Outside this
door, you construct a terrace covered with fine river sand.
This ends in a ‘lodge’ where the spirits may congregate.’
Confessions. Chapter 22.
The building was quite hidden by trees and at a distance from its perimeter fence. The Seer and I left the track to join General Wade’s military road and turning left we walked towards Boleskine Gate House. There was washing drying outside and the Gates seemed impressive. It was three P.M. when we arrived at Boleskine House and Aimee the Seer pointed me towards a good piece of fallen tree inside the grounds which would be perfect to make a Magick wand. A length was taken that acted as a walking stick and I gathered some magical ‘samples’ from within the perimeter wall: soil, grass, twigs etc to construct a magical link. [It should be pointed out here that Boleskine House is a residential property and one should be discreet and respect the owner's wishes at all times].
From the front the bay windows are just visible through the trees and one can see a wooden viewing platform facing the Loch. A stream trickles down from the hills and goes under the military road. We had walked a complete circle around the House as a subconscious magical act. Then we walked on to Boleskine old burial ground, on the right across the road which rolls down to the Loch. We sat on the far boundary wall and ate lunch. I trimmed my walking stick to ‘wand size’ and explored the grave yard. All the time I was aware of the bay windows of Boleskine House which seemed to obsess me and ‘watch’ my movements. The window on the right was of the most significance where it is said Crowley constructed his ‘oratory’ for the ritual of the ‘Sacred magic of Abramelin the Mage’.
I looked at the grave-watchers hut, expecting a doorway which I knew to be there, but it had been bricked-up. There was an open window and I sensed something dark about this building in the grave yard (it was originally used as a look out to prevent bodies being stolen from the graves, and over the years it has been the place for ‘ceremonies’ and other activities). I then turned to face Boleskine House and made the Hailing Sign of the Magician. I proclaimed the Law of Thelema and formerly accepted my grade [of which I remain silent]. Throughout the rite, I sensed a dark presence behind me, observing me from the grave-watchers hut.
Back at the boundary wall, Aimee the Seer went off to look around the graves and she too felt quite disturbed by the grave-watchers hut. My wife Aimee (the seer) has certain psychic abilities and although sometimes reluctant to do so can communicate with the 'other side'. By a strange coincidence Aimee is also a distant relative of the Irish film star Niall MacGinnis 1913-1977 who played the Crowley inspired character of Dr Julian Karswell in the classic 1957 film 'Night of the Demon'.
I made my Magical Link by burying my Ankh pendant at the foot of the boundary wall, directly reflecting the forces of Boleskine House and the aeon of Horus.
As a prelude to the Pilgrimage to Boleskine House I received many quabbalistic symbols in both Edinburgh and Inverness specifically pertaining to the number 93 and my own secret number 122 (3).

NOTES

The dam was used to regulate the amount of water which flowed in the river Foyers, through a tunnel to the Aluminium smelter generators. The original dam wall was raised by four feet to increase water volume available in Loch Mhore.
This surge shaft rises almost 700 feet from the tunnel and emerges at the top of the hill above the generating station. Work began in 1969 and carried on until 1974 when the Pump Storage Scheme was commissioned. The tunnel is two and a half miles long; from Loch Mhore it travels south to Loch Ness. It is lined with steel and its diameter is 15 feet.
Examples of quabbalistic incidences: The walking guide used was ‘100 Walks in Scotland’ (AA Publishing, 2003). Walk 93, Farigaig Forest and Loch Ness.
The return tickets on the D&E coach for both the Seer and I were £9.30.
122 appeared on a shop front viewed from the coach on the journey out of Inverness towards Boleskine House.
The Inverness bus used was the number one. In Edinburgh, number eleven. These have great significances.
There was also a specific reference to Jermyn Street, once the home of Aleister Crowley.
The Seer and I met a descendant of the original Lord Lovatt in Inverness on Thursday 12th April.
A bearded English man was seen on three occasions: The Kings Highway Public House, Inverness, with his female companion. At Foyers, near the Falls of Foyers and later outside Boleskine House as the Seer and I journeyed back in the coach. He was with a Scottish female companion on all three occasions.
In Edinburgh the Holy Days were observed and on Tuesday 10th April at the Standing Order Public House, my eyes fell upon a copy of Israel Regardie’s ‘Garden of Pomegranates’ from amongst the hundred of books which lined the wall. This was at 9.30 P.M. and the Seer and I handled the book and I recognised it as an important sign.
Returning along the military road from Boleskine House I noticed a dead bird at the side of the road, Loch side, with colourful vibrant plumage. The bird had not been dead long as it was still warm and no sign of rigormortis. I took the bird in my hand and placed it away from the road.

Barrie…418 (also 122)
Aimee…61 (61x2=122)



AT BOLESKINE

Oh wizard, tend my body, do,
And plant kisses in the garden of time;
Conjure spells that thunder through
My soul’s sweet sleep sublime.
And if in haste, this world should be
Torn from our hearts, and thrown
From century to idle century
In the garden, overgrown…

Wand of desire, this love shall be
A rose-lipped hell of our own making.
In the dull roar of his monster voice – the sea!
A rough sea over the rocks was breaking!
And time will twist as our hearts fade
To the ceaseless echo, and remain
Nameless, deciphering the horror that’s made
As we dance between the Devil and the Divine, again!

Hail to thee, great rapture of my heart;
I have sought the glory of thy name.
Let Love crown our souls in this Royal Art;
Let Love linger long in the hour of our fame!
And dark is the water that we know,
And steep the hill that we climb.
Oh passion, oh prophet, I fearless, grow
Towards a new dawn, touched by your time!

Inverness

‘They shall worship thy name, foursquare, mystic,
wonderful, the number of the man; and the name
of thy house 418’.*
A.L. II.78.
Boleskine, translated into Hebrew, is BVLShKIN, which enumerates as 418 in the quabbalistic system.



Love is the law, love under will.

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