Liber
Batrachophrenoboocosmomachia
sub Figura DXXXVI
*.
Within His skull exist daily thirteen thousand myriads of Worlds,
which draw their existence from Him, and by Him are upheld. ?
I.R.Q. iii. 43.
0.
Let the Practicus study the textbooks of astronomy, travel, if
need be, to a land where the sun and stars are visible, and
observe the heavens with the best telescopes to which he may have
access. Let him commit to memory the principal facts, and (at
least roughly) the figures of the science.
1.
Now, since these figures will leave no direct impression with any
precision upon his mind, let him adopt this practice A.
A. Let the practicus be seated before a bare square table, and
let an unknown number of small similar objects be thrown by his
chela from time to time upon the table, and by that chela be
hastily gathered up.
Let the Practicus declare at the glance, and the chela confirm by
his count, the number of such objects.
The practice should be for a quarter of an hour thrice daily. The
maximum number of objects should at first be seven. This maximum
should increase by one at each practice, provided that not a
single mistake is made by the Practicus in appreciating the
number thrown.
This practice should continue assiduously for at least one year.
The quickness of the chela in gathering up the objects is
expected to increase with time. The practice need not be limited
to a quarter of an hour thrice daily after a time, but increased
with discretion. Care must be taken to detect the first symptoms
of fatigue, and to stop, if possible, even before it threatens.
The practised psychologist learns to recognise even minute
hesitations that mark the forcing of the attention.
2.
Alternating with the above, let the Practicus begin this practice
B. It is assumed that he has thoroughly conquered the elementary
difficulties of Dharana, and is able to prevent mental pictures
from altering shape, size and colour against his will.
B. Seated in the open air, let him endeavour to form a complete
mental picture of himself and his immediate surroundings. It is
important that he should be in the centre of such picture, and
able to look freely in all directions. the finished picture
should be a complete consciousness of the whole fixed, clear, and
definite.
Let him gradually add to this picture by including objects more
and more distant, until he have an image of the whole field of
vision.
He will probably discover that it is very difficult to increase
the apparent size of the picture as he proceeds, and it should be
his most earnest endeavour to do so. he should seek in particular
to appreciate distances, almost to the point of combatting the
laws of perspective.
3.
These practices A and B accomplished, and his studies in
astronomy completed, let him attempt this practice C.
C. Let the Practicus form a mental picture of the Earth, in
particular striving to realize the size of the Earth in
comparison with himself, and let him not be content until by
assiduity he has well succeeded.
Let him add the moon, keeping well in mind the relative sizes of,
and the distance between, the planet and its satellite.
He will probably find the final trick of the mind to be a
constant disappearance of the image, and the appearance of the
same upon a smaller scale. This trick he must outwit by constancy
of endeavour.
He will then in add in turn Venus, Mars, Mercury and the Sun.
It is permissible at this stage to change the point of view to
the centre of the Sun, and to do so may add stability to the
conception.
The Practicus may then a the Asteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus
and Neptune. The utmost attention to detail is now necessary, as
the picture is highly complex, apart from the difficulty of
appreciating relative size and distance.
Let this picture be practised month after month until it is
absolutely perfect. The tendency which may manifest itself to
pass into Dhyana and Samadhi must be resolutely combated with the
whole strength of the mind.
Let the Practicus then re-commence the picture, starting from the
Sun, and adding the planets one by one, each with its proper
motion, until he have an image perfect in all respect of the
Solar System as it actually exists. Let him particularly note
that unless the apparent size approximate to the real, his
practice is wasted. Let him then add a comet to the picture; he
may find, perhaps that the path of this comet may assist him to
expand the sphere of his mental vision until it include a star.
And thus, gathering one star after another, let his contemplation
become vast as the heaven, in space and time ever aspiring to the
perception of the Body of Nuit; yea, the Body of Nuit.