Passport Through Hades The word secret & not only in the English
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Sep 5, 2026 A lively examination of Aleister Crowley’s controversial rendition of the Tao Te Ching, compared with James Legge’s translation. The discussion explores mystical translation, living spiritual traditions, the meaning of Te, the divine feminine, true will, syncretism, and how language can make the ineffable tangible. It also considers meditation terminology, magical correspondences, and why powerful texts reveal something new with every reading.
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Crowley Restored The Missing Te
- Crowley restores Te as a distinct principle alongside Tao, treating it as manifestation, power, virtue, or magic.
- Character-by-character comparisons suggest he sometimes identified Te more accurately than Legge’s smoother but reductive translation.
Te Turns Silence Into Manifestation
- Crowley’s text performs the Taoist relationship it describes: the silent Tao becomes manifest through Te, speech, creation, and magic.
- The ineffable does not prohibit language; manifestation makes the mystery knowable through experience.
Guarding The Mother Means Knowing Your Nature
- “Guarding the mother” means recognizing the source of one’s nature and preserving its qualities in one’s life.
- Duncan connects this Taoist image with true will, where self-knowledge prevents actions from becoming mysterious or disappointing.
