The Cake of Light is the eucharistic host found within

Thelema Thelema () is a Western esotericism, Western esoteric and occult social or spiritual philosophy and a new religious movement founded in the early 1900s by Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), an English writer, mystic, occultist, and ceremonial ma ...

, the religion founded by English

occult The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mysti ...

writer

Aleister Crowley Aleister Crowley ( ; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, novelist, mountaineer, and painter. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pr ...

in 1904. A cake of light contains flour, honey,

Abramelin oil In the ancient Israelite religion, the holy anointing oil () formed an integral part of the ordination of the priesthood and the High Priest as well as in the consecration of the articles of the Tabernacle ( Exodus 30:26) and subsequent temples ...

, olive oil, beeswing, and bodily fluids such as semen, menstrual blood, vaginal fluids, or a mix thereof. It is usually cooked in the shape of a small, flat wafer. It appears by name in two important Thelemic rituals, the Gnostic Mass and the Mass of the Phoenix.

Symbolism

The overall significance of the cakes is that it is considered to be a

eucharist The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in ...

: a symbolic union between the microcosm, Man, and the macrocosm, the Divine, the consumption of which affirms a connection between the two which strengthens with each sacrament. The Cake of Light, traditionally composed of meal, honey, leavings of red wine lees, oil of Abramelin, olive oil and fresh blood as per the instructions in ''

The Book of the Law ''Liber AL vel Legis'' (), commonly known as ''The Book of the Law'', is the central sacred text of Thelema. The book is often referred to simply as ''Liber AL'', ''Liber Legis'' or just ''AL'', though technically the latter two refer only to ...

'' is a perfume or incense but also a cake when baked.

Olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...

is considered a sacred oil by many cultures and religions of the world. It is also an ingredient in the making of Oil of Abramelin. The olive is noted by

as "traditionally, the gift of Minerva, the Wisdom of God, the Logos". Abramelin oil was considered by Crowley to be representative of the "whole Tree of Life. The ten Sephiroth are blended into the perfect gold". It is thus also a symbol of the

Philosopher's Stone The philosopher's stone is a mythic alchemical substance capable of turning base metals such as mercury into gold or silver; it was also known as "the tincture" and "the powder". Alchemists additionally believed that it could be used to mak ...

of the

Alchemists Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...

In ''The Book of the Law''

Although Cakes of Light are never mentioned by name in ''The Book of the Law'', Crowley interpreted the following passages as being instructions for their creation: Aleister Crowley described the Cakes of Light in his book ''Magick in Theory and Practice'': Various types of blood are given as acceptable within a Cake of Light. "Of the moon, monthly" refers to menstrual blood. "Of a child" refers to fluid from sexual intercourse. "From the host of heaven" refers to semen. "Of enemies; then of the priest or of the worshippers" is self-explanatory. "Last of some beast" refers to animal blood. Crowley thought that it was important for

ceremonial magicians A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin, via the Latin . Religious and civil (secular) ceremonie ...

to perform a eucharistic ritual of some kind daily:

A Eucharist of some sort should most assuredly be consummated daily by every magician, and he should regard it as the main sustenance of his magical life. It is of more importance than any other magical ceremony, because it is a complete circle. The whole of the force expended is completely re-absorbed; yet the virtue is that vast gain represented by the abyss between Man and God. The magician becomes filled with God, fed upon God, intoxicated with God. Little by little his body will become purified by the internal lustration of God; day by day his mortal frame, shedding its earthly elements, will become in very truth the Temple of the Holy Ghost. Day by day matter is replaced by Spirit, the human by the divine; ultimately the change will be complete; God manifest in flesh will be his name.

References

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* * * {{Thelema series Eucharistic objects Light and religion Religious food and drink Thelema

Symbolism

In ''The Book of the Law''

See also

References

Citations

Works cited