Liber 65 and the Language of the Birds

Aleister Crowley’s Liber 65, The Book of the Heart Girt with the Serpent, is often read as ecstatic devotional poetry, but hidden within its imagery is a sequence of mythic parables describing the inner mechanics of spiritual transformation.

In this talk we will explore how Crowley utilizes a symbolic language pointing to the awakening of the deeper Self and the path toward the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. When read carefully, these stories reveal a map of initiation encoded in mythic imagery, rather than philosophical instruction.

We will furthermore explore how these symbolic narratives operate as what medieval alchemists called the "Language of the Birds": a way of transmitting spiritual knowledge through myth and image rather than direct instruction. Seen through this lens, the parables of Liber LXV begin to reveal a hidden structure describing the movement from ordinary perception to ecstatic awareness and union with the divine.

Drawing on Qabalistic symbolism, initiatory frameworks, Buddhist philosophy, and other perspectives from contemplative traditions and depth psychology, the presentation will include short, guided meditations designed to engage the symbolic imagery of the text directly, followed by discussion and Q&A.

Whether you are encountering Liber 65 for the first time or have studied it for years, this exploration aims to illuminate the “Language of the Birds”—the symbolic language through which mystical teachings reveal themselves to those prepared to hear them.

Researched and Presented by Tom Truty

LOCATION:
Westbeth Community Room
155 Bank St, New York, NY 10014