IAO! The Holy Name (pronounced ee-ah-oh) is an old magical formula from ancient times that contains many mysteries.
It is said to be the Greek translation of the Hebrew YHVH or "Yahweh/Jehovah", the sacred four lettered name of God. It has also been noted to align with the English Biblical phrase, "I am the Alpha and the Omega."
It lends one to concepts of the Trinity, an ancient theological belief of a single deity comprised of three co-equal, co-eternal, co-substantial personas and most understated but probably most importantly three forms of divine relationship.
Aleister Crowley wrote that the formula IAO stood for Isis - Apophis - Osiris. He noted how the letter "I", while representing the feminine principle was phallic in script and the letter "O" represented the masculine principal but was shaped as an orifice. He continues to state that IAO is not simply a solitary state or present reality (i.e. not just a noun) but is also descriptive of a spiritual process (i.e. is also a verb). Isis, who is nature, is destroyed by Apophos, the destroyer, and reborn as the new Osiris. He states that this process of birth-death-rebirth, found in so many different spiritual traditions, is often misunderstood as a resurrection of that which was. He instead proposes that the resurrection is a birth of something new, a new age, instead of re-animating what has died. Osiris himself is honored as a Phallic God due to not only his relation to the origins of the IAO but also because of his participation in this spiritual cycle. His story particularly is phallic in nature as it is the only member of his body not able to be retrieved from the Nile when his dismembered body was reassembled. It is said that this phallus, in its cycles or erection and rest, would cause the Nile to flood annually, bringing fertility to a desert land. This cycle of birth-death-rebirth is echoed in many of the myths of the phallic gods along with Osiris, including Dionysus, Jesus, Narcissus, Antinous and others.
The Fraternity recognizes the IAO in the following shared understandings:
1. The IAO is a single name and mirrors a single God. Phallus is understood as this singular divinity. Connection of the singular divine to the male sexual organ is simply traditional and cultural in nature, however that does not negate the symbolic connections that are made between the two. Worship of the Phallus is understood to be as inherently effective when communing with the Divine as any other practice. When speaking of Phallus, we are speaking about the IAO as a singular unit. This may represent whatever ultimate form or force of Divinity that a practitioner is comfortable with however the IAO speaks of unity, singularity, a culmination of forces...all virtues that are behooved upon the Fraternity to embrace.
2. The IAO is expresses the division of the human condition. Despite a belief in the unity of all things, our regular experience tells us that we are not united, but instead alone and disconnected from the rest of the world around us. This is a common dilemma in many spiritual traditions and much has been written and taught to assist in the re-integration of these opposing forces. IAO represents how gnosis of the singular deity (I) is divided by the structures of nature and man (A) into the many fragmented consciousness of each human mind (O). This division of the IO is the source of many phallic practices. The myth of Narcissus, while on the surface warns of the dangers of vanity, is actually an allegory to spiritual awakening and divine love. By looking at our many selves with divine love, we are able to see the places where Divinity shines brightest within us and also those areas that are not united to the Divinity that is the foundation of all phenomena. This unification of the One with the All is celebrated in sacramental acts of baptism. Baptism is therefore a commitment to self-reflection and self-love.
Lastly, the IAO represents the three gay male archetypes. While these archetypes seem extremely polemic, they are in fact all inclusive in the way that all men, whether top or bottom, gay or straight, or any variance of sexual orientation or identity.
"I" - represents the Phallus and represents the "top" of the Divine Male relationship. Better said, the "I" is the penetrative aspect of the Divine. All men penetrate in some way, whether that be physically, or penetrating others with ideas, emotions, knowledge or more. The "I" represents the present moment in time and anatomically is aligned with the shaft of the trinity of which is a man's Cock. The "I" is also aligned to the virtue of Thelema, or "Will", the virtue to enact our way in this world, blazing a trail into the next one.
"O" - represents the Orifice and represents the "bottom" of the Divine Male relationship. Whether it be a mouth, an ass, a hand or a vagina, the "O" is the receptive aspect of the Divine. Often it is considered the "soul". The soul is a part of God that got separated from its original unity and whose life purpose is to find reunion with that Source. All men have a receptive nature just like they have a penetrative nature. The "O" represents the past and is anatomically aligned with the testicles and scrotum, the treasury house of a man's ancestral DNA. Obviously, the receptive orifices are also in anatomical alignment with the "O". The "O" is also aligned to the virtue of Gnosis, or "Knowledge", the virtue to know our true united selves and the reality of the world in which we currently find ourselves.
"A" - What unites the "I" and the "O" is the "A". The "A" is like a pyramid, a temple in which to worship and it represents the Community, where the Divine Male relationship can be nurtured and harvested. While "the Fraternity" is what is referred to as a congregation of Phallic Chaos Magicians, the "A" is more than just this subculture. The "A" is where Phallic virtues are cherished, taught and supported, values such as hospitality, brotherhood, respect, support and community. It is not a place in time and space, but a quality in character sought in following this ecstatic path. The "A" represent the future and what we leave for other generations to build upon. It is anatomically aligned the Semen. The "A" is also aligned to the virtue of Agape, or "Love", the virtue to sustain ourselves and others in peace, support and a gnostic understanding of the Divinity underlying all creation and phenomena.
Whenever the IAO is pronounced in ritual, it should be deeply chanted.
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