A Synopsis of the Three Grades & Ordeals in the Argentinum Aster
On the man of Earth, the Lover, and the Hermit reconceptualized
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
How to live. Fear God, and gather the straws as a bird builds a nest.
—Amalantrah’s answer to Crowley, The Amalantrah Working
The Three Grades of Grady’s bloodline of the A⸫A⸫ are identified as the Hermit, the Lover, and the man of Earth. This three-fold classification is derived directly from The Book of the Law: “Who calls us Thelemites will do no wrong, if he look but close into the word. For there are therein Three Grades, the Hermit, and the Lover, and the man of Earth” (L I:40).
These grades map onto the Qabalistic Tree of Life and correspond to specific stages of initiatory development in both the A⸫A⸫ and the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.).
1. The man of Earth (AL-31)
The man of Earth is described as the Adherent—one who is devoted to the Law of Thelema and seeks to understand how it applies to their personal universe. This is the “material” stage of the Aspirant’s journey.
Tree of Life: This grade resides in the two lowest sephiroth—Ma…
