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Within the mystical system of Thelema, the Abyss is the great gulf or void between the phenomenal world of manifestation and its noumenal source.
In Aleister Crowley's words:
This doctrine is extremely difficult to explain; but it corresponds more or less to the gap in thought between the Real, which is ideal, and the Unreal, which is actual. In the Abyss all things exist, indeed, at least in posse, but are without any possible meaning; for they lack the substratum of spiritual Reality. They are appearances without Law. They are thus Insane Delusions.
Now the Abyss being thus the great storehouse of Phenomena, it is the source of all impressions.1
In the Kabbalistic system of Crowley, the Abyss is the 11th (hidden) sephira, Da'ath, which separates the lower sephiroth from the supernals. It represents the fall of man (as in Genesis) from a unified consciousness into a duality between ego and divine nature. The Abyss is guarded by the demon, Choronzon, who represents those parts of one's consciousness that are unwilling or unable to enter the divine.
"Crossing the Abyss" is regarded as a perilous operation, and the most important work of the magician's career. Success confers graduation into the degree, Magister Templi, or "Master of the Temple."
Recent view
One influence relating to this is the idea of resonance with Choronzon which holds that Choronzon was demonized by Crowley, out of a severe phobia of chaos on his part, which made him even change the name of Choronzon from inventor John Dee's spelling, which was Coronzom.2
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