Konx Om Pax
Konx Om Pax: Essays in Light is a publication by British occultist Aleister Crowley, first published in 1907.
Cover of Konx Om Pax by Aleister Crowley | |
| Author | Aleister Crowley |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Walter Scott Publishing Company |
Publication date | 1907 |
The title, Konx Om Pax, is a phrase said to have been pronounced in the Eleusinian Mysteries to bid initiates to depart after having completed the tests for admission to the degree of epopt (seer). The origin and meaning of this phrase are obscure, although numerous theories have been proposed. Feidias Mpourlas claimed that the phrase is derived from a misunderstanding of onomatopoeic words in the entry "κογξ ομοίως παξ" of Hesychius' dictionary, where "ομοίως" might have been abbreviated to "ομ.". S. L. MacGregor Mathers claimed the phrase was derived from Khabs-am Pekht, which in the Egyptian language means roughly "light in extension" or "light rushing out in a single ray", which is used in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn's Vernal and Autumnal Equinox ceremonies. This is the meaning which Crowley ascribes to the phrase within the book.
The front cover image, portraying the title Konx Om Pax in stretched letters, is said to have been designed by Crowley while smoking hashish.