Aiwass, according to Aleister Crowley, is the being who dictated to him The Book of the Law between 12 noon and 1 PM on the days of 8, 9, and 10 of April 1904.
Crowley described the being as appearing to be a tall, dark man in his thirties, well knit, active and strong. Also with the face of a savage king, and eyes veiled least their gaze should destroy what they viewed. His dress was more Assyrian or Persian than Arabian, which meant little to Crowley.
From afterthoughts Crowley’s first impressions of Aiwass would slightly change but in the main he would remain angelic and astral.
He had experienced for three consecutive days a vivid visualization in his own imagination of Aiwass after he came through a veil of gauze or a cloud on incense smoke. Such an encounter did not disturb Crowley who had experienced similar previously in his magical practice.
The voice of Aiwass seemed to vary with the mood and pace of his dictation. It possessed «deep, timbre, musical and impressive, its tones solemn, voluptuous, tender, fierce or aught else as suited the mood.»
As described in The Book of the LawAiwass was «the minister of Hoor-Paar-Kraat,» or The Lord of Silence, another form of Horus.
This is the equivalent of the Greek’s Harpocrates. Crowley would later refer to Aiwass’ dictation as «the Speech in the Silence».
He felt himself merely the scribe, pushing hard to keep up with Aiwass who seemed under a time limit; in the end he had filled sixty-five handwritten pages. A.G.H.
Sources:
Suster, Gerald. The Legacy of the Beast: The Life, Work and Influence of Aleister Crowley. York Beach, ME. Samuel Weiser. 1989. p. 128
Sutin, Lawrence. Do What Thou Wilt: A Life of Aleister Crowley. New York. St. Martin’s Griffin. 2000. pp.122-123