History
In April of 1904 an astonishing event changed the life of
Aleister
Crowley: poet, mystic and Golden Dawn occultist.
While he and his wife, Rose, were vacationing in Egypt a
mysterious entity initiated contact with the couple. First
the voice moved Rose to lead Crowley to the funerary stele
of an ancient Egyptian priest named Ankh-af-na-Khonsu. Later
Crowley heard the voice over the course of three days. The
voice, which belonged to a divine entity, commanded Crowley
to transcribe his words, culminating in a piece of writing
called Liber
AL vel Legis, sub figura CCXX, or The Book of
the Law.
Although Crowley resisted much of the teaching of The Book
of the Law for many years, ultimately he accepted the role
it assigned to him as Prophet of the New Aeon. The entire
process is described in detail in Crowley's Equinox of the
Gods and Book 4, Part 4. The Book of the Law is short - only
220 verses in length - but packed full of poetic, cryptic
passages filled with Egyptian and apocalyptic Christian symbolism
as well as strings of letters and numbers which appear to
be an unsolved code.
Like many esoteric
scriptures, there are several potential meanings to the
verses in Liber AL, often apparently contradictory meanings.
Crowley later wrote a short comment which included the
line, "All questions of the Law are to be decided
only by appeal to my writings, each for himself." This
line is generally interpreted to mean that each person must
interpret Liber AL for themselves and none other.
In 1922, Crowley became the Outer Head of Order of the group
known as Ordo Templi Orientis (Order of the Eastern Templars).
Under Crowley's leadership, the O.T.O. adopted The Book of
the Law as its holy book and Crowley revised the order's
rituals to bring them in line with the teachings of the path
of Thelema.
Core beliefs
The core beliefs of Thelema
can be summed up in one phrase from The Book of the Law: "Do what thou wilt shall
be the whole of the Law." (AL I:40). As one Thelemite
I know put it, "That's the whole of the Law. All the
rest is just commentary."
This phrase cannot
be properly understood without knowing what Crowley meant
by "will." Will is the English
translation of the Greek word "Thelema"
for which the path itself is named. It is the word one finds
in the Greek version of the Christian Bible in the phrase "Thy
will be done." Will is not wish or whim or want or karma
or desire or predestination: it is a spiritual imperative
that comes from the deepest, most true source of one's being.
The phrase from Chapter 1, verse 40 may be familiar to you.
It is the phrase that was carved over the doorway to the
Abbey of Thelema in Rabelais's Pantagruel. Pantagruel was
a fictional story of a utopian society, written in 1532.
Crowley borrowed some, but not all, of Rabelais's philosophy
in constructing the path of Thelema. This phrase may also
seem familiar because of the relationship between Crowley
and Gerald
Gardner. Crowley was inspirational to Gardner
in the latter's revival of the Old Religion (Witchcraft) and Gardner used much of Crowley's poetry, both as written
and re-done, in building the new traditions and rituals of
Witchcraft.
Two other verses
are particularly important to note when attempting to sum
up the core beliefs of Thelema. The first is, "Love is the law, love under will." (AL I:57).
Thelema has occasionally been accused of being a cold-hearted
path because of this teaching. There are some who would consider
putting love under will to be a perversion of love. Different
Thelemites will, of course, interpret this phrase differently.
Here is one possible interpretation: will is what makes us
capable of love. Another possible interpretation: Love is
the Law and doing one's Will is the Law. These two forces
must be balanced with neither being allowed to run rampant.
Love under will does not necessarily mean that love is beneath
or lesser than will, but rather indicates a love aligned
with spiritual imperative. Anyone who has roughly pulled
their child out of a busy street, left an abusive lover despite
still being deeply in love with her, or refused to lie to
an alcoholic spouse's boss will recognize "love under
will" though they may refer to it by another name such
as "loving strictness, " "enlightened self-interest, " or "tough
love."
Another important
verse to consider, for those who wish to better understand
Thelema, is: "Every man and every
woman is a star." (AL I:3) As with all passages from
The Book of the Law, this verse is open to a variety of interpretations.
A common interpretation is the dual message that men and
women are equally high in stature and that each of us is
a powerful force. A common belief among Thelemites is that,
were each of us to do our will, we would be like a universe
of stars, majestically moving through time-space and rarely
clashing with one another. While there is a strong imperative
within the Thelemic culture to seek and pursue one's will,
many Thelemites would agree that doing one's will would not
involve forcing others to be or do that which they themselves
do not will to be or do - simultaneously realizing that it
is difficult enough to know one's own will and virtually
impossible to discern the will of another.
A question that periodically arises both within and without
the Thelemic community is whether Thelema should be considered
a Neo-pagan path or not. In his writings, Crowley refers
to himself with all apparent sincerity as a Satanist, a Christian
(the truest of all Christians, in fact) and a Pagan. Likewise
modern Thelemites can be found who identify themselves as
Satanist, Christian, Pagan and any combination of these categories.
In fact, there are even Thelemites who consider themselves
to be atheists or agnostics. With the typical paradoxical
thinking of mystics from any of the world's religions, some
Thelemites see no inherent contradiction to being all of
these categories simultaneously. It is also not uncommon,
however, to meet Thelemites who are vehemently opposed to
any of these labels, especially the title of Christian.
Thelema encompasses not only a diverse range of religious
categories but also a range of expressions. While some Thelemites
consider Thelema to be a religion, others would be more likely
to call it an occult path and still others regard Thelema
as a philosophy. The only single unifying factor one can
apply to all Thelemites is the personal pursuit of Will.
Organization of groups
The various groups today which follow the Thelemic path can
be loosely classed in three groups: initiatory orders,
teaching organizations and churches.
The largest Thelemic
initiatory order today is the O.T.O. Several other groups
have splintered off the original O.T.O. or formed independently.
Some examples include S.O.T.O. (the Society of Ordo Templi
Orientis), O.T.O.F. (Ordo Templi Orientis Foundation) and
H.O.O.R. (Holy Order of Ra-Hoor-Khuit). Thelemic initiatory
orders tend to function in groups, called bodies, and the
initiatory structure tends to be divided into three grades
known from lowest to highest as the Man of Earth, the Lover
and the Hermit. This division is based on a verse 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. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of
the Law." (AL I:40)
Each of these three grades are typically further subdivided
into degrees. For example, the Man of Earth triad of O.T.O.
contains degree 0 (Minerval) through the Fourth Degree (Perfect
Initiate). After an intermediate degree, the Lovers triad
takes up again with the Fifth Degree.
Among Thelemic
teaching organizations, the largest is the A.'.A.'. It
is difficult to ascertain how many people are in the A.'.A.'.
because there is more than one branch of the A.'.A.'. and
membership is intended to be secret—a
member is only supposed to know the person immediately above
them who is teaching them and the person or people immediately
below them who they are teaching. In addition to the A.'.A.'.
there are other Thelemic teaching organizations such as the
College of Thelema.
The A.'.A.'. grades are structured similarly to the Golden
Dawn grades (see John Michael Greer's Golden Dawn essay at
this site for more details on the grade structure.)
Thelemic churches
are those groups whose central function is to practice
Liber XV, the Gnostic Mass. The Gnostic Mass is a publically
performed mystical ritual written by Crowley. In many aspects
it resembles the Mass of the Roman Catholic Church with
some Greek Orthodox touches thrown in. Some Thelemites
enjoy debating and discussing the meaning and purpose of
the Gnostic Mass while others find other aspects of Thelema
more essential to them personally. The largest Thelemic church
is the E.G.C. (Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica - "Gnostic
Catholic Church") which is closely affiliated with the
O.T.O. The term "gnostic" is used primarily to
indicate the concept of divine wisdom being directly available
to an individual without need for an intercessor (though
there are clergy in the E.G.C., they play a more pagan than
Christian role in the religious society.) The term "catholic" is
used in the sense of "universal"
or "for all people" rather than to indicate a connection
with the Roman Catholic Church.
It is important
to note that membership in any organization or church is
not an absolute requirement to be a Thelemite. Many Thelemites
remain "solitary,
" unaffiliated with any group. Many people may be Thelemites
without even being aware of it.
Holidays
"There are rituals of the elements and feasts of the times. A feast for
the first night of the Prophet and his Bride! A feast for the three days of
the writing of The Book of the Law. A feast for Tahuti and the child of the
Prophet-secret, O Prophet! A feast for the Supreme Ritual, and a feast for
the Equinox of the Gods. A feast for fire and a feast for water; a feast for
life and a greater feast for death! A feast every day in your hearts in the
joy of my rapture! A feast every night unto Nu, and the pleasure of uttermost
delight! Aye! feast! rejoice! there is no dread hereafter. There is the dissolution,
and eternal ecstasy in the kisses of Nu." (AL II:36-44)
The rituals of
the elements and feasts of the times are celebrated at
the equinoxes and solstices. Some Thelemites go one step
farther and divide the year into cross-quarters as well,
creating eight holidays not dissimilar to the "wheel
of the year" often seen in other Neo-pagan traditions.
While the equinoxes and solstices naturally fall on the same
day as they do for other Neo-pagan traditions, the cross-quarter
holidays are all shifted slightly, for example, Samhain (ritual
of water) falls at 15 degrees Scorpio which is closer to
November 7th than October 31st.
The Feast for the First Night of the Prophet and his Bride
is celebrated on August 12th. There is no formal celebration
that I am aware of. One O.T.O. body with which I am affiliated
has an ice cream social on that date.
The Feast for the Three Days of the Writing of The Book
of the Law is celebrated on April 8, 9 and 10, the three
days that Crowley wrote Liber AL. Each day, beginning at
noon, celebrants read aloud one of the three chapters of
the Book of the Law.
The Feast for the Supreme Ritual is the Thelemic New Year.
This holiday, falling on March 20th, commemorates an invocation
of Horus.
The Feast for the Equinox of the Gods is celebrated at the
Spring Equinox to honor the founding of Thelema in 1904.
The Feast for
Life (also called the lesser feast) is a celebration of
a new birth. A person's birthday is sometimes referred
to as the "lesser feast"
as well. The Feast for Fire is the celebration of a boy's
reaching puberty and the Feast for Water is the celebration
of a girl's reaching puberty. The Greater Feast for Death
(often just called the greater feast) is the commemoration
of an individual's death.
Some Thelemites
also celebrate "Crowleymas" which
is the anniversary of Crowley's birth (October 12th).
Standards of conduct
The document which most clearly indicates the standards of
conduct expected of a person following a Thelemic path
would be Liber OZ. Because it is short, I include it here
in its entirety. Because it is often misunderstood, I will
briefly explain a few points afterwards.
Liber LXXVII
"the law of the strong: this is our law and the joy
of the world."
AL II: 2
"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law." --AL
I:40
"thou hast no right but to do thy will. Do that, and
no other shall say nay." --AL I:42-3
"Every man and every woman is a star." -AL
I:3
There is no god but man.
1. Man has the right to live by his own law--
to live in the way that he wills to do:
to work as he will:
to play as he will:
to rest as he will:
to die when and how he will.
2. Man has the right to eat what he will:
to drink what he will:
to dwell where he will:
to move as he will on the face of the earth.
3. Man has the right to think what he will:
to speak what he will:
to write what he will:
to draw, paint, carve, etch, mould, build as he will:
to dress as he will.
4. Man has the right to love as he will:--
"take your fill and will of love as ye will,
when, where, and with whom ye will." -AL I: 51
5. Man has the right to kill those who would thwart these
rights.
"the slaves shall serve." --AL
II:58
"Love is the law, love under will." --AL
I:57
Most people go
along with the document until they come to point five. "I have the right to kill someone who thwarts
my right to dress as I will?"
they cry. "That's ludicrous!" I agree, it is ludicrous—until
you think more about the message of Liber OZ.
Because every
man and every woman is a star, these could just as easily
be labeled the responsibilities of man as the rights of
man. If man (and here "man"
is used to mean "people." Crowley chose the word "man" because
he wanted to write Liber OZ entirely in words of one syllable.)
has the right to dress as he will then who am I to try to
thwart a cross dresser? If man has the right to drink what
he will, then it is not my place to force him to stop drinking
coffee. By saying that "man has the right to kill those
who would thwart these rights, " Crowley is both underlining
the deadly seriousness of pursuing and following one's will
and the deadly seriousness of respecting others' rights to
do the same. Rather than advocating killing, Liber OZ is
advocating respecting the rights of all mankind, even unto
death.
Furthermore, nowhere in this document does it say that these
rights come without consequences. I have the right to speak
what I will but that right will not save me from a lawsuit
should I indulge in slander. I have the right to eat what
I will but that right will not save me from food poisoning.
I have the right to kill someone who thwarts my rights but
that right will not save me from the electric chair.
When humanity is viewed as an interconnected system, Liber
OZ makes sense. These aren't just my rights or the rights
of Thelemites but the rights of everyone. Therefore, the
ultimate standard of conduct for a Thelemite is to continually
pursue one's own will while respecting the will of others.
Ways of worship
The ways of worship (or non-worship) are as varied among
Thelemites as one would expect, given the diverse viewpoints
found within the Thelemic community. Some Thelemites do
not observe some of the practices listed here, some observe
none of them and some observe other practices such as Hindu
or Chaote practices instead of these. This is by its nature
a general list. However one can find a significant number
of Thelemites practicing or at least recognizing a significant
number of these ways of worship.
1. Attending or serving at Gnostic Mass.
2. Performing some of the Thelemic rituals, many of which
are loosely borrowed from the Golden Dawn tradition. Among
these are Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram, or its more Thelemic
form, the Star Ruby, The Rose Cross ritual, Liber Reguli.
3. Performing a Sun adoration called Liber Resh vel Helios
four times a day.
4. Studying and memorizing The Book of the Law.
Reading and other references
These points have barely scratched the surface of Thelema.
There is great depth to this path and much to study if
one is so inclined. Here are a few starting points for
those seeking further information.
The most important book to read is The Book of the Law.
This can be found for free online. Try our link here...
Also try our commentaries to The Book Of the Law...
The Old and New Commentaries to Liber AL vel Legis (The Book
Of The Law)
(Long download please be patient)
Chapter
I
Chapter
II
Chapter
III
by Aleister Crowley
Analysis
of Liber AL vel Legis
Sam Webster
| Authors
Details: Magdalene Meretrix (composed with gracious
assistance from the Reverend Rob and David R. Jones)
Unknown Web Site |
More Articles On Thelema
Thelema Part 1
Thelema Part
2 |
