Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
How can I define Thelema? I must first mention that no one man or woman can represent a religion, not even its founder. For with each contact an idea or system is changed, humans are filters according to their experiences, and religion is a social phenomenon involving more than one person. Therefore in no way should this short article be considered as speaking for the religion itself. But it may be read as the insights of one into a religion he has taken to heart.
In the words of Aleister Crowley (pronounced Crow-lee, not Crau- lee), the "founder of Thelema, ".. . our system is a religion just so far as a religion means an enthusiastic putting-together of a series of doctrines, no one of which must in any way clash with Science or
Magick." Yet he continues with, "Call it a new religion, then, if it so please your Gracious Majesty; but I confess that I fail to see what you will have gained by so doing, and I feel bound to add that you might easily cause a great deal of misunderstanding, and work a
rather stupid kind of mischief." (Magick Without Tears, New Falcon Publications.)
Thelema is an extremely individualistic religion yet its members are often in accord through common practices and literature. One such piece of literature is considered the foundation of Thelema. This is The Book of the Law. This book (sometimes referred to as Liber AL or Liber Legis or Liber CCXX, etc.) is many things to many people, but its acceptance as a guide for life is often considered a requirement for being a Thelemite. The Book of the Law, along with other books classified as "Class A", is a Holy Book and is treated as such in the ceremonies of the organizations based on Thelema. To those interested, it should be studied (perhaps memorized) but definitely not taken at face value. Its study is very much an exercise in allegory, symbol, and qabalistic manipulations. This seems, perhaps,
true also for the Holy Books of other religions as The Ineffable, if not experienced directly, must be clothed in symbol.
The Book of the Law posits three main gods: Nuit -- the Universe itself; Hadit -- the spark of life and Self within us; and Ra- Hoor-Khuit -- the child of the conjoining of Nuit and Hadit and the Lord of the present Aeon. The Book of the Law itself is divided into
three chapters attributed to each in turn. As to the "aeons", it is common in Thelemic society to consider the history of mankind as summarizable into periods of a dominating magickal formula or word. Sometimes a time frame of two thousand years is allotted for each
Aeon, but this is often debated. Grossly generalized, the early history of man was matriarchal and representable by the Egyptian Goddess Isis. Next came a patriarchal rule symbolized by Osiris. And the present age, still in its beginnings, is represented by the child
and god, Horus.
The main doctrines from Liber AL are perhaps the most familiar to those who have met a few Thelemites and are summed up in two classic quotations, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law" and "Love is the law, love under will." It is far beyond the scope of
this article to analyze these quotations, but it may be useful to point out that as modes of greeting and departing they are often shortened to "93". This is due to the enumeration of the Greek words "Thelema" and "Agape" which mean Will and Love. In short, "Do what
thou wilt" describes the aspiration of the Thelemite to complete the Great Work. This is our goal as human beings and the purpose of our existence. Not much more can be said on this point, for the Great Work is the most private affair imaginable. It involves the essence
of one as Self.
Love is the law, love under will.
(by Jeff Hardee (Frater Superior Officer))
Keywords: love spell wiccan rituals parapsicologia into future pagan religion magical herbs diverse practices chaos fire natural magic wiccan traditions
