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INTRODUCTION TO THELEMA
The religion known as Thelema was founded in 1904 by the English
poet
and mystic Aleister Crowley (1875 - 1947), who is regarded as its
prophet. Those who follow the path of Thelema are called
Thelemites.
Thelemic Religious Texts
The book The Holy Books of Thelema (reference 8, below), includes
most
of the books which Thelemites consider to be Crowley's
"inspired"
texts, and which form the canon of Thelemic Holy Scripture. The
chief
of these is Liber AL vel Legis, sub figura CCXX, commonly called
The
Book of the Law. The contents of this book are rather cryptic,
and
Crowley has prepared a number of commentaries thereto for
clarification (most of these are included in reference 3, below).
Thelemites are expected to interpret the book for themselves,
based on
Crowley's commentaries and other writings; but are enjoined from
promoting their personal interpretations to others. Another book
which
forms an important part of the Thelemic canon, but which is not
included in The Holy Books of Thelema for technical reasons, is
Liber
XXX Aerum vel Saeculi, sub figura CDXVIII, commonly called The
Vision
and the Voice (included in reference 11 below). The I Ching and
the
Tarot (considered as a book of mystic illustrations rather than
as a
fortune-telling device), though of Pre-Thelemic origin, are also
considered to be part of the informal Thelemic canon.
Theology and Essential Tenets of Thelema
The following notes on Thelemic theology are based primarily on
the
writings of Aleister Crowley. These notes are not intended as
interpretation or commentary on The Book of the Law outside the
bounds of the Prophet's writings, nor do they represent a
definitive statement of Thelemic belief.
The theology of Thelema postulates all manifested existence
arising
from the interaction of two cosmic principles: the infinitely
extended, all-pervading Space-Time Continuum; and the atomic,
individually expressed Principle of Life and Wisdom. The
interplay of
these Principles gives rise to the Principle of Consciousness
which
governs existence. In the Book of the Law, the divine Principles
are
personified by a trinity of ancient Egyptian Divinities: Nuit,
the
Goddess of Infinite Space; Hadit, the Winged Serpent of Light;
and
Ra-Hoor-Khuit (Horus), the Solar, Hawk-Headed Lord of the Cosmos.
The Thelemic theological system utilizes the divinities of
various
cultures and religions as personifications of specific divine,
archetypal and cosmic forces. Thelemic doctrine holds that all
the
diverse religions of Humanity are grounded in universal truths;
and
the study of comparative religion is an important discipline for
many
Thelemites.
With respect to concepts of the individual soul, Thelema follows
traditional Hermeticism in the doctrine that each person
possesses a
soul or "Body of Light" which is arranged in
"layers" or "sheaths"
surrounding the physical body. Each individual is also considered
to
have his or her own personal "Augoeides" or "Holy
Guardian Angel";
which can be considered both as the "higher self" and
as a separate,
sentient, divine being. With respect to concepts of the
afterlife,
life itself is considered as a continuum, with death an integral
part
of the whole. Mortal life dies in order that mortal life may
continue.
The Augoeides, however, is immortal and not subject to life or
death.
Parallel to Buddhist doctrine, the Body of Light is considered to
be
subject to metempsychosis, or reincarnation, after the death of
the
body. The Body of Light is generally considered to evolve in
wisdom,
consciousness and spiritual power through cycles of
metempsychosis for
those individuals who dedicate their lives to spiritual
advancement;
to the point that its fate after death may ultimately be
determined by
the Will of the individual.
Thelema incorporates the idea of the cyclic evolution of Cultural
Consciousness as well as of Personal Consciousness. History is
considered to be divided into a series of "Aeons", each
with its own
dominant concept of divinity and its own "formula" of
redemption and
advancement. The current Aeon is termed the Aeon of Horus. The
previous Aeon was that of Osiris, and previous to that was the
Aeon of
Isis. The neolithic Aeon of Isis is considered to have been
dominated
by the Maternal idea of divinity, and its formula involved
devotion to
Mother Earth in return for the nourishment and shelter She
provided.
The Classical/Medieval Aeon of Osiris is considered to have been
dominated by the Paternal Principle, and its formula was that of
self-sacrifice and submission to the Father God. The modern Aeon
of
Horus is considered to be dominated by the Principle of the
Child, the
sovereign individual; and its formula is that of growth, in
consciousness and love, toward self-realization.
According to Thelemic doctrine, the expression of Divine Law in
the
Aeon of Horus is "Do what thou wilt". This "Law of
Thelema", as it is
called, is not to be interpreted as a license to indulge every
passing
whim, but rather as the divine mandate to discover one's True
Will or
true purpose in life, and to accomplish it; leaving others to do
the
same in their own unique ways. The "acceptance" of the
Law of Thelema
is what defines a Thelemite; and the discovery and accomplishment
of
the True Will is the fundamental concern of all Thelemites.
Achieving
the "Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian
Angel" is
considered an integral part of this process. The methods and
practices
to be employed in this process are numerous and varied; and are
grouped together under the generalized term "Magick".
Not every Thelemite utilizes all the practices available, there
is
considerable room for each individual practitioner to choose
practices
which are suitable to his or her individual needs. Some of these
practices are the same as, or similar to, the practices advocated
by
many of the great religions of the past and present; such as
prayer,
meditation, study of religious texts (those of Thelema and of
other
religions as well), chanting, symbolic and initiatory ritual,
devotional exercises, self-discipline, etc. However, some of our
practices have been traditionally associated with what has
generally
been known as "occultism"; i.e., astrology, divination,
numerology,
yoga, tantric alchemy, and discourse with "angels" or
"spirits" are
all taken by Thelemites as potentially effective means for
obtaining
spiritual insights into the nature of one's being and one's place
in
the universe; and for the fulfillment of such insights through
harmonious, evolutionary works.
Thelema considers any action which is not directed toward the
discovery and accomplishment of the True Will to be "black
magic".
This includes acts of interference with any other individual's
lawful
exercise of their right to discover and accomplish their own True
Will. Thelemic doctrine holds that the disharmony and imbalance
created by such actions results in a compensatory, equilibrating
response from the universe; a doctrine similar to that of the
Eastern
conception of "Karma". Thelema has no direct parallel
to the
Judaeo-Christian concept of the devil or Satan; however, a
pseudo-personification of confusion, distraction, illusion and
egotistical ignorance is referred to by the name
"Choronzon".
The Thelemic Calendar
The Thelemic calendar counts years from 1904 e.v. (the year Liber
AL
was received). Each year starts on March 20th of the civil
calendar,
at (approximately) the northern-hemisphere Vernal Equinox.
Rather than simply giving the year count from 1904, the Thelemic
calendar uses a two-tiered system. The "upper" level
gives a count of
twenty-two year periods since 1904; the "lower" level
gives the years
since the start of the current twenty-two year period. Both are
zero-based, with nonzero numbers being represented as upper and
lower
case Roman numerals, respectively. So, for example, the civil
year
1996 is (after March 20) Thelemic year IViv (because 1904 + (4 *
22) +
4 equals 1996).
Some Thelemites assign the twenty-two years of each cycle to the
twenty-two trumps of the Tarot, and also to the 22-year period
numbers
themselves. Hence, 1996 is doubly linked to Trump IV of the
Tarot, the
Emperor.
Within each year, dates and times are often expressed by the
positions
of Sun and Moon in the Tropical zodiac. For example, May 12, 1996
e.v.
at 6pm PST would be expressed as "IViv, Sol 22* Taurus, Luna
29*
Pisces." This specifies the precise date and time to within
about two
hours.
When giving dates in the civil calendar, Thelemites will often
append
"e.v." This is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase
"era vulgaris," or
"common era."
THELEMIC OBSERVED HOLY DAYS
The official holy days of Thelema are set forth in The Book of
the
Law, Ch. II, v. 36-41. The specific dates attributed to them are
given in Crowley's commentaries, and are summarized below:
* The Rituals of the Elements and Feasts of the Times are
observed
at the Equinoxes and Solstices.
* The Feast for the First Night of the Prophet and His Bride is
observed on August 12.
* The Feast for the Three Days of the Writing of the Book of the
Law
is observed on April 8, 9 and 10, beginning at noon on each day.
* The Feast for the Supreme Ritual (the Invocation of Horus) is
observed on March 20, and represents the opening of the Thelemic
new year.
* The Feast for the Equinox of the Gods is held on the Vernal
Equinox of each year to commemorate the founding of Thelema in
1904.
Three points of passage in the life of each Thelemite are
observed.
Birth is celebrated in a Feast for Life; puberty is celebrated in
a
Feast for Fire (for a boy), or a Feast for Water (for a girl);
and
the death of the individual is commemorated in a Greater Feast
for
Death.
Various anniversaries commemorating major events and figures in
the
history of Thelema and O.T.O. are also celebrated informally by
some
Thelemic groups.
Characteristic Customs
Nearly all Thelemites keep a record of their personal practices,
and
their progress therein, in a "Magical Diary". Most
Thelemites also
practice a particular form of prayer four times per day, which is
specified in a book called Liber Resh vel Helios (included in
reference 11, below). Thelemites often take mystic names or
"magical
mottoes" for themselves as a sign of commitment; and
customarily greet
each other with the phrase, "Do what thou wilt shall be the
whole of
the Law"; to which the customary response is, "Love is
the law, love
under will". Sometimes these phrases are abbreviated by the
simple
statement of the number "ninety-three", which number
signifies both
"Will" and "Love" through a particular form
of numerology of
significance within Thelema.
_________________________________________________________________
Bibliography
1. Crowley, Aleister; Eight Lectures on Yoga [1939], New Falcon
Publications, Scottsdale, Arizona 1991
2. Crowley, Aleister; The Heart of the Master [1938], New Falcon
Publications, Scottsdale, Arizona 1992
3. Crowley, Aleister, edited by Israel Regardie; The Law is for
All,
Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, Minnesota 1975
4. Crowley, Aleister; Liber Aleph vel CXI: The Book of Wisdom or
Folly
[1962], Samuel Weiser, York Beach, Maine, 1991
5. Crowley, Aleister; Little Essays Toward Truth [1938], New
Falcon
Publications, Scottsdale, Arizona 1991
6. Crowley, Aleister; Magick in Theory and Practice [1929], in
Magick:
Book IV, Parts I-IV, edited, annotated and introduced by
Hymenaeus
Beta, Samuel Weiser, York Beach, Maine 1994
7. Crowley, Aleister; Magick Without Tears [1954], Falcon Press,
Phoenix, Arizona 1982
8. Hymenaeus Alpha (ed.); The Holy Books of Thelema, Samuel
Weiser,
York Beach, Maine, 1983
9. Hymenaeus Beta (ed.); The Equinox, Vol. III, No. 10, Thelema
Publications, NY 1986
10. Melton, J. Gordon; Encyclopedia of American Religions, 4th
Edition, Gale Research Publishing, Detroit, Michigan 1993. O.T.O.
is
discussed specifically under entry no. 1310.
11. Regardie, Israel (ed.); Gems from the Equinox, Falcon Press,
Phoenix, Arizona 1982
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