Thelema: A Primer

[Evster2012]

We know Jimmy practiced this philosophy. He's said as much on many occasions.

So, for the "Newbs" who wonder about the mystery of Page:

Thelema (”THEL-ay-mah”) is a Greek word meaning “will” or “intention”. It is also the name of a new spiritual philosophy which has arisen over the past several hundred years and is now gradually becoming established worldwide.

One of the earliest mentions of this philosophy occurs in the classic Gargantua and Pantagruel written by Francois Rabelais in 1532. One episode of this epic adventure tells of the founding of an “Abbey of Thelema” as an institution for the cultivation of human virtues, which Rabelais identified as being squarely opposite the prevailing Christian proprieties of the time. The sole rule of the Abbey of Thelema was: “Do what thou wilt”. This has become one of the basic tenets of Thelemic philosophy today.

Although touched upon by various prominent visionary thinkers in the following few hundred years, the seeds of Thelema sown by Rabelais eventually came to fruition in the early part of this century when developed by an Englishman named Aleister Crowley. Crowley was a poet, author, mountaineer, magician, and member of the occult society known as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. In 1904, while travelling in Egypt with his wife Rose, Crowley became inextricably involved in a series of events which he claimed to inaugurate a new aeon of human evolution. These culminated in April when Crowley entered a state of trance and wrote down the three chapters of 220 verses which came to be called The Book of the Law (also known as Liber AL and Liber Legis). Among other things, this book declared: “The word of the law is Thelema” and “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law”.

Crowley spent the rest of his life developing the philosophy of Thelema as revealed by the Book of the Law. The result was a voluminous output of commentary and works relating to magick, mysticism, yoga, qabalah, and other occult subjects. Virtually all of this writing bears the influence of Thelema as interpreted and understood by Crowley in his capacity as prophet of the New Aeon.

One theory holds that each chapter of the Book of the Law is associated with a particular aeon of human spiritual evolution. According to this view, Chapter One characterizes the Aeon of Isis, when the archetype of female divinity was paramount. Chapter Two relates to the Aeon of Osiris, when the archetype of the slain god became prominent, and the world’s patriarchal religions became established. Chapter Three heralds the dawning of a new aeon, the Aeon of Horus, the child of the Isis and Osiris. It is in this new aeon that the philosophy of Thelema will be fully revealed to humanity, and will become established as the primary paradigm for the spiritual evolution of the species.

Some of the essential elements of belief in Thelema are:

“Every man and every woman is a star.”

This is usually taken to mean that each individual is unique and has their own path in a spacious universe wherein they can move freely without collision.

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.” and “thou hast no right but to do thy will.”

Most Thelemites hold that every person possesses a True Will, a single overall motivation for their existence. The Law of Thelema mandates that each person follow their True Will to attain fulfillment in life and freedom from restriction of their nature. Because no two True Wills can be in real conflict (according to “Every man and every woman is a star”), this Law also prohibits one from interfering with the True Will of any other person. The notion of absolute freedom for an individual to follow his or her True Will is a cherished one among Thelemites. This philosophy also recognizes that the main task of an individual setting out on the path of Thelema is to first discover his or her True Will, giving methods of self-exploration such as magick great importance. Furthermore, every True Will is different, and because each person has a unique point-of-view of the universe, no one can determine the True Will for another person. Each person must arrive at the discovery for themselves.

“Love is the law, love under will.”

This is an important corollary to the above, indicating that the essential nature of the Law of Thelema is that of Love. Each individual unites with his or her True Self in Love, and so empowered, the entire universe of conscious beings unites with every other being in Love.

Of course, with the emphasis on freedom and individuality inherent in Thelema, the beliefs of any given Thelemite are likely to differ from those of any other. In the Comment appended to The Book of the Law it is stated that: “All questions of the Law are to be decided only by appeal to my writings, each for himself.” Although Thelema is sometimes referred to as a “religion”, it accommodates the full range of individual beliefs, from atheism to polytheism. The important thing is that each person has the right to fulfill themselves through whatever beliefs and actions are best suited to them (so long as they do not interfere with the will of others), and only they themselves are qualified to determine what these are.

(cont'd)

[Evster2012]

Many Thelemites are also practitioners of magick, which was defined by Aleister Crowley as "the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will". By this definition, magick is especially appropriate for Thelemites, given the emphasis of Thelema upon the individual discovery and following of the True Will. Spelling the word with a "k" at the end serves to distinguish the spiritual discipline of magick from sleight-of-hand tricks and stage magic. It is pronounced "Mage-ick".

A practitioner of magick performs rituals, either alone or as part of a group, designed to accomplish a given purpose. A ritual is a pre-determined series of actions which might include gestures, chants, recitation of invocatory lines, visualizations, meditation, etc. Rituals are most often performed in a designated setting, which may be a sacred grove or other outdoor location, or an indoor space equipped as a temple. Candles, incense, and magical implements such as the wand, cup, dagger, and pantacle may be used, according to the requirements of the particular ritual. All of these elements combine to imprint the desired change in the consciousness of the magician.

For the definitive explanation of magick, refer to Aleister Crowley’s Introduction to Magick. Crowley wrote and published a great deal about Magick, including many rituals, and much of it is in this indispensible book.

There's a start. There's much more to be studied.

[BUCK'EYE' DOC]

We know Jimmy practiced this philosophy. He's said as much on many occasions.

So, for the "Newbs" who wonder about the mystery of Page:

Thelema (”THEL-ay-mah”) is a Greek word meaning “will” or “intention”. It is also the name of a new spiritual philosophy which has arisen over the past several hundred years and is now gradually becoming established worldwide.

One of the earliest mentions of this philosophy occurs in the classic Gargantua and Pantagruel written by Francois Rabelais in 1532. One episode of this epic adventure tells of the founding of an “Abbey of Thelema” as an institution for the cultivation of human virtues, which Rabelais identified as being squarely opposite the prevailing Christian proprieties of the time. The sole rule of the Abbey of Thelema was: “Do what thou wilt”. This has become one of the basic tenets of Thelemic philosophy today.

Although touched upon by various prominent visionary thinkers in the following few hundred years, the seeds of Thelema sown by Rabelais eventually came to fruition in the early part of this century when developed by an Englishman named Aleister Crowley. Crowley was a poet, author, mountaineer, magician, and member of the occult society known as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. In 1904, while travelling in Egypt with his wife Rose, Crowley became inextricably involved in a series of events which he claimed to inaugurate a new aeon of human evolution. These culminated in April when Crowley entered a state of trance and wrote down the three chapters of 220 verses which came to be called The Book of the Law (also known as Liber AL and Liber Legis). Among other things, this book declared: “The word of the law is Thelema” and “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law”.

Crowley spent the rest of his life developing the philosophy of Thelema as revealed by the Book of the Law. The result was a voluminous output of commentary and works relating to magick, mysticism, yoga, qabalah, and other occult subjects. Virtually all of this writing bears the influence of Thelema as interpreted and understood by Crowley in his capacity as prophet of the New Aeon.

One theory holds that each chapter of the Book of the Law is associated with a particular aeon of human spiritual evolution. According to this view, Chapter One characterizes the Aeon of Isis, when the archetype of female divinity was paramount. Chapter Two relates to the Aeon of Osiris, when the archetype of the slain god became prominent, and the world’s patriarchal religions became established. Chapter Three heralds the dawning of a new aeon, the Aeon of Horus, the child of the Isis and Osiris. It is in this new aeon that the philosophy of Thelema will be fully revealed to humanity, and will become established as the primary paradigm for the spiritual evolution of the species.

Some of the essential elements of belief in Thelema are:

“Every man and every woman is a star.”

This is usually taken to mean that each individual is unique and has their own path in a spacious universe wherein they can move freely without collision.

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.” and “thou hast no right but to do thy will.”

Most Thelemites hold that every person possesses a True Will, a single overall motivation for their existence. The Law of Thelema mandates that each person follow their True Will to attain fulfillment in life and freedom from restriction of their nature. Because no two True Wills can be in real conflict (according to “Every man and every woman is a star”), this Law also prohibits one from interfering with the True Will of any other person. The notion of absolute freedom for an individual to follow his or her True Will is a cherished one among Thelemites. This philosophy also recognizes that the main task of an individual setting out on the path of Thelema is to first discover his or her True Will, giving methods of self-exploration such as magick great importance. Furthermore, every True Will is different, and because each person has a unique point-of-view of the universe, no one can determine the True Will for another person. Each person must arrive at the discovery for themselves.

“Love is the law, love under will.”

This is an important corollary to the above, indicating that the essential nature of the Law of Thelema is that of Love. Each individual unites with his or her True Self in Love, and so empowered, the entire universe of conscious beings unites with every other being in Love.

Of course, with the emphasis on freedom and individuality inherent in Thelema, the beliefs of any given Thelemite are likely to differ from those of any other. In the Comment appended to The Book of the Law it is stated that: “All questions of the Law are to be decided only by appeal to my writings, each for himself.” Although Thelema is sometimes referred to as a “religion”, it accommodates the full range of individual beliefs, from atheism to polytheism. The important thing is that each person has the right to fulfill themselves through whatever beliefs and actions are best suited to them (so long as they do not interfere with the will of others), and only they themselves are qualified to determine what these are.

(cont'd)

This philosphy strikes me as very 60's "Me Generation", the root source of today's "relativism", part of what some consider to be wrong with our society today.

Where is the altruism, the benefit to society, the betterment of the world?

Just adding to the discussion. No opinion, no criticism, just making an observation.

Edited to say: I think that the 70's were the "Me" generation, not the 60's?

Edited again to say: Thanks Evster for the interesting topics and for your immense knowledge on all things "Zepp". Welcome back. You have been missed!

[Evster2012]

Thanks for the warm welcome back!

I believe I stated elsewhere (not necessarily in this thread, or even on this forum, ) that this was indeed something that was in vogue in the late 60s early 70s. Crowley on Sgt Pepper's cover, etc.

And no, I don't see the altruism in it either. I am not a Thelemite myself. I am in fact an agnostic (by the following definition: a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality (as God) is unknown and probably unknowable). I just read a lot, especially when it comes to figuring out the enigmatic Mr. Page.

[FireOpal]

Very nice to see you round these parts again, Evster

I'm not a defender of Thelema - in fact I don't know feck all about it, except for reading a book by Israel Regardie a few years back - but according to Wiki re the selfishness charge:

"Despite the frequent assumption that "Do what thou Wilt" is solely an exhortation to hedonism or licentiousness, Thelema as it was formulated by Crowley is a path of spiritual development based on seeking and putting into practice one's True Will, or destiny, the soul's Will rather than the ego's desires."

Ahem. Back to your regularly scheduled programming...

[Evster2012]

Hi Fire Opal!

Yeah, the whole "Do what thou wilt" thing gets misconstrued. People interpret as saying "Do whatever you want", and subsequently, "Screw the rest". A better way of saying it would be "Manifest your true destiny with all of your will".

or in the words of the U.S Army: Be all that you can be.

[BIGDAN]

Hi Fire Opal!

Yeah, the whole "Do what thou wilt" thing gets misconstrued. People interpret as saying "Do whatever you want", and subsequently, "Screw the rest". A better way of saying it would be "Manifest your true destiny with all of your will".

or in the words of the U.S Army: Be all that you can be.

Hi Ev,

Or maybe "Do what thou wilt, but hurt none" or "Do what thou wilt, but hurt no one"

Regards, Danny

PS, not sure if I heard that before or it came from me, any ideas?

[Evster2012]

Hi Ev,

Or maybe "Do what thou wilt, but hurt none" or "Do what thou wilt, but hurt no one"

Regards, Danny

PS, not sure if I heard that before or it came from me, any ideas?

Not sure myself Danny. It's been a long time!

[el mago]

do what thou WILT shall be the whole of the LAW.

LOVE is the LAW, love under WILL.

in less words:

LOVE what thou WILT

[Evster2012]

do what thou WILT shall be the whole of the LAW.

LOVE is the LAW, love under WILL.

in less words:

LOVE what thou WILT

It still begs the question of interpretation:

Love whatever you wish

or

Love what your true will's path is

The answer is the latter, in my opinion. Some might quote Crowley's promotion of indulgence to mean otherwise, but again, like Tantric sex, it's a method of elevating yourself to a higher state of being. It doesn't mean kill a puppy because it makes you feel empowered.

Again, just my opinion.

[Moonmaid]

Hi Ev,

Or maybe "Do what thou wilt, but hurt none" or "Do what thou wilt, but hurt no one"

Regards, Danny

PS, not sure if I heard that before or it came from me, any ideas?

The Gardnerian Wicca creed is:

An' it harm none, so mote it be.

Perhaps that's what you're thinking...?

[BUCK'EYE' DOC]

Part of the Hippocratic Oath that every physician takes is:

"I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and judgement and never do harm to anyone."

This is commonly translated as "first, do no harm".

[Evster2012]

No, that would be the 1980s.

It was about greed and arrogance.

http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade80.html

The 70s were referred to by Al Franken on SNL as the "Me decade" during the 70s. Yeah, that's the same Al Franken running in Minnesota. On SNL in 1978, he repeatedly referred to the 70s as the "Al Franken decade", and the "Me" decade. "Me, Al Franken" was his catch phrase.

That's not to say it didn't continue into the 80s. Believe me, I was there!

[Evster2012]

The Gardnerian Wicca creed is:

An' it harm none, so mote it be.

Perhaps that's what you're thinking...?

Danny just needs to read The Book of the Law, and see what Crowley was reaching for, and draw his own conclusions. He wasn't drawing down the moon, though the spirits of the five directions were... Anyway, Scott Cunningham, or the Goat Foot God it ain't!

Blessed be!

[Evster2012]

No, that would be the 1980s.

It was about greed and arrogance.

Oh and one more thing my friend. Find me the decade that wasn't, and I'll meet you there.

[Cecil.]

Evster,

Your point about this subject is? Define your terms.

[glicine]

Evster,

Your point about this subject is? Define your terms.

Errrr, I'm not answering this for Ev, just my own opinion.

There are a lot of speculations and misunderstandings about Jimmy's interest in occult, Jimmy's symbol, the differences between Thelema and Satanism etc etc. The questions are repeated many times and will probably come up again when some newbies come on the board. So I think it's ok to have a thread like this, to get the things a bit clearer.

[ninelives]

Errrr, I'm not answering this for Ev, just my own opinion.

There are a lot of speculations and misunderstandings about Jimmy's interest in occult, Jimmy's symbol, the differences between Thelema and Satanism etc etc. The questions are repeated many times and will probably come up again when some newbies come on the board. So I think it's ok to have a thread like this, to get the things a bit clearer.

Agreed - I think it's great Ev posted all that for people to get a better understanding of things - like having a reference page here and when people do post queries on the subject, it's easily answered pointing them here.

[BIGDAN]

The Gardnerian Wicca creed is:

An' it harm none, so mote it be.

Perhaps that's what you're thinking...?

Hi Moonmaid, could be your right, I know i heard it somewhere, or its my interpretation of what someone else wrote.

Kind Reagrds ,Danny

[BIGDAN]

Danny just needs to read The Book of the Law, and see what Crowley was reaching for, and draw his own conclusions. He wasn't drawing down the moon, though the spirits of the five directions were... Anyway, Scott Cunningham, or the Goat Foot God it ain't!

Blessed be!

Thank Ev, i'm on too it.

Regards, Danny

[Evster2012]

Errrr, I'm not answering this for Ev, just my own opinion.

There are a lot of speculations and misunderstandings about Jimmy's interest in occult, Jimmy's symbol, the differences between Thelema and Satanism etc etc. The questions are repeated many times and will probably come up again when some newbies come on the board. So I think it's ok to have a thread like this, to get the things a bit clearer.

Precisely and thank you. That was exactly my intention.

[glicine]

*bump*

[Evster2012]

Evster,

Your point about this subject is? Define your terms.

Very simple Cecil. Many people here inquire about Page and Crowley. My wish is/was to post the basics about Crowley's philosophy for the layman to get a better understanding and also to dispel the many misconceptions about it.

[FireOpal]

Danny just needs to read The Book of the Law, and see what Crowley was reaching for, and draw his own conclusions. He wasn't drawing down the moon, though the spirits of the five directions were... Anyway, Scott Cunningham, or the Goat Foot God it ain't! Blessed be!

Ah, so the Thelemites believe in the five directions? Interesting. I thought that was mainly an old (and I mean olde) Irish thing. Explanation here: http://www.indigogroup.co.uk/edge/5dirns.htm

Hell, I'll just snip the relevant bit: "In essence, it requires us to think of five directions. Modern western thinking counts four cardinal points (north, south, east and west) but the Irish, along with several other traditional Indo-European cultures and the Chinese, think of five directions - the fifth being ‘here’ or ‘centre’."

Someone said that during Jimmy's solo section in concert, when the green laser pyramid comes down, that Jimmy is invoking or hailing the [however many] directions. You know, when he takes his bow and does a "casting" gesture hither and thither.

[Evster2012]

Someone said that during Jimmy's solo section in concert, when the green laser pyramid comes down, that Jimmy is invoking or hailing the [however many] directions. You know, when he takes his bow and does a "casting" gesture hither and thither.

That was me.

I've watched several of his bow solos on dvd, and am fairly convinced he incorporates it into the performance.

A banishing is generally performed before the beginning of a magical ritual. Its purpose is to cleanse the area for the ritual—whether it be a room or a magick circle—all those elements that might interfere with the magical operation. Banishing consists of removing all objects from a place of working in order to put into that reserved space those objects which are pertinent to the operation.

In elaborate ceremonies, the Magician may choose to banish all the elements (Air, Earth, Fire, Water, & Spirit), the planets, the signs of the zodiac, spirits, godforms, and even the ten Sephiroth. Even the force to be invoked is banished. As Crowley says, "for that force as existing in Nature is always impure."

Banishing rituals may also be performed for their own sake. This can be done for several reasons—to cleanse a room or home, to eliminate negative or unwanted energy, or to simply calm and balance the mind. Many magicians practice banishing rituals daily.

Face the East and trace the banishing Earth pentagram while reciting: For pure will, unassuaged of purpose and delivered from the lust of result is every way perfect. Charge the pentagram with the godname Therion. Repeat in each quarter with the following god names: North is Nuit, West is Babalon and South is Hadit.

Visualize the Unicursal Hexagram in your Heart and above and below you, reinforcing your sphere of influence and recite: Remember all ye that existence is pure joy, all the sorrows are but as shadows, they pass and are done, there is that which remains. Beauty and strength, leaping laughter and delicious languor, force and fire are of Us. Vibrate: ARARITA,THELEMA, ABRAHADABRA.