INTRODUCTION TO THELEMA,
BY THE U.S. GRAND LODGE OF
THE ORDO TEMPLI ORIENTIS
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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.
The book The Holy Books of Thelema (8) 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 (3). 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 (11). 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.
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".
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The Thelemic calendar counts years from 1904 EV (the year Liber AL
was received). Each Thelemic 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. The 22-year period numbers themselves are also assigned in this way. 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 the Sun and
Moon in the Tropical zodiac. For example, May 12, 1996 EV 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); |
| 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.
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 Ref. (1)]. 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.
Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) is incorporated in the State of California as a
not-for-profit religious organization with tax exemption in California and the United
States under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. O.T.O. currently operates in
17 countries around the world and has approximately 3000 active members. Within the broad
context of Thelema, O.T.O. functions as a fraternal, initiatory, social, and educational
organization of a religious nature.
O.T.O. includes a specifically liturgical arm which is called Ecclesia Gnostica
Catholica (E.G.C.), the Gnostic Catholic Church,
which was originally brought into relations with O.T.O. by Dr. Gerard Encausse (Papus) in
1908. The principal ritual of E.G.C. is called the Gnostic Mass (6, 9 & 11). Membership
in E.G.C. is available through baptism and confirmation. Members of O.T.O. in good
standing are eligible for clerical ordination in E.G.C. Members of II° and higher (or
even I°, in some situations) are eligible for ordination as Deacon, and those who have
reached K.E.W. are eligible for ordination as Priest or Priestess. E.G.C. also celebrates
seasonal festivals, commemorations of life passage events and other religious functions.
Many O.T.O. local bodies celebrate the Gnostic Mass on a regular basis, and in most
locations, no formal affiliation is required to attend the Mass.
O.T.O. has long worked in close alliance with the A A, which first proclaimed the Law of Thelema to the world.
The AA is a
teaching and initiatory structure dedicated to the personal spiritual advancement of its
individual members. Within AA all services are rendered free of charge, and no social activities are
held. O.T.O. and AA
have jointly issued the journal The Equinox since 1912 e.v., now entering its
fourth volume. Although they are distinctly separate organizations, O.T.O. has
historically assisted AA
with practical matters that lie outside its primary mission, which is purely spiritual in
nature. Aspirants to the AA
may write to:
The Cancellarius of AA
c/o The Equinox
JAF Box 7666
New York, NY 10116
All material copyright 1996 by Ordo Templi Orientis and was taken from home
page http://otohq.org/oto/thelema.html
Used by permission.
An O.T.O. contact is: Craig
Berry (cberry@cinenet.net)
REFERENCES
| Crowley, Aleister; Eight Lectures on Yoga [1939], New Falcon
Publications, Scottsdale, Arizona 1991 |
| Crowley, Aleister; The Heart of the Master [1938], New Falcon
Publications, Scottsdale, Arizona 1992 |
| Crowley, Aleister, edited by Israel Regardie; The Law is for All,
Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, Minnesota 1975 |
| Crowley, Aleister; Liber Aleph vel CXI: The Book of Wisdom or Folly
[1962], Samuel Weiser, York Beach, Maine, 1991 |
| Crowley, Aleister; Little Essays Toward Truth [1938], New Falcon
Publications, Scottsdale, Arizona 1991 |
| 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 |
| Crowley, Aleister; Magick Without Tears [1954], Falcon Press, Phoenix,
Arizona 1982 |
| Hymenaeus Alpha (ed.); The Holy Books of Thelema, Samuel
Weiser, York
Beach, Maine, 1983 |
| Hymenaeus Beta (ed.); The Equinox, Vol. III, No. 10, Thelema
Publications, NY 1986 |
| 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. |
| Regardie, Israel (ed.); Gems from the Equinox, Falcon Press, Phoenix,
Arizona 1982 |
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