93! Thelema 101: Part 1

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.

Hi there! Well first off before we get into anything about Thelema, I'd like to introduce myself. I'm Tini, a creepy girl from New Zealand who is here to spread the word of the Law, give you a few pointers on Tarot, and open your mind to Ceremonial Magick and a dash of occult knowledge here and there.

Lets get started shall we?

I will spread this introduction into a couple posts so you don't have a hard time trying to stay focused!

What is Thelema?

Thelema was founded in 1904 by Aleister Crowley, who is considered my many people the prophet of the religion. Even before this, Aleister was known for his skills as a mage and he was initiated to the hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. In addition to Western magico-mystical and ceremonial magick, Aleister familiarised himself with many Eastern esoteric systems during his many journeys. The magickal systems he studied, influenced his world view and through him, Thelema. 

and here we have a picture of Aleister looking dapper, as always. 

Thelema is a religion/life philosophy based on "the holy books of Thelema", the most important one being Liber AL vel Legis, sub figure CCXX, which is most commonly known as The Book of the Law. 

If Thelema was to be put into 3 sentences then these would be it

"Every man and every woman is a star"
This refers to that every human being is an individual and that each individual has their own path to follow in the universe. Each individual follows his/her own path freely without tampering with other human being's paths. 

"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law" and "thou hast no right but to do thy will"
According to most Thelemites, every human being has his/her own True Will, which is the purpose of their being. The Law defines that everyone should first find and then follow their own True Will in order to find the fulfilment of their own life without any restraints. 
Because two different True Wills can't be contrary to each others ("Every man and every woman is a star"), the law forbids individuals to meddle in the true will of any other individual. 

"Love is the law, love under will"
This is closely connected to the previous sentence, pointing out that the innermost basis of the Law of Thelema is love.

I recommend reading these books if you are truly interested. Most can be found online for free!

Aleister Crowley:

• Liber AL vel Legis, sub figure CCXX (The Book of the Law)
• Liber Aleph vel CXI: The Book of Wisdom and Folly
• Magick in Theory and Practice
• Magick Without tears
• Moonchild 
• The Book of Lies

Hymenaeus Alpha: 

• The Holy Books of Thelema

I hope this was a good enough introduction to Thelema for you all. If you have any further questions then you can find me through the Pagan Swamp Family Page!

93
love is the law. Love under will