2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 20072008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 20122013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2025
2012 December: 2012 September: 2012 August: 2012 July: 2012 June: 2012 May: 2012 April: 2012 February: 2012 January: 2011 December: 2011 November: 2011 October: 2011 September: 2011 August: 2011 July: 2011 June: 2011 May: 2011 April: 2011 March: 2011 February: 2011 January: 2010 December: 2010 November: 2010 October: 2010 September: 2010 August: 2010 July: 2010 June: 2010 May: 2010 April: 2010 March: 2010 February: 2010 January: 2009 December: 2009 November: 2009 October: 2009 September: 2009 August: 2009 July: 2009 June: 2009 May: 2009 April: 2009 March: 2009 February: 2009 January: 2008 December: 2008 November: 2008 October: 2008 September: 2008 August: 2008 July: 2008 June: 2008 May: 2008 April: 2008 March: 2008 February: 2008 January: 2007 December: 2007 November: 2007 October: 2007 September: 2007 August: 2007 July: 2007 June: 2007 May: 2007 April: 2007 March: 2007 February: 2007 January: 2006 December: 2006 November: 2006 October: 2006 September: 2006 August: 2006 July: 2006 June: 2006 May: 2006 April: 2006 March: 2006 February: 2006 January: 2005 December: 2005 November: 2005 October: 2005 September: 2005 August: 2005 July: 2005 June: 2005 May: 2005 April: 2005 March: 2005 February: 2005 January: 2004 December: 2004 November: 2004 October: 2004 September: 2004 July: 2004 May: 2004 April: 2004 February: 2004 January: 2003 December: 2003 November: 2003 October: 2003 September: 2003 August:
| |
| Posted On: | 2008-03-08 01:01:47 |
Thelema is a philosophy of life based on the rule or law, "Do what thou wilt." The ideal of "Do what thou wilt" and its association with the word Thelema goes back to François Rabelais, but was more fully developed[1] and proselytized[2] by Aleister Crowley,who founded a religion named Thelema based on this ideal. The word itself is the English transliteration of the Koine Greek noun θέλημα: "will", from the verb θέλω: to will, wish, purpose. Early Christian writings use the word to refer to the will of God,[3] the human will,[4] and even the will of God's opponent, the Devil.[5]
In the 16th century, François Rabelais used Thélème, the French form of the word, as the name of a fictional Abbey in his famous books, Gargantua and Pantagruel.[6][7] The only rule of this Abbey was "fay çe que vouldras" ("Fais ce que tu veux," or, "Do what thou wilt"). This rule was revived and used in the real world in the mid 18th century by Sir Francis Dashwood, who inscribed it on a doorway of his abbey at Medmenham,[8][9][10][11] where it served as the motto of The Hellfire Club.[8]
The same rule was used in 1904 by Aleister Crowley[11][12][13] in The Book of the Law. This book contains both the phrase "Do what thou wilt" and the word Thelema in Greek, which Crowley took for the name of the philosophical, mystical and religious system which he subsequently developed. This system includes ideas from occultism, Yoga, and both Eastern and Western mysticism (especially the Qabalah).[14]
Shri Gurudev Mahendranath, in speaking of svecchachara, the Sanskrit equivalent of the phrase "Do what thou wilt",[15][16][17] wrote that "Rabelais, Dashwood, and Crowley must share the honor of perpetuating what has been such a high ideal in most of Asia."[11]
Aleister Crowley's work
Aleister Crowley, scribe of Liber Legis
Aleister Crowley, scribe of Liber Legis
Aleister Crowley (1875–1947) was an English occultist, writer, and social provocateur. Rabelais was one of Crowley's heroes
 and his books Gargantua and Pantagruel may have provided Crowley with part of the philosophic basis for the Law of Thelema,[12]
 [11][13][1] namely the phrase "Do what thou wilt".
 In The Antecedents of Thelema, Crowley referred to Rabelais as "Our Master",
 and Rabelais was also included among the Saints of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica along with Virgil, Catullus and Swinburne.
In 1904, Crowley claimed to have received Liber AL vel Legis, the Book of the Law from an entity named Aiwass, which was to serve as the foundation of the religious and philosophical system he called Thelema.[7]
 Crowley summed up his Law of Thelema
 in these phrases from the Book:
* "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law"
* "Love is the law, love under will"
* "There is no Law beyond Do what thou wilt"
Magick
Main article: Magick
The magick of Thelema is a system of discipline for physical, mental, and spiritual training.
 Crowley defined magick as "the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will".
 He recommended magick as a means for discovering the True Will
 and wrote about what the Law of Thelema says about, for example, working with the astral plane.
 Crowley described the general process in Magick, Book 4:
One must find out for oneself, and make sure beyond doubt, 'who' one is, 'what' one is, 'why' one is...Being thus conscious of the proper course to pursue, the next thing is to understand the conditions necessary to following it out. After that, one must eliminate from oneself every element alien or hostile to success, and develop those parts of oneself which are specially needed to control the aforesaid conditions.
 Listening To: Aleyster Crowley
|
