by Sister Angelina P.
I for one believe that Thelema’s philosophy is the most intuitive and have had the good fortune of being able to live in accordance with its tenets for years. I tend to just assume that my life will be best served by a sort of holistic approach. I believe there are conditions, however, that must be followed to live a Thelemic life.
Anyone treading onto the same road as myself and finding themselves less than enamoured with their present path, should employ the following suggestions.
1. Do not expect too much from life.
I realised very early in my life that there was a certain freedom in not traditionally aspiring to achieve, and I think this might apply to other people too. We must be “delivered from the lust of result” in our lives.
Perhaps the saddest irony of all is that if we crave for empowerment as humans then we will more easily understand just how fragile our egos are, and we will also more readily recognise the freedom that comes from simple recognition of the true state of things. And when we spot evidence of the power of what we believe to be true, we will also be moved to apply this knowledge, perhaps for the first time, to our day to day worlds.
A kind of release into the flow of things, an acceptance of change, is necessary for Will to become true. If we have too many expectations, we will only meet with frustration on our Paths.
2. Do not constantly dwell on questions which you know the answers to… but constantly search for the unknown.
I feel this is one of the most important first steps in applying what has been explained in Thelemic philosophy. We spend too much time looking for answers to questions we already know the answers to: basic questions about how we should live our lives.
If I always have something fresh to think about or something I am unsure about, then I am constantly questioning myself. Instead of reading the same things over and over, I never lose the benefit of having an empowering and enlightened perspective granted from challenging myself with the new.
Just having an open mind and allowing my new insights to inform my understanding, rather than someone telling me what I already know, has been a remarkable blessing. At times the information I get is indeed fresh but may appear to be contradictory. We must learn to live in the contradictions of life to be truly free.
3. Do not be afraid to step outside the box.
This sounds rather obvious but in a world with so many sensationalized stories, hauntings, and mysteries, giving one’s mind the freedom to depart from the established and comforting climate of the ‘known’ can be a risky proposition.
The power of the unknown is awesome. Imagine the power of a new experience, something so unfamiliar that it penetrates to the depths of your soul and you find yourself opening your heart and mind in wonder or terror.
So may I also suggest that treading onto unknown territory can be a fulfilling endeavor provided we do so with intention and we dare to be the forerunners in a new world. We might read something by a new author, or plunge into a new field of study.
Until we become fully conscious (and therefore fully human), treading such territory will always be a humbling experience. You must be willing to excise those who would boss you around in the name of protecting yourself. Do not be afraid to turn the other cheek, embrace ruggedness, radical compassion for oneself, a truly empowering guide to life.
In the end, it is about how you will end up feeling once you are no longer in the established and familiar flow of things.
Anyone not willing to entertain new ideas will only find more things to criticize in people around them. So release yourself to the contradictions of life and let your Will flow free.
Sister Angelina P. is an individual practitioner who has studied Thelema, witchcraft, and many other traditions.
She studies the healing arts of reiki and integrates diverse ideas into a holistic practice
Enjoying the articles? Support the Thelemic Union and help us keep our site running, ad-free, and hacker-free by pledging $1+ on Patreon:
Thelemic Union is open to all articles that are relevant to Thelema in some way. Send your submissions to thelemic[dot]union[at]gmail[dot]com
I loved this. Sr Regina P has this soothing zen approach, and a clear insightfulness of such existential questions, that makes you feel better just by reading them.
*Angelina. Sorry.