Thelema is a Verb, Not a Noun

- June 11, 2019June 11, 20190

by Aion 131 The existential dilemma every follower of ‘Thelema’ must confront is that is is not nor can it ever be rooted in dogma because it is as relativistic as Truth, manifesting differently for and through each person in an utterly unique manner. How could it intrinsically ever be anything

The Imprimātur of A∴A∴

- March 18, 2019March 18, 20195

by Alan Willms Imprimātur is Latin for “let it be printed”. The term has been widely used by the Catholic Church in two senses: a) in old times, for authorizing the publication of a book, otherwise to be censored; b) in modern times, as an endorsement of the contents of a book, stating they

Satariel’s Shroud: Sex, Power and Ethics in Contemporary Thelema

- March 5, 2019March 4, 20197

By Shin Melitodes Dion Fortune (1890-1946) is a rather out-of-fashion occultist; she is rarely considered transgressive or florid enough to merit research in today’s edge-obsessed occult milieu. At one of the first academic conferences I ever attended I asked a fellow scholar what she thought of Fortune’s work. The scholar sneered, and said she had no

Charity in Thelema: Contributing to the Greater Community

- March 4, 2019March 1, 20192

by IAO131 Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Prologue Before even beginning to discuss the extent that contributing to the greater community is part of Thelema, it should be acknowledged that the “alpha and omega” of Thelema is Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the

Thelema in Innocence, Honor and Power Cultures

- February 27, 2019February 24, 20191

by Harmony Pax Societies around the world are made up of mixes of innocence-guilt, honor-shame, and power-fear cultures. These define average people’s worldviews and how they respond to different situations. They also define different possible approaches to Thelemic spirituality and philosophy. Innocence-guilt cultures are individualistic societies, such as liberal areas in the US and other

The Bonfire of the Thelemites: A Perspective on Duplexity

- February 25, 2019February 25, 20197

By Shin Melitodes [For the sake of full disclosure I would like to explain that I did my MA with Keith at the University of Amsterdam. I had some limited friendly interaction with him, and although we were not particular friends, I have no personal grudge against him, nor could

Aleister Crowley’s a Leftist? Politics straight from the Beast

- February 19, 2019February 19, 20196

by Frater Oz After the accusation that people like me "persistently interpret his (Crowley's) words to mean the opposite of what he says," I wanted to NOT re-write some things and put that accusation into perspective for the "Stamp and Trample" crowd, who seem to me to try do the very thing I

Breaking the Binary in the New Aeon

- February 12, 2019February 12, 20192

by Sib. Ayin / R.A.D. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Was Aleister Crowley (Baphomet) non-binary in terms of gender identity? A few sources seem to suggest he did not identify exclusively as "male" (in this life, or previous ones) despite his biological sex. If so,

What is the Future of Thelema?

- February 10, 2019February 10, 20194

by Soror صقر Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. For a movement born in 1904, one might think we'd have grown a bit larger by now... Yes, we have Organizations. There are Festivals. There are very serious Conferences with lots of Powerpoints, which have citations and probably too much text in them. We've got fancy books that

Why Beauty is Essential to Magick and Life

- February 6, 2019February 6, 20190

By Frater Entelecheia One of the great advantages of religious ceremony is that it mixes both dogmatic and creative elements. The dogma comes from the script of the ritual, the authority behind it, and the sedimented tradition it represents. The creative dimension comes from whatever aesthetic touch is brought to the