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Thelema
Individualist religious, philosophical, and magickal system developed by Aleister Crowley and first formulated in his Book of the Law in 1904. The term "thelema" in Greek means literally "will" or "intention," and the philosophical basis of this system is that one should live and act according to one's own "True Will" or nature, rather than the dictates of irrational, self-killing dogmas. Followers of Thelema are known as Thelemites. While Crowley claimed that the tenets of Thelema were dictated to him by a spirit entity known as Aiwass, he also used as a primary source the work Gargantua and Pantagruel, by Francois Rabelais. One episode of this work was centered around the Abbey of Thelema, a fictitious monastery whose members lived according to humanistic virtues of indulgence, self-actualization, and self-interest, as opposed to the Christian virtues of abstinence, humility, and sacrifice. Above the doors of the abbey were the words "Do What Thou Will." Although Rabelais wrote the work as a satire, he wove many real and serious philosophical and religious principles into it, including many basic tenets of both Gnosticism and Hermeticism, which Crowley also used as sources. Other sources upon which Crowley drew included kabbalah, yoga, Tantra, Tarot, astrology, numerology, the I-Ching, the Golden Dawn, Taoism, ceremonial magick, Vedic mysticism, and Egyptian religion and mythology. He also used Gnostic interpretations of the Bible, as well as symbolic images from the Book of Revelation. Because his philosophy was opposed to many tenets of orthodox Christianity, Crowley styled himself "Anti-Christ" and often referred to himself as "Beast 666." He also used the Whore of Babylon, mentioned in Revelation, as a symbol he called Babalon, representing humanity's true carnal nature. One should keep in mind, however, that Crowley's system is not in any way associated with worship of the Christian Devil, nor are the other religious and philosophical systems, mentioned later in this article, which Thelema influenced. Crowley had great respect for the basic teachings of Jesus, but felt they had been perverted by the Church. Also, while Thelema emphasizes egoism, or rational self-interest, it is opposed to egotism, which, together with other delusions, is symbolized by the term, "Choronzon," a Hebrew term meaning roughly "dispersion" or lack of self-control. When Crowley first developed his system of Thelema, he used both Rabelais's name for the philosophy and its central dictum, "Do What Thou Will," which he more properly expressed through the statement, "Do What Thou Will shall be the whole of the Law, for Love is the Law, Love under Will." In other words, individuals should live according to their True Will, which is their true motivation for existence, which is different and unique for each person. And they should do this through Love of their True Self, the Self which is not hidden by the masks most people choose to wear through life, and, by allowing others to live without interference according to their True Wills, become united with all other persons in Love. So long as they do not interfere with the True Will of others, they are free to pursue their own True Will according to whichever individual thoughts, beliefs, or actions they choose. Needless to say, Thelema is extremely gay-friendly. Crowley himself was bisexual, as was one of his disciples, rocket scientist Jack Parsons. Gay filmmmaker Kenneth Anger is also a Thelemite, and has used Crowleyan and Thelemic elements in many of his films, especially Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome and Lucifer Rising. Ordo Templi Orientis, the official organization of Crowley's Thelema, has thousands of members, with hundreds of thousands more members of other Thelemite organizations and unaffiliated Thelemites estimated around the world. In addition, Thelema has had a profound influence on other religious philosophies and movements, including Gerald Gardner's Wicca and Anton LaVey's Satanism. L. Ron Hubbard was for a time associated with Jack Parsons, and elements of Thelema are evident in his religion of Scientology. Thelemites' belief that the world is entering a "New Aeon" of spiritual development also forms the core basis for the eclectic New Age movement. What Thelemites think of these other religious movements depends on which individual Thelemite is consulted. Links: OTO US Grand Lodge: Intro to Thelema COLLEGE of THELEMA and TEMPLE of THELEMA
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