Thelema's Relation to Past Philosophy & Religious Systems
Thelema for Beginners - Part 8
Thelema for Beginners was developed by IAO131 and is hosted here by the Thelemic Order. While it is not an official publication of The Thelemic Order we consider it to be a balanced overview of Thelema.
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
- 00. What is Thelema
- 01. Who is Aleister Crowley
- 02. The Book of the Law or Liber AL vel Legis
- 03. Will
- 04. Love
- 05. Holy Guardian Angel
- 06. Ethics/Morality
- 07. Practices of Thelema
- 08. Thelema's Relation to Past Philosophy and Religious Systems
- 09. Symbols of Thelema
- 10. Thelemic Media
- 11. Thelema in Society
- 12. Thelemic Organizations
- 13. More Information
For more information on this subject, we have provided pertinent books & links below:
Books
- “The Antecedents of Thelema” by Aleister Crowley (an unfinished essay)
- Historical Antecedents of Thelema on Wikipedia
- “93 y’all” by T.Polyphilus (deals with Wicca)
- “Rabelais, Dashwood, and Proto-Thelema” by Steven J. Ash in The Journal of Thelemic Studies I:2
- “The Philosophy of Thelema” by IAO131
- “Thelema & Buddhism, part 1” by IAO131 in The Journal of Thelemic Studies Vol.1 No.1
- “Thelema & Buddhism, part 2” by IAO131 in The Journal of Thelemic Studies Vol.1 No.2
- “On the Initiation of the Prophet: The significance of the Golden Dawn to the Thelemic movement” by T. Polyphilus
- “Thelema & Otto’s Idea of the Holy, part 1” by IAO131
- “Thelema & Otto’s Idea of the Holy, part 2” by IAO131
- “Aleister Crowley’s Influence on Wicca” on LAShTAL.com
Quotations
“Aum! All words are sacred and all prophets true; save
only that they understand a little”
– The Book of the Law, chapter 2, verse 56
“I am in a secret fourfold word, the blasphemy against all gods of men. Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! With my Hawk’s head I peck at the eyes of Jesus as he hangs upon the cross. I flap my wings in the face of Mohammed & blind him. With my claws I tear out the flesh of the Indian and the Buddhist, Mongol and Din. Bahlasti! Ompehda! I spit on your crapulous creeds.”
– The Book of the Law, chapter 3, verses 49-60
“Another key doctrinal feature of Thelema is global syncresis. In this respect, we draw on a long tradition that goes back to the classical Hermetic fusion of Greek and Egyptian wisdom, the Rosicrucian ideal of a General Reformation to unite Islam and Christianity, and the efforts of the Theosophical Society to inform European occultism with Buddhism and other Asian traditions.’All words are sacred and all prophets true, save only that they understand a little.’ [Liber AL vel Legis, II:49] Such syncresis is not mere eclecticism driven by the superficial tastes and appetites of individuals and local groups .Received earlier materials must be tested against and integrated with the core symbols and teachings of Thelema. The cosmopolitan and dialectical qualities of Thelema set it at odds with those schools that emphasize the ‘purity’ or primordial authenticity of their teachings.”
– T. Polyphilus, “What Is Thelema?“
“Prophets and Scriptures of the past party true: AL contains the whole truth of Conscious, and some of Unconscious Thought. Nuit admits that all the prophets of the Past have spoken, and the sacred scriptures before given by the Masters to men contain, some truth. But they have applied to local conditions, and those of time; thus all are partly false. Liber AL has no such limits, so it is true for all. I have learnt all the secrets of all the old cults, purged them of partial trend, and balanced them: this is my knowledge of them complete so far as the Reason is concerned; I have also some, though not all, Truth of the Inmost Order. (Through this Book AL has it been given unto me to perfect almost wholly this Utmost of Truth.)”
– Aleister Crowley, “Djeridensis Comment“
– The Book of the Law, chapter 2, verse 56
“I am in a secret fourfold word, the blasphemy against all gods of men. Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! With my Hawk’s head I peck at the eyes of Jesus as he hangs upon the cross. I flap my wings in the face of Mohammed & blind him. With my claws I tear out the flesh of the Indian and the Buddhist, Mongol and Din. Bahlasti! Ompehda! I spit on your crapulous creeds.”
– The Book of the Law, chapter 3, verses 49-60
“Another key doctrinal feature of Thelema is global syncresis. In this respect, we draw on a long tradition that goes back to the classical Hermetic fusion of Greek and Egyptian wisdom, the Rosicrucian ideal of a General Reformation to unite Islam and Christianity, and the efforts of the Theosophical Society to inform European occultism with Buddhism and other Asian traditions.’All words are sacred and all prophets true, save only that they understand a little.’ [Liber AL vel Legis, II:49] Such syncresis is not mere eclecticism driven by the superficial tastes and appetites of individuals and local groups .Received earlier materials must be tested against and integrated with the core symbols and teachings of Thelema. The cosmopolitan and dialectical qualities of Thelema set it at odds with those schools that emphasize the ‘purity’ or primordial authenticity of their teachings.”
– T. Polyphilus, “What Is Thelema?“
“Prophets and Scriptures of the past party true: AL contains the whole truth of Conscious, and some of Unconscious Thought. Nuit admits that all the prophets of the Past have spoken, and the sacred scriptures before given by the Masters to men contain, some truth. But they have applied to local conditions, and those of time; thus all are partly false. Liber AL has no such limits, so it is true for all. I have learnt all the secrets of all the old cults, purged them of partial trend, and balanced them: this is my knowledge of them complete so far as the Reason is concerned; I have also some, though not all, Truth of the Inmost Order. (Through this Book AL has it been given unto me to perfect almost wholly this Utmost of Truth.)”
– Aleister Crowley, “Djeridensis Comment“
Love is the Law, love under will.
Thelema for Beginners was originally produced by IAO131 and is reproduced here with permission of the author. Some links and information have been added or updated by the TTO Website Admin.
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