Thelema

While I had certainly encountered Crowley previously, I only began to really study him seriously in the mid-nineties. One of the problems with coming to terms with Aleister Crowley is that often one must read a great deal of Crowley before you begin to understand the complex lexicon and imagery that is inherent with his system.

My "acceptance of Thelema," for lack of a better term, came quickly. I found it then, and find it today, a refreshing and entirely more healthy philosophy than much of the modern religious movements with their insistence on the subjugation of the individual to a specific set of "commandments" or the outright suppression of the self. Each of these practices can have their benefits, even to the adherent of Thelema, but I cannot assert a universal moral, and therefore cannot assert the validity of a philosophy that demands one, religious or otherwise.

It was Thelema's insistence on individualism that I found to be its greatest asset, and equally its greatest burden. We are not bidden to do whatever we wish, as the hedonist, but rather to establish our own moral code in alignment with a personal set of principles derived from the labor of self-discovery. This is much more difficult to maintain than simply following the directive of an all-powerful deity or heeding the instructions of an illustrious sage - including Crowley! Every man and every woman asserting the right not only to their own set of principles, but allowing those of others as well, is often the most difficult part of the Thelemic paradigm. It is surprisingly more difficult to hold yourself accountable than for another to do the same.

Herein, I shall discuss all things Thelema, including (of course) Crowley himself.

Thelema In Theory And Practice
General comments and thoughts on Thelema..
Coming soon...

Un-Commentaries
Some personal thoughts on the Holy Books, containing a great deal of pestilence in general.
This Line Drawn