A few weeks ago during our Wacky Wednesday radio show, we received a call from a woman who wanted information about a spiritual movement called Thelema. We had never heard of it before and promised to do some research. What I found was very disturbing!Thelema is a Western esoteric and occult philosophy founded by the notorious British occultist, Aleister Crowley in the early 20th century. Pronounced THE le ma, it’s based on the Greek word meaning “True Will”. This True Will is considered to be a person’s divine purpose in life, but Crowley was hardly a believer in the God of Abraham and his idea of “divine purpose” is not even remotely Christian.
First, a little background on Crowley. He was born to a successful engineer and his wife, both of whom were members of a Christian fundamentalist sect known as the Plymouth Brethren. Crowley’s father died when he was 11 years old and he inherited a third of the family’s wealth. His relationship with his mother had always been strained. (She referred to him as “the beast” and not in a nice way!)
After a stint in Trinity College at the University of Cambridge, he abandoned Christianity and used his money to gallivant around the world exploring various spiritual movements and indulging in activities ranging from magic and alchemy to mountaineering and homosexuality. At one point, he joined an occult society known as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn but became ostracized from the group due to feuding with members.
These behaviors provide important context to the founding of Thelema, which came about during Crowley’s honeymoon in Egypt with his new wife, Rose Kelly in 1904. The two rented an apartment where Crowley set up a temple room and began to invoke Egyptian deities. During one of these sessions, he heard a disembodied voice identifying itself as that of Aiwass, who he believed was his guardian angel and a messenger from Horus. Crowley wrote down everything this being said to him over the course of the next three days, which eventually became The Book of the Law, which outlined the philosophy of Thelema.
Pronouncing Crowley to be a prophet, this being claimed that humanity was entering a new age when a supreme moral law, known as “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law,” would come into existence. Under this new law, people would learn how to discover and then live in tune with their True Will.
In addition to the words of Aiwass in The Book of the Law, followers of Thelema rely upon various ceremonial magic rituals, meditation, and other techniques to connect with their True Will and universal consciousness.
“Thelema incorporates elements of Western esotericism, Hermeticism, Qabalah, and other mystical traditions,” explains Catherine Beyer in this article. “The three most commonly discussed deities in Thelema are Nuit, Hadit, and Ra Hoor Khuit, commonly equated to the Egyptian deities Isis, Osiris, and Horus. These may be considered literal beings, or they may be archetypes.”
The practice of Thelema varies widely among individuals and groups. Even though some Satanic groups draw inspiration from Thelema, Beyer writes, Thelema is distinct from Satanism.
In summary, Thelema is a philosophy born in darkness and Christians should avoid any participation in its rituals or beliefs.
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
Send your New Age questions to newage@womenofgrace.com
