Word of the Law

(Revision as of 04:53, 22 Oct 2009)

Table of contents

1 θελημα

2 The Word of the Law

3 Translation

4 Significance

θελημα

The word of the Law is θελημα (AL I:39)

The Word of the Law

The Book of the Law says that "The word of the Law is θελημα" (AL I:39) shortly before proclaiming the Law as "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law" (AL I:40) and then adding for consideration that "Love is the Law, love under will."(AL I:57). Also, the phrase "pure will" is given and is said to be in "every way perfect." (AL I:44)

Translation

It is well established that θελημα, thelema means "will". However, it is worthy to note there are other Greek words that could have been used in place of thelema which, at least on the surface, would have been equally valid. In the Greek language, there are a number of words such as thelisis, thelisi, boylisis are a few that are perfectly valid transliterations of the English word "will", even is such phrases as "It is by the force of her will that I she shall persevere!", "It is not what she wants, but it is what she truly wills.", and "It is the King's Will".

However, by arbitrary selection or by design (human or preternatural), these other words are not used in The Book of the Law, a Class A document (considered to be the most sacred of the Holy Books of Thelema and not to be changed, even to the letter) nor do they seem to be used in Thelema at all, whatever the document's class. Only the word θελημα is used and reflection on this may open a deeper meaning to "the word of the Law" (AL I:39) upon which Thelema stands.

As is often the case with transliteration between languages, there is no simple or single word-to-word correlation. While in some cases and contexts the words chosen in the translation process are insignificant, in certain cases and contexts the words that are chosen in the translation and the nuances implied may be worth consideration. This tends to be more significant in sacred texts (http://www.sacred-texts.com/) in general, and most explicitly so in the case of the Book of the Law.

Significance

In the case of certain texts such as the Qabalah for example, and in the Book of the Law for sure, a great importance is placed on the careful wording of every verse, word and letter because such texts carry complex, interrelated, multi-layered, and even numerological meanings that depend not only on strict adherence to the exact wording employed but also upon the realization of where and why such revelations lay hidden within the text.

Liber AL (the Book of the Law) is a Class A document and as such is considered to be a Holy Book of Thelema and not to be changed, not even by one letter. The Book says of itself;

Change not as much as the style of a letter; for behold! thou, o prophet, shalt not behold all these mysteries contained therein. (AL I:54)

Out of a number of possible words for the English word "will" and its archaic form "wilt" Liber Al vel Legis contains gives only one Greek equivalent word to the exclusion of all other possible candidates.

First the Law of Thelema is given;

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. (AL I:40)

Then it is clarified that;

Love is the law, love under will. (AL I:57)

Then the Law is condensed down to a single word;

The word of the Law is θελημα. (AL I:59)

This word, by the way, is the Logos of the Magus, or the Logos Aionos, the word of the Aeon which is the Magus. (see Liber Aleph vel CCXI - The Book of Wisdom or Folly (http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/aleph/index.html)).

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