Thelemapedia - User contributions [en]

User:Nuhad418

2005-08-12T18:43:16Z

Nuhad418:

Welcome to my rather meager user page.

My academic and personal interests lay primarily in the connections between Magick/Thelema as well as the various branches of analytical psychology/archetypal psychology and symbols and metaphor. I know...that was helpful.

Carl Jung

2005-08-12T18:34:18Z

Nuhad418: Added external link.

{{thelema}}
'''Carl Gustav Jung''' (July 26, 1875 – June 6, 1961 [[EV]]) was a Swiss psychiatrist and founder of the neopsychoanalytic school of psychology. At university, he was a student of Krafft-Ebing. For a time, Jung was [[Freud]]'s heir-apparent in the psychoanalytic school. After the publication of Jung's ''Symbols of Transformation'' (1912 EV), Jung and Freud endured a painful parting of ways: Jung seemed to feel confined by what he believed was Freud's narrow, reductionistic, and rigid view of [[libido]]. Freud held that all libido was at base sexual, while Jung's psychological work continued to explore libido as multiple and often synthetic.

==Jungian psychology==
Jung was wary of founding a 'school' of [[psychology]], and his co-workers recall many occasions on which he made statements along the lines of "thank God I am Jung and not a Jungian." This being the case, the term 'Jungian' is a bit of a misnomer. Jung himself preferred the term 'analytical psychology'.

Contemporary analytical psychology has diversified considerably in recent decades, establishing a range of methods and viewpoints, and exploring areas that were insufficiently studied by Jung himself (most notably child psychology).

After the break with [[Freud]], Jung questioned how such divergent views as Freud's, Alfred Adler's and his own could develop out of [[Psychoanalysis]]. The result of his questionings was ''Psychological Types'' (volume 6 of the Collected Works), in which Jung outlines a framework within which psychological orientations can be identified. The now much misunderstood terms '[[extrovert]]' and '[[introvert]]' derive from this work. In Jung's original usage, the extrovert orientation finds meaning outside the self, in the surrounding world, whereas the introvert finds it within.

Jung also identified four modes of experience, four functions: thought, feeling, sensation, and intuition. Broadly speaking, we tend to work from our most developed function, and we need to widen our personality by developing the others. In addition, the [[unconscious]] often tends to manifest through the inferior function, so that encounter with the unconscious and development of the inferior function(s) can tend to progress together. The four functions may be extroverted or introverted. This model has been amended by some subsequent analytical psychologists.

Central to analytical psychology is the encounter with the unconscious. The result is greater adaptation to reality (both inner and outer), and more developed [[consciousness]]. We experience the unconscious through [[symbols]], and an essential part of the process is to learn its language. Jung recalled how during his time with Freud he was looking one day at a notice in a foreign language, and he reflected on how the notice doesn't conceal its meaning, but simply requires us to learn how to read it. He considered that maybe Freud had attributed a concealing and distorting function to the unconscious when in fact what's required is to understand how the unconscious expresses itself.

Blocked or distorted development of the [[personality]] is characteristic of neurosis, and in psychosis consciousness is overwhelmed by the unconscious. The aim of psychotherapy in Jung's view is to develop a situation where consciousness is not swamped by the unconscious, but neither is it shut off from it. The encounter between consciousness and the symbols arising from the unconscious enriches life and promotes psychological development, [[individuation]].

Jung's concept of the [[collective unconscious]] is often misunderstood as some kind of race memory, with the [[archetype|archetypal]] symbols being somehow transmitted, perhaps genetically. In fact, what Jung meant by the term is that we share a common psychological heritage, just as we share a common physical one. Symbols have a certain similarity and fall into similar patterns in different places and times, simply because all human minds are basically similar. Thus we can often understand the symbols arising from the unconscious by comparing them with similar processes occurring elsewhere. Jung said that it isn't a matter of inherited images, but rather of an inherited predisposition to experience certain images. Many of the commonly repeated criticisms of Jung's work seem to be based on a misunderstanding of this last point.

[[Jungian psychology]] was geared largely toward the nature of symbolism and the effects of attachment upon the ability of people to live their lives in ignorance of their deeper "symbolic" natures. His ideas center around the understanding that a [[symbol]] loses its symbolic power when it is "attached" to a static meaning. The attached, and therefore static meaning renders an amorphous symbol (like the sphere or the [[ourobouros]]) to a mere definition; no longer does it have the ability to be active in the mind as a "transformer of consciousness," free to associate with new experiences and thinking. "Symbolic power" transcends and permeates through all conscious thinking.

== Influence ==
Jung has had an enduring influence on psychology as well as wider society. Many key psychological concepts were originally proposed by Jung, including:
* [[Collective unconscious|The Collective unconscious]]
* [[Archetype|The archetype]]
* The complex
* Myers-Briggs Type Indicator tests were inspired by Jung's Psychological Types theory.

Jung's influence can sometimes be found in more unexpected quarters. For example, Jung once treated an American patient suffering from chronic alcoholism. After working with the patient for some time, and achieving no significant progress, Jung told the man that his alcoholic condition was near to hopeless, save only the possibility of a spiritual experience. Jung noted that occasionally such experiences had been known to reform alcoholics where all else had failed.

The patient took Jung's advice seriously and set about seeking a personal spiritual experience. He returned home to the United States and joined a [[Christianity|Christian]] [[evangelical]] church. He also told other alcoholics what Jung had told him about the importance of a spiritual experience. One of the alcoholics he told was Ebby Thatcher, a long-time friend and drinking buddy of Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. Thatcher told Wilson about Jung's ideas. Wilson, who was finding it hard to maintain sobriety, was impressed and sought out his own spiritual experience. The influence of Jung ultimately found its way in the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous, drafted by Wilson, and from there into the whole 12-step recovery movement, which has touched the lives of millions of people.

===Influence on culture===
* Jung had a 16-year long friendship with author Laurens van der Post from which a number of books and film were created about Jung's life.

* The concept of the collective unconscious is one of the main topics in the Dune novel series.

* Jung's influence on noted Canadian novelist Robertson Davies is apparent in many of Davies's fictional works. In particular, ''The Cornish Trilogy'' and his novel ''The Manticore'' each base their design on Jungian concepts.

* The Progressive Metal band, Tool have incorporated Jung's work into their album, Ænima. Additionally, The Police made references to Carl Jung in their album ''Synchronicity''.

* J. Michael Straczynski's "Babylon 5" television series used many of Jung's concepts throughout the series.

* The video games Xenogears and Xenosaga utilize many of the ideas proposed by Carl Jung as major storyline components of the game, and even create physical manifestations of his notions within actual characters, Albedo, Negredo, Rubedo, etc.

== Related publications ==
*Jung, C. G. (1933). Modern man in search of a soul. London: Kegan Paul Trench Trubner.
*Jung, C. G. (1936). The psychology of dementia praecox. New York: Nervous and Mental Disease Publ. Co.
*Jung, C. G. (1938). Psychology and religion. New Haven: Yale university press.
*Jung, C. G. (1947). Essays on contemporary events. London: Kegan Paul.
*Jung, C. G. (1953). Collected works. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
*Jung, C. G. (1959). The Undiscovered self. New York: American Library.
*Jung, C. G. (1966a). The practice of psychotherapy : essays on the psychology of the transference and other subjects (2nd ed.). Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
*Jung, C. G. (1966b). Two essays on analytical psychology (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.
*Jung, C. G. (1968). Psychology and alchemy (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.
*Jung, C. G. (1969). Studies in word-association (1st ed.). London: Routledge & K. Paul.
*Jung, C. G. (1970a). Four archetypes; mother, rebirth, spirit, trickster. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
*Jung, C. G. (1970b). Mysterium coniunctionis : an inquiry into the separation and synthesis of psychic opposites in alchemy (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.
*Jung, C. G. (1973). Synchronicity : an acausal connecting principle (2nd ed.). Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
*Jung, C. G. (1974a). Dreams. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
*Jung, C. G. (1974b). The Psychology of dementia praecox. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
*Jung, C. G. (1986a). Four archetypes; mother, rebirth, spirit, trickster. London: ARK Paperbacks.
*Jung, C. G. (1986b). Psychology and the East. London: Ark.
*Jung, C. G. (1987a). Dictionary of analytical psychology. London: Ark Paperbacks.
*Jung, C. G. (1988b). On the nature of the psyche. London: Ark Paperbacks.
*Jung, C. G. (1988c). Psychology and Western religion. London: Ark Paperbacks.
*Jung, C. G. (1991a). The Development of personality. London: Routledge.
*Jung, C. G. (1991c). The psychogenesis of mental disease. London: Routledge.
*Jung, C. G., & Baynes, H. G. (1923). Psychological types, or, The Psychology of individuation. London: K. Paul Trench Trubner.
*Jung, C. G., Baynes, H. G., & Baynes, C. F. (1928). Contributions to analytical psychology. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
*Jung, C. G., & Campbell, J. (1976). The portable Jung. New York: Penguin Books.
*Jung, C. G., & Chodorow, J. (1997). Jung on active imagination. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
*Jung, C. G., & De Laszlo, V. S. (1958). Psyche and symbol : a selection from the writings of C.G. *Jung. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday.
*Jung, C. G., & De Laszlo, V. S. (1959). Basic writings. New York: Modern Library.
*Jung, C. G., & Dell, S. M. (1940). The Integration of the personality. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
*Jung, C. G., Evans, R. I., & Jones, E. (1964). Conversations with Carl Jung and reactions from Ernest Jones. New York: Van Nostrand.
*Jung, C. G., & Franz, M.-L. v. (1964). Man and his symbols. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday.
*Jung, C. G., & Hinkle, B. M. (1912). Psychology of the unconscious : a study of the transformations and symbolisms of the libido, a contribution to the history of the evolution of thought. London: Kegan Paul Trench Trubner.
*Jung, C. G., & Hull, R. F. C. (1991). Psychological types (A revision / ed.). London: Routlege.
*Jung, C. G., & Jaffe A. (1963). Memories, dreams, reflections. London: Collins.
*Jung, C. G., & Jarrett, J. L. (1998). Jung's seminar on Nietzsche's Zarathustra (Abridged ed.). Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
*Jung, C. G., & Long, C. E. (1917). Collected papers on analytical psychology (2nd ed.). London: Balliere Tindall & Cox.
*Jung, C. G., Rothgeb, C. L., Clemens, S. M., & National Clearinghouse for Mental Health Information (U.S.). (1978). Abstracts of the collected works of C.G. Jung. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Govt. Printing Office.
*Jung, C. G., & Sabini, M. (2002). The earth has a soul : the nature writings of C.G. Jung. Berkeley, Calif.: North Atlantic Books.
*Jung, C. G., & Shamdasani, S. (1996). The psychology of Kundalini yoga : notes of the seminar given in 1932 by C.G. Jung. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
*Jung, C. G., Wagner, S., Wagner, G., & Van der Post, L. (1990). The World within C.G. Jung in his own words [videorecording]. New York, NY: Kino International : Dist. by Insight Media.
*Samuels, Andrew. (1985) Jung and the Post-Jungians. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Books.

==References==
*Wikipedia (2005). ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Jung Carl Jung].'' Retrieved March 3, 2005.

== External links ==
* [http://brainmeta.com/personality/jung.php Jung Biography and Theories]
* [http://www.cgjungpage.org/ C.G. Jung Page]
* [http://www.psychovision.ch/rfr/contrib_SYNC.htm Psychovision, Synchronicity page (Carl Jung / Wolfgang Pauli / M.-L. von Franz)]
* [http://www.nautis.com/ The Nautis Project]
* [http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/jung.html A short bio of Jung is in here]
* [http://www.friesian.com/jung.htm Influence on Friesian philosophy]
* [http://www.sfu.ca/~wwwpsyb/issues/1996/winter/medweth.htm Jung and the Nazis]
* [http://www.folkstory.com/articles/myth_in_therapy.html Myth in Psychotherapy]
* [http://www.geocities.com/astrologyages/jungageofaquarius.htm Jung and the Age of Aquarius]
* [http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape10/PQDD_0003/MQ43310.pdf Magick/Liber Aba and Mysterium Coniunctionis: A Comparison of the Writings of Aleister Crowley and C.G. Jung (.pdf)]

Carl Jung

2005-08-12T18:23:04Z

Nuhad418: Added source to bibliography

Thelema

2005-02-25T14:36:48Z

Nuhad418: /* François Rabelais */

{{partial}}

'''Thelema''', Θελημα in Greek, means ''will''.

==A brief summary of Thelema==

'''Thelema''' is the name of the philosophical school and religious matrix established in 1904 with the writing of [[Liber AL vel Legis]] ([[The Book of the Law]]) by [[Aleister Crowley]] (1875-1947). The Law is summed up in two phrases from the Book:
*“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law” (AL I:40) and
*“Love is the law, love under will” (AL I:57).
The central goal of a Thelemite (as adherents refer to themselves) is to discover and perform his or her [[True Will]], which is generally defined as the innermost Nature or proper life course of the individual. The techniques used to achieve this goal fall under the heading of [[Magick]].

There are also strong political, ethical, aesthetic, and cultural aspects to Thelema. Although there is no strict literal doctrine concerning these matters, Aleister Crowley wrote many articles and essays regarding his ideas about the proper behavior of individual Thelemites and for an ideal Thelemic society. These ideas have continued to develop into modern times. However, the primary themes involve personal freedom, a recognition that men and women have an inherent divine nature, and that Love is the basis of the [[Great Work]].

===Different views of Thelema===

Not all adherents of Thelema consider it a religion or subscribe to the philosophy of True Will as outlined in Aleister Crowley's writings. Thelemites may or may not believe in the necessity of Canon or Theology as outlined in this article. Many require nothing more than an acceptance of the message of The Book of the Law as interpreted by the individual, each for him or herself.

See also: [[Alternative Views of Thelema]]

==Theology of Thelema==

===The Speakers of Liber AL===

Liber Legis is composed of three chapters that introduce the reader to three primary godforms:

#'''[[Nuit]]''' (Nu) is the speaker in Chapter I. She is the eternally-extended Eqyptian goddess of the night sky and the Queen of Space. Nuit is the complement of Hadit.
#'''[[Hadit]]''' (Had) is presented in Chapter II. He is the winged disk, the infinitely contracted point, and the source of Life. Hadit is the complement of Nuit.
#'''[[Ra-Hoor-Khuit]]''' (Horus) speaks in Chapter III. He is the Hawk-Headed Lord of the current [[Aeon]], also called the Crowned and Conquering Child. ([[Ra]] is the Egyptian sun god).

In his popular commentary to Liber Legis, Crowley points out that "There are to be no regular temples of Nuit and Hadit, for They are incommensurables and absolutes." Ra-Hoor-Khuit is therefore the "visible object of worship" presented by the Book.

===Other personalities presented in Liber Legis===

*'''[[Aiwass]]'''—This is the being that dictated Liber Legis according to Aleister Crowley—he considered Aiwass to be his personal [[Holy Guardian Angel]].

*'''[[Heru-ra-ha]]''' (Heru is another name for Horus)— a composite deity composed of [[Ra-Hoor-Khuit]] and Hoor-par-kraat.

*'''[[Hoor-par-kraat]]''' (also Heru-pa-kraath, and the Greek god [[Harpocrates]])—Identified as [[Horus]] in his form as a young child. Egyptian statues represent him as a naked boy with his finger on his mouth, a hieroglyph for "child" and the later notion of “silence.” He is also known as the [[Babe in the Egg]]. He is representitive of the “silent self” and an individual’s [[Holy Guardian Angel]].

*'''[[Babalon]]'''—The Scarlet Woman, the Great Whore, and the Mother of Abominations. She is the Yoni, the architypical Womb of all Life, the provider of material flesh to clothe our manifested Spirit, Mother Earth, and the Great Sea. Her consort is:

*'''[[Chaos]]'''—the universal generative drive, unrestrained creative power, the primal unformulated substance from which all manifested matter is made, the Fire of the Life Force found in each of us.

*'''[[The Beast]]'''—upon whom the Scarlet Woman rideth, alternatively identified as Aleister Crowley, the whole of Mankind, the [[Phallus]] (both masculine and feminine), and the Vehicle of Life.

*'''[[Ankh-af-na-khonsu]]'''—an actual Priest who lived in Thebes during the late XXVth dynasty of ancient Egypt, around 725 b.c.e. Aleister Crowley assumed the magical identity of this Priest as the living Prophet of the Aeon of Horus, the deliverer of ''The Book of the Law'' (Sabazius, 1998).

*'''The Prince-Priest / The Prophet''' —Aleister Crowley

*'''The Prophet and his Bride'''—Aleister and Rose Crowley.

*'''Asar and Isa'''—Asar is [[Osiris]], the “adorant” and Isa is the Muslim form of Jesus, the “sufferer” and a prophet (though not a messiah).

*'''[[Tahuti]]''' (the Greek [[Thoth]])—the god of knowledge, writing, language, music, the Moon, [[magick]], and occult wisdom.

*'''Because'''— "Now a curse upon Because and his kin!...Enough of Because! Be he damned for a dog!" (AL II, 28-33).

*'''[[Hrumachis]]'''- the Dawning Sun, another name of Horus.

===The Thelemic Canon===

The primary basis of Thelemic doctrine is Liber Legis. However, there is a larger group of writings that are considered to be holy books that further reveal the mysteries of Thelema. These books are:

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib1.html Liber I]: Liber B vel Magi'''—An account of the [[Grade]] of [[Magus]], the highest grade which it is even possible to manifest in any way whatsoever upon this plane.

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib7.html Liber VII]: Liber Liberi vel Lapidis Lazuli]'''—These are the Birth Words of a Master of the Temple. It's 7 Chapters refer to the 7 Planets in the following order: Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Sol, Mercury, Luna, Venus.

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib10.html Liber X]: Liber Porta Lucis'''—An account of the sending forth of the [[Master Therion]] by the [[A.'.A.'.]] and an explanation of his mission.

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib27.html Liber XXVII]: Liber Trigrammaton'''—Being a book of [[Trigrams]] of the Mutations of the [[Tao]] with the Yin and Yang. An account of the Cosmic process.

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib65.html Liber LXV]: Liber Cordis Cincti Serpente'''—An account of the relations of the aspirant and his Holy Guardian Angel.

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib66.html Liber LXVI]: Liber Stellae Rubeae'''—[[Sex Magick|Sexual Magick]] veiled in symbolism.

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib90.html Liber XC]: Liber Tzaddi vel Hamus Hermeticus'''—An account of Initiation, and an indication as to those who are suitable for the same.

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib156.html Liber CLVI]: Liber Cheth vel Vallum Abiegni'''—[[Sex Magick|Sexual Magick]] veiled in symbolism.

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib231.html Liber CCXXXI]: Liber Arcanorum'''—An account of the cosmic process so far as it is indicated by the [[Tarot]] Trumps. The sequence of the 22 [[Trumps]] is explained as a formula of Initiation.

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib370.html Liber CCCLXX]: Liber A'ash vel Capricorni Pneumatici'''—Analyzes the nature of the creative magical force in man, explains how to awaken it, how to use it and indicates the general as well as the particular objects to be gained thereby. [[Sex Magick|Sexual Magick]] veiled in symbolism.

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib400.html Liber CD]: Liber Tau vel Kabbalae Trium Literarum'''—A graphic interpretation of the Tarot on the plane of Initiation.

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib813.html Liber DCCCXIII]: Ararita'''—An account of the Hexagram and the method of reducing it to the Unity and Beyond. This book describes in magical language a very secret process of Initiation.

*Some consider the larger work, '''[[The Vision and the Voice]]''', to be within the canon of Thelemic Holy Books.

==Ethics==

==Practices==

Although there are communal ceremonies informed by Thelema, and organizations to support them (of which [[Ordo Templi Orientis]] is the most venerable and extensive), Thelemic religious practice is a mainly individual affair. Crowley composed a few guidelines to the cardinal observances and programs. In ''Liber Aleph'' he lists the following "Means prescribed in our Holy Books" for constant observance:
:*Neglect never the fourfold Adoration of the Sun in his four Stations, for thereby thou dost affirm thy Place in Nature and her Harmonies. ([[Liber Resh]])
:*Neglect not the Performance of the Ritual of the Pentagram, and of the Assumtion of the Form of Hoor-pa-Kraat. (Liber O)
:*Neglect not the daily Miracle of the Mass, either by the Rite of the [[Gnostic Catholic Church]] ([[The Gnostic Mass|Liber XV]]), or that of the Phoenix (Mass of the Phoenix).
:*Neglect not the Performance of the Mass of the Holy Ghost, as Nature Herself prompteth thee.
:*Travel much also in the Empyrean in thy [[Body of Light]], seeking ever Abodes more fiery and lucid.
:*Finally, excercise the Eight Limbs of [[Yoga]].

In ''Magick in Theory and Practice'', there is a similar regimen with slightly different emphasis. First he recommends yoga, with the method explained in "Part I" of ''Book Four''. Then he lists "the most important drill practices" of magick, as follows:
:*The fortification of the Body of Light by the constant use of rituals, or by the assumption of God-forms, and by the right use of the [[Eucharist]].
:*The [[purification]] and [[consecration]] and exaltation of that Body by the use of rituals of [[invocation]].
:*The education of that Body by experience. It must learn to travel on every plane; to break down every obstacle which may confront it. This experience must be as systematic and regular as possible; for it is of no use merely to travel to the spheres of [[The Planets:Jupiter|Jupiter]] and [[The Planets:Venus|Venus]], or even to explore the 30 [[Aethyr]]s, neglecting unattractive meridians.

In addition to these programs, there are some other basic practices usually involved in Thelema. The first of these is the [[magical record]] or diary. "Verily, it is better to fail in the magical ceremony than to fail in writing down an accurate record of it." (''Book Four'') The second is the recital of the formula of "Will" prior to the main meal of the day. This practice consists of a simple set of statements (sometimes presented as a dialogue with others) declaring that it is the individual's will to eat and drink, in order to fortify his body, in order to accomplish the [[Great Work]]. Variants on this recital exist for initiates in different circumstances (see Liber 185).

==Antecedents of Thelema==

Although the modern Thelemic movement traces its origins to the work of Aleister Crowley, he pointed to important antecedents to his use of the term, and other instances are apparent from research. The word is of some consequence in the original Greek Christian scriptures. Crowley also acknowledged Saint Augustine's "Love, and do what thou wilt" as a premonition of the Law of Thelema. In the Renaissance, a character named "Thelemia" represents will or desire in the ''Hypnerotomachia Poliphili'' of the Dominican monk Francesco Colonna. Colonna's work was, in turn, a great influence on the Franciscan monk Francois Rabelais, whose ''Gargantua and Pantagruel'' includes an "Abbey of Theleme" which Crowley embraced as a direct precursor to modern Thelema.

===Thelema in the Bible===

Thelema appears in the [[Holy Bible]] referring to divine will, human will, and even the will of the [[Satan|Devil]]. One well-known example is from “The Lord’s Prayer” in Matthew 6:10, “Your kingdom come. Your will (Θελημα) be done, On earth as it is in heaven.” Some other quotes from the Bible are:

:“He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, "My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” —Matthew 26:42

:“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” —John 1:12-13

:“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” —Romans 12:2

:"Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created." —Revelation 4:11

:"…and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” —2 Timothy 2:26

===François Rabelais===

The next well-known usage of the word was by [[Rabelais|François Rabelais]], a Franciscan and later a Benedictine monk of the 16th century. Eventually he left the monastery to study medicine, and so moved to Lyons in 1532. It was there that he wrote ''Gargantua'' and ''Pantagruel'', a connected series of books. They tell the story of two giants—a father (Gargantua) and his son (Pantagruel) and their adventures—written in an amusing, extravagant, and satirical vein.

It is in the second book where Rabelais writes of the Abbey of Theleme, built by the giant Gargantua. It pokes fun at the monastic institiutions, since his abbey has a swimming pool, maid service, and no clocks in sight.

One of the verses of the [[Abbey of Thelema Gate Inscription|inscription]] on the gate to the Abbey of Theleme says:

<blockquote>
Grace, honour, praise, delight, 
   Here sojourn day and night. 
      Sound bodies lined 
      With a good mind, 
   Do here pursue with might 
   Grace, honour, praise, delight. 
</blockquote>

But below the humor was a very real concept of utopia and the ideal society. Rabelais gives us a description of how the Thelemites of the Abbey lived and the rules they lived by:

<blockquote>All their life was spent not in laws, statutes, or rules, but according to
their own free will and pleasure. They rose out of their beds when they
thought good; they did eat, drink, labour, sleep, when they had a mind to
it and were disposed for it. None did awake them, none did offer to
constrain them to eat, drink, nor to do any other thing; for so had
Gargantua established it. In all their rule and strictest tie of their
order there was but this one clause to be observed, 
 
''Do What Thou Wilt;'' 
 
because men that are free, well-born, well-bred, and conversant in honest
companies, have naturally an instinct and spur that prompteth them unto
virtuous actions, and withdraws them from vice, which is called honour.
Those same men, when by base subjection and constraint they are brought
under and kept down, turn aside from that noble disposition by which they
formerly were inclined to virtue, to shake off and break that bond of
servitude wherein they are so tyrannously enslaved; for it is agreeable
with the nature of man to long after things forbidden and to desire what is
denied us.</blockquote>

==See also==

*[[The Book of the Law]]
*[[Aleister Crowley]]
*[[Thelema & Religion]]
*[[Svecchachara]]

==References==

* Crowley, Aleister. Magick Without Tears. Tempe: New Falcon Publications, 1997 (1973).
* Sabazius (1998). [http://www.hermetic.com/sabazius/kiblah.htm The Kiblah]. Retrieved June 9, 2004.
* Thriambos, Dionysos. [http://www.hermetic.com/dionysos/bible.htm The Utility of the Bible to the Student of Thelema]. Retrieved Sept. 17, 2004(?).
* Weinberg, Florence M. The Wine and the Will: Rabelais's Bacchic Christianity. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1972.
* Wikipedia (2004). [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gargantua_and_Pantagruel Gargantua and Pantagruel]. Retrieved Sept. 17, 2004(?).

==External Links==

*[http://www.thelemicknights.org/ootmc/rabelais/rabelais.html Rabelais: The First Thelemite]

*[http://www.gutenberg.net/etext98/ggpnt10.txt Gargantua and Pantagruel, by Rabelais]

*[http://mitpress.mit.edu/e-books/HP/index.htm Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, by Francesco Colonna]

[[Category:Formulæ]]
[[Category:Religions]]
[[Category:Thelema]]

Thelema

2005-02-25T14:15:19Z

Nuhad418: /* The Thelemic Canon */

{{partial}}

'''Thelema''', Θελημα in Greek, means ''will''.

==A brief summary of Thelema==

'''Thelema''' is the name of the philosophical school and religious matrix established in 1904 with the writing of [[Liber AL vel Legis]] ([[The Book of the Law]]) by [[Aleister Crowley]] (1875-1947). The Law is summed up in two phrases from the Book:
*“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law” (AL I:40) and
*“Love is the law, love under will” (AL I:57).
The central goal of a Thelemite (as adherents refer to themselves) is to discover and perform his or her [[True Will]], which is generally defined as the innermost Nature or proper life course of the individual. The techniques used to achieve this goal fall under the heading of [[Magick]].

There are also strong political, ethical, aesthetic, and cultural aspects to Thelema. Although there is no strict literal doctrine concerning these matters, Aleister Crowley wrote many articles and essays regarding his ideas about the proper behavior of individual Thelemites and for an ideal Thelemic society. These ideas have continued to develop into modern times. However, the primary themes involve personal freedom, a recognition that men and women have an inherent divine nature, and that Love is the basis of the [[Great Work]].

===Different views of Thelema===

Not all adherents of Thelema consider it a religion or subscribe to the philosophy of True Will as outlined in Aleister Crowley's writings. Thelemites may or may not believe in the necessity of Canon or Theology as outlined in this article. Many require nothing more than an acceptance of the message of The Book of the Law as interpreted by the individual, each for him/herself.

See also: [[Alternative Views of Thelema]]

==Theology of Thelema==

===The Speakers of Liber AL===

Liber Legis is composed of three chapters that introduce the reader to three primary godforms:

#'''[[Nuit]]''' (Nu) is the speaker in Chapter I. She is the eternally-extended Eqyptian goddess of the night sky and the Queen of Space. Nuit is the complement of Hadit.
#'''[[Hadit]]''' (Had) is presented in Chapter II. He is the winged disk, the infinitely contracted point, and the source of Life. Hadit is the complement of Nuit.
#'''[[Ra-Hoor-Khuit]]''' (Horus) speaks in Chapter III. He is the Hawk-Headed Lord of the current [[Aeon]], also called the Crowned and Conquering Child. ([[Ra]] is the Egyptian sun god).

In his popular commentary to Liber Legis, Crowley points out that "There are to be no regular temples of Nuit and Hadit, for They are incommensurables and absolutes." Ra-Hoor-Khuit is therefore the "visible object of worship" presented by the Book.

===Other personalities presented in Liber Legis===

*'''[[Aiwass]]'''—This is the being that dictated Liber Legis according to Aleister Crowley—he considered Aiwass to be his personal [[Holy Guardian Angel]].

*'''[[Heru-ra-ha]]''' (Heru is another name for Horus)— a composite deity composed of [[Ra-Hoor-Khuit]] and Hoor-par-kraat.

*'''[[Hoor-par-kraat]]''' (also Heru-pa-kraath, and the Greek god [[Harpocrates]])—Identified as [[Horus]] in his form as a young child. Egyptian statues represent him as a naked boy with his finger on his mouth, a hieroglyph for "child" and the later notion of “silence.” He is also known as the [[Babe in the Egg]]. He is representitive of the “silent self” and an individual’s [[Holy Guardian Angel]].

*'''[[Babalon]]'''—The Scarlet Woman, the Great Whore, and the Mother of Abominations. She is the Yoni, the architypical Womb of all Life, the provider of material flesh to clothe our manifested Spirit, Mother Earth, and the Great Sea. Her consort is:

*'''[[Chaos]]'''—the universal generative drive, unrestrained creative power, the primal unformulated substance from which all manifested matter is made, the Fire of the Life Force found in each of us.

*'''[[The Beast]]'''—upon whom the Scarlet Woman rideth, alternatively identified as Aleister Crowley, the whole of Mankind, the [[Phallus]] (both masculine and feminine), and the Vehicle of Life.

*'''[[Ankh-af-na-khonsu]]'''—an actual Priest who lived in Thebes during the late XXVth dynasty of ancient Egypt, around 725 b.c.e. Aleister Crowley assumed the magical identity of this Priest as the living Prophet of the Aeon of Horus, the deliverer of ''The Book of the Law'' (Sabazius, 1998).

*'''The Prince-Priest / The Prophet''' —Aleister Crowley

*'''The Prophet and his Bride'''—Aleister and Rose Crowley.

*'''Asar and Isa'''—Asar is [[Osiris]], the “adorant” and Isa is the Muslim form of Jesus, the “sufferer” and a prophet (though not a messiah).

*'''[[Tahuti]]''' (the Greek [[Thoth]])—the god of knowledge, writing, language, music, the Moon, [[magick]], and occult wisdom.

*'''Because'''— "Now a curse upon Because and his kin!...Enough of Because! Be he damned for a dog!" (AL II, 28-33).

*'''[[Hrumachis]]'''- the Dawning Sun, another name of Horus.

===The Thelemic Canon===

The primary basis of Thelemic doctrine is Liber Legis. However, there is a larger group of writings that are considered to be holy books that further reveal the mysteries of Thelema. These books are:

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib1.html Liber I]: Liber B vel Magi'''—An account of the [[Grade]] of [[Magus]], the highest grade which it is even possible to manifest in any way whatsoever upon this plane.

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib7.html Liber VII]: Liber Liberi vel Lapidis Lazuli]'''—These are the Birth Words of a Master of the Temple. It's 7 Chapters refer to the 7 Planets in the following order: Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Sol, Mercury, Luna, Venus.

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib10.html Liber X]: Liber Porta Lucis'''—An account of the sending forth of the [[Master Therion]] by the [[A.'.A.'.]] and an explanation of his mission.

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib27.html Liber XXVII]: Liber Trigrammaton'''—Being a book of [[Trigrams]] of the Mutations of the [[Tao]] with the Yin and Yang. An account of the Cosmic process.

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib65.html Liber LXV]: Liber Cordis Cincti Serpente'''—An account of the relations of the aspirant and his Holy Guardian Angel.

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib66.html Liber LXVI]: Liber Stellae Rubeae'''—[[Sex Magick|Sexual Magick]] veiled in symbolism.

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib90.html Liber XC]: Liber Tzaddi vel Hamus Hermeticus'''—An account of Initiation, and an indication as to those who are suitable for the same.

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib156.html Liber CLVI]: Liber Cheth vel Vallum Abiegni'''—[[Sex Magick|Sexual Magick]] veiled in symbolism.

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib231.html Liber CCXXXI]: Liber Arcanorum'''—An account of the cosmic process so far as it is indicated by the [[Tarot]] Trumps. The sequence of the 22 [[Trumps]] is explained as a formula of Initiation.

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib370.html Liber CCCLXX]: Liber A'ash vel Capricorni Pneumatici'''—Analyzes the nature of the creative magical force in man, explains how to awaken it, how to use it and indicates the general as well as the particular objects to be gained thereby. [[Sex Magick|Sexual Magick]] veiled in symbolism.

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib400.html Liber CD]: Liber Tau vel Kabbalae Trium Literarum'''—A graphic interpretation of the Tarot on the plane of Initiation.

*'''[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib813.html Liber DCCCXIII]: Ararita'''—An account of the Hexagram and the method of reducing it to the Unity and Beyond. This book describes in magical language a very secret process of Initiation.

*Some consider the larger work, '''[[The Vision and the Voice]]''', to be within the canon of Thelemic Holy Books.

==Ethics==

==Practices==

Although there are communal ceremonies informed by Thelema, and organizations to support them (of which [[Ordo Templi Orientis]] is the most venerable and extensive), Thelemic religious practice is a mainly individual affair. Crowley composed a few guidelines to the cardinal observances and programs. In ''Liber Aleph'' he lists the following "Means prescribed in our Holy Books" for constant observance:
:*Neglect never the fourfold Adoration of the Sun in his four Stations, for thereby thou dost affirm thy Place in Nature and her Harmonies. ([[Liber Resh]])
:*Neglect not the Performance of the Ritual of the Pentagram, and of the Assumtion of the Form of Hoor-pa-Kraat. (Liber O)
:*Neglect not the daily Miracle of the Mass, either by the Rite of the [[Gnostic Catholic Church]] ([[The Gnostic Mass|Liber XV]]), or that of the Phoenix (Mass of the Phoenix).
:*Neglect not the Performance of the Mass of the Holy Ghost, as Nature Herself prompteth thee.
:*Travel much also in the Empyrean in thy [[Body of Light]], seeking ever Abodes more fiery and lucid.
:*Finally, excercise the Eight Limbs of [[Yoga]].

In ''Magick in Theory and Practice'', there is a similar regimen with slightly different emphasis. First he recommends yoga, with the method explained in "Part I" of ''Book Four''. Then he lists "the most important drill practices" of magick, as follows:
:*The fortification of the Body of Light by the constant use of rituals, or by the assumption of God-forms, and by the right use of the [[Eucharist]].
:*The [[purification]] and [[consecration]] and exaltation of that Body by the use of rituals of [[invocation]].
:*The education of that Body by experience. It must learn to travel on every plane; to break down every obstacle which may confront it. This experience must be as systematic and regular as possible; for it is of no use merely to travel to the spheres of [[The Planets:Jupiter|Jupiter]] and [[The Planets:Venus|Venus]], or even to explore the 30 [[Aethyr]]s, neglecting unattractive meridians.

In addition to these programs, there are some other basic practices usually involved in Thelema. The first of these is the [[magical record]] or diary. "Verily, it is better to fail in the magical ceremony than to fail in writing down an accurate record of it." (''Book Four'') The second is the recital of the formula of "Will" prior to the main meal of the day. This practice consists of a simple set of statements (sometimes presented as a dialogue with others) declaring that it is the individual's will to eat and drink, in order to fortify his body, in order to accomplish the [[Great Work]]. Variants on this recital exist for initiates in different circumstances (see Liber 185).

==Antecedents of Thelema==

Although the modern Thelemic movement traces its origins to the work of Aleister Crowley, he pointed to important antecedents to his use of the term, and other instances are apparent from research. The word is of some consequence in the original Greek Christian scriptures. Crowley also acknowledged Saint Augustine's "Love, and do what thou wilt" as a premonition of the Law of Thelema. In the Renaissance, a character named "Thelemia" represents will or desire in the ''Hypnerotomachia Poliphili'' of the Dominican monk Francesco Colonna. Colonna's work was, in turn, a great influence on the Franciscan monk Francois Rabelais, whose ''Gargantua and Pantagruel'' includes an "Abbey of Theleme" which Crowley embraced as a direct precursor to modern Thelema.

===Thelema in the Bible===

Thelema appears in the [[Holy Bible]] referring to divine will, human will, and even the will of the [[Satan|Devil]]. One well-known example is from “The Lord’s Prayer” in Matthew 6:10, “Your kingdom come. Your will (Θελημα) be done, On earth as it is in heaven.” Some other quotes from the Bible are:

:“He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, "My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” —Matthew 26:42

:“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” —John 1:12-13

:“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” —Romans 12:2

:"Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created." —Revelation 4:11

:"…and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” —2 Timothy 2:26

===François Rabelais===

The next well-known usage of the word was by [[Rabelais|François Rabelais]], a Franciscan and later a Benedictine monk of the 16th century. Eventually he left the monistary to study medicine, and so moved to Lyons in 1532. It was there that he wrote ''Gargantua'' and ''Pantagruel'', a connected series of books. They tell the story of two giants—a father (Gargantua) and his son (Pantagruel) and their adventures—written in an amusing, extravagant, and satirical vein.

It is in the second book where Rabelais writes of the Abbey of Theleme, built by the giant Gargantua. It pokes fun at the monastic institiutions, since his abbey has a swimming pool, maid service, and no clocks in sight.

One of the verses of the [[Abbey of Thelema Gate Inscription|inscription]] on the gate to the Abbey of Theleme says:

<blockquote>
Grace, honour, praise, delight, 
   Here sojourn day and night. 
      Sound bodies lined 
      With a good mind, 
   Do here pursue with might 
   Grace, honour, praise, delight. 
</blockquote>

But below the humor was a very real concept of utopia and the ideal society. Rabelais gives us a description of how the Thelemites of the Abbey lived and the rules they lived by:

<blockquote>All their life was spent not in laws, statutes, or rules, but according to
their own free will and pleasure. They rose out of their beds when they
thought good; they did eat, drink, labour, sleep, when they had a mind to
it and were disposed for it. None did awake them, none did offer to
constrain them to eat, drink, nor to do any other thing; for so had
Gargantua established it. In all their rule and strictest tie of their
order there was but this one clause to be observed, 
 
''Do What Thou Wilt;'' 
 
because men that are free, well-born, well-bred, and conversant in honest
companies, have naturally an instinct and spur that prompteth them unto
virtuous actions, and withdraws them from vice, which is called honour.
Those same men, when by base subjection and constraint they are brought
under and kept down, turn aside from that noble disposition by which they
formerly were inclined to virtue, to shake off and break that bond of
servitude wherein they are so tyrannously enslaved; for it is agreeable
with the nature of man to long after things forbidden and to desire what is
denied us.</blockquote>

==See also==

*[[The Book of the Law]]
*[[Aleister Crowley]]
*[[Thelema & Religion]]
*[[Svecchachara]]

==References==

* Crowley, Aleister. Magick Without Tears. Tempe: New Falcon Publications, 1997 (1973).
* Sabazius (1998). [http://www.hermetic.com/sabazius/kiblah.htm The Kiblah]. Retrieved June 9, 2004.
* Thriambos, Dionysos. [http://www.hermetic.com/dionysos/bible.htm The Utility of the Bible to the Student of Thelema]. Retrieved Sept. 17, 2004(?).
* Weinberg, Florence M. The Wine and the Will: Rabelais's Bacchic Christianity. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1972.
* Wikipedia (2004). [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gargantua_and_Pantagruel Gargantua and Pantagruel]. Retrieved Sept. 17, 2004(?).

==External Links==

*[http://www.thelemicknights.org/ootmc/rabelais/rabelais.html Rabelais: The First Thelemite]

*[http://www.gutenberg.net/etext98/ggpnt10.txt Gargantua and Pantagruel, by Rabelais]

*[http://mitpress.mit.edu/e-books/HP/index.htm Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, by Francesco Colonna]

[[Category:Formulæ]]
[[Category:Religions]]
[[Category:Thelema]]

Terms & Concepts in Thelema

2004-12-09T12:48:32Z

Nuhad418: /* Fundamental concepts in Thelema */

{{partial}}

==Fundamental concepts in Thelema==
*[[Thelema]]
*[[Agape]]
*[[True Will]]
*[[93]]
*[[Keys of the Law]]
*[[Abrahadabra]]
*[[Aeons]]
*[[Aeon of Horus]]
*[[City of the Pyramids]]
*[[Lust of Result]]
*[[Night of Pan]]
*[[Saying Will]]
*[[Ordeal x]]

==Concepts shared by Thelema==
*[[Holy Guardian Angel]]
*[[The Great Work]]
*[[Secret Chiefs]]
*[[Phallus]]
*[[Yoni]]

[[Category:Thelema]]