Thelema
| Thelema | |
|---|---|
| Family | Esoteric / New religious movement |
| Origin region | Early 20th-century Britain and Egypt-associated revelation narrative |
| Founding period | Founded in 1904 CE around Aleister Crowley's reception of The Book of the Law |
| Estimated adherents | A small global esoteric religious movement with initiatory orders and independent practitioners. |
Thelema is thelema is an esoteric religious and magical system associated with Aleister Crowley, centered on the discovery and enactment of True Will and the symbolic revelation of The Book of the Law.
Overview
Thelema emerged in the early 20th century and became associated with ceremonial magic, occult orders, mystical practice, and the maxim 'Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.' Thelemites differ in whether they understand the system primarily as religion, philosophy, magic, mysticism, or a combination of these.
Key beliefs
- True Will as a central spiritual principle
- The Aeon of Horus as a new religious or symbolic age in Thelemic thought
- Divine or symbolic figures such as Nuit, Hadit, and Ra-Hoor-Khuit
- Personal spiritual discovery through discipline and practice
- Magick as a method for transformation and alignment with will
Practices
- Ceremonial magic
- Meditation, yoga, and mystical practice
- Rituals such as Liber Resh in many communities
- Study of Thelemic texts
- Initiatory work in orders such as Ordo Templi Orientis or A∴A∴ lineages
Places of worship
- Lodge or temple space
- Private ritual chamber
- Esoteric study group
Sacred texts
- The Book of the Law
- The Holy Books of Thelema
- Magick in Theory and Practice
- Liber Resh and other ritual texts
Holidays and observances
- Feast for the Three Days of the Writing of The Book of the Law
- Thelemic feasts listed in Liber AL
- Equinox rituals in some groups
Branches and related traditions
- Ordo Templi Orientis - An initiatory order strongly associated with Thelema.
- A∴A∴ - A magical and mystical initiatory system associated with Crowley.
- Western esotericism - A broader family of occult, magical, and mystical currents.