The Thelema reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Jul-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Thelema

Thelema is the English spelling of the Greek word 'Θελημα' which means 'will' or 'intention.' It is the name of a philosophical/religious system established in 1904 by Aleister Crowley with the writing of Liber AL vel Legis, or The Book of the Law. This small book was produced via automatic writing in Cairo on April 8th, 9th, and 10th.

The central doctrine of this system is that knowing and doing one's True Will is the ultimate purpose and duty of every being. This is summed up with the following phrases from Liber Legis,

• "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law" (AL I:40)
• "Love is the law, love under will" (AL I:57)
• "The word of the law is Thelema" (AL I:39)
• "There is no law beyond Do what thou wilt" (AL III:60)

Thelema stresses personal Freedom (balanced by disciplined responsibility), the inherent divinity of every human ("Every man and every woman is a star" –AL I:3), and the battle against superstition, tyranny, and oppression.

The Greek Thelema is the basis of the word Thelemite, coined by François Rabelais, the 16th century French humorist-philosopher in his classic work Gargantua, where it is used to describe the dwellers in a sort of anti-monastery, the Abbey of Thélème. The word Thelemite appears in The Book of the Law, and is used self-referentially by the adherents of Thelema.

A number of organizations follow the tenets of Thelema. Primarily, these include Ordo Templi Orientis and the Argentinum Astrum, or A.'.A.'.. Additional groups exist which have drawn inspiration or methods from Thelema but which never fully accepted Crowley's complete teachings, such as the Fraternitas Saturni, Illuminates of Thanateros and the Temple of Set.

Compare with: Wiccan Rede

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