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Regarding Thelema   

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One should not slavishly and lazily accept the interpretation of the Law of Thelema habitually given by sensationalistic writers with no regard for truth and accuracy, fanatic and radical, religiously intolerant fundamentalist factions of the Judeo-Christian community, and the equally extreme, ego-serving satanists who consistently go out of their way to pervert every possible religious and esoteric idea/l and concept known. Each of these in their own way, for their own purpose, serve ego, the false self. Would it not be wiser to accept the Thelemite's interpretation of the Law of Thelema?  

Aleister Crowley has more than once explained the Law--for example: "'Do what thou wilt' does not mean 'Do what you like.'" (Liber II: The Message of the Master Therion, to be found in THE "BLUE" EQUINOX, Vol. III, No. 1). That is to say, the Law is NOT a license to cater to the petty dictates of ones ego as the fanatic pseudo-xtians, intellectually perverse satanists, and ignorant, sensationalistic media insist. "Do what thou wilt" means that one is to discover and accomplish ones True Will, ones purpose for existing, which is God's Will, the Universal Will, the expression of Existence. To follow the Law of Thelema, while enjoying all things of sense and rapture in life as one may, one must OFTEN ignore the petty desires of ego, and of course this is no burden for there is no greater joy, no greater freedom, than to be bound by and completely devoted to ones True Will, doing the one thing on earth that one most WANTS to do and which most suits ones talents and termperment--the purpose for which one was born. "Every man and every woman is a star" (CCXX I.3), that is to say, we are all self-luminous beings, each with an individual magnitude, and each with his or her proper orbit in the universe of being--stars in the Body of Our Lady Nuit--and there is no greater pleasure in life than to REAL-ize this fact.  

Too many people tend to ignore the complimentary phrase, "Love is the law", and this may indicate THEIR shortcomings in life. This phrase, this verse from THE BOOK OF THE LAW (technically called LIBER AL VEL LEGIS SUB FIGURA CCXX), means a great deal and it qualifies the nature of the Law of Thelema, which is love. (I note here that sensationalistic writers tend only to love their egos and all that gratifies ego, pseudo-xtians and sadly many genuine Christians preach love but fail to practice what they preach, and of course satanists do not even know what the word love means!)  

It is also worth noting that an important part of the Law of Thelema is this: "The word of Sin is Restriction" (CCXX I.41). This not only means that one should not unnecessarily restrict oneself from discovering and accomplishing ones Will, nor allow others to stand in ones way of accomplishing that purpose, the purpose for which one was created, but it also means that one is not permitted to interfere with the Will of another. This tends to make the GENUINE Thelemite one of the most polite and law-abiding members of society. Because of this no REAL Thelemite would steal from another person resources which another just may need to discover and do his or her Will. Likewise, to rape another would be to take from that person precious psychological resources while blocking that person's Way by creating psychological complexes. And of course murder is STRICTLY forbidden for a number of reasons, primarily because it robs another of the physical vehicle he or she needs to discover and accomplish his or her True Will on earth. "An it harm none, do what thou wilt." I see no disagreement between the Wiccan Rede and the Law of Thelema. True, if someone INSISTS upon preventing a Thelemite from doing his or her Will, stands in the Way and refuses to budge, it may be necessary to run over or through that obstacle like a tank. However, unlike the satanist who carelessly walks all over people without a second thought to satisfy his ego's every little desire, the TRUE Thelemite will only knock down or push aside the opponent if there is no way around that person, who, by his or her actions, PROVES that in all probability he or she is NOT doing his or her Will since few orbits naturally intersect in such a way as to make a collision of stars inevitable.  

This must be remembered, that "Compassion is the vice of kings" (CCXX II.21), and while the emphasis is usually that the Thelemite, "King of the Earth", master of his passions et al, should not perpetuate the ills of society under the PRETEXT of compassion, it is also true that compassion is the one "vice" which proves the Thelemite's kingship or essential royal nature. A GENUINE Thelemite cannot help him- or herself and MUST feel compassion for all since the Thelemite REAL-izes that "every number is infinite: there is no difference" (CCXX I.4), that we are all, in fact, closer than brothers and sisters. As for the "wretched & the weak" that the Thelemite is to "stamp down" (CCXX II.21), this does not necessarily mean the physically handicapped, mentally challenged and/or poverty stricken person whose courage and fortitude may be far greater than that of the healthiest, wealthiest man. The "wretched & the weak" that THE BOOK OF THE LAW speaks of are those who are poor in SPIRIT, "wretched" to others and "weak" in CHARACTER. Even then, in dealing "hardly" with them, compassion is exercised since the opposition may strengthen the individual's character and make him or her realize his or her weakness and folly and correct this fault to come closer to his or her True Self and the active expression of That essential divinity "in" all of us, the True Will.  

Anyone who objects to the Law of Thelema, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law", must either be objecting out of ignorance and arrogance or because he or she is religiously intolerant and truly "satanic", even if calling him- or herself a Wiccan or Christian. The True Will is God's Will, and to object to and oppose God's Will, according to Judeo-Christian thinking, is "satanic". According to the laws of the Craft, it would be a violation of the Wiccan Rede to oppose another's True Will and to try to prevent its expression--although commentary and debate is always welcome. After all, "As brothers fight ye!" (CCXX III.59), which implies an essential bond of love, respect and fraternity, struggle out of love rather than hate, and at least the modicum of politeness and consideration due a member of the same fraternity...  

The human fraternity. "The Brotherhood of Man".  

G.M.Kelly  
July 4, 1994 E.V.