
about
Thelema
Occult
Thelema and the occult
After Scientology I studied Thelema. I started with the Holy Books of Thelema. Thelema is a belief system of Aleister Crowley, a 19th century occultist. He started in the Golden Dawn, but early in life he was raised in a very strict home which likely caused some (if not all) of his angst against religious authority.
His time in the original Golden Dawn was short lived, as he helped fracture the organization. Afterwards he had a spiritual awakening and believed to be in direct communication with the Holy Guardian Angel (HGA), whom he named Aiwass.
Through his interaction with this HGA, Crowley took dictation of what is known as the Book of the Law. This became a cornerstone of a new religion created by Crowley, the religion of Thelema.
My initial interest was in Crowley’s organization called the Argentum Astrum (A.’.A.’.). Unlike a typical mystical or magical order where you interact with many members, which is a source of problems, the A.’.A.’. members only interact with one person above and one person below in an unbreaking chain.
Through meditation and other spiritual practices the aspirant is guided to find communion with their own HGA.
My feelings on Crowley are mixed. He had written some amazing spiritual insight, that seems to be obviously transmitted through a Higher source. At the same time Crowley was obsessed with pleasures of the world, which (in my opinion) would take a person easily off course. Perhaps my view is best summed up in Crowley’s own words, “…thou art Lord of Glory and the unclean dog.”