Thelema 101: Aleister Crowley's 'Do What Thou Wilt'
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BY NICOLE LAU
"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law."
This single phrase—often misunderstood, frequently misquoted—is the foundation of Thelema, the magical and philosophical system revealed to Aleister Crowley in 1904. It's not a license for hedonism or chaos. It's a profound spiritual directive: discover your True Will and align your entire life with it.
Thelema is both a religion and a magical practice, a philosophy and a way of life. For ceremonial magicians, it offers a framework for understanding the Great Work and a set of powerful rituals to achieve it.
The Birth of Thelema: Cairo, 1904
In April 1904, Aleister Crowley and his wife Rose were in Cairo, Egypt. Rose, who had no prior interest in occultism, entered a trance state and began channeling messages from a non-physical intelligence.
She told Crowley: "They are waiting for you."
Over three days (April 8-10), Crowley sat in their apartment and transcribed a text dictated by a being calling itself Aiwass, described as Crowley's Holy Guardian Angel or a messenger of the divine.
The result was Liber AL vel Legis—The Book of the Law—a short, cryptic text of three chapters that would become the central scripture of Thelema.
The Core Principles of Thelema
1. "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law."
This is the Law of Thelema. But "do what thou wilt" does not mean "do whatever you want."
"Will" (with a capital W) is not whim or desire—it's your True Will:
- Your deepest purpose
- Your unique function in the universe
- The trajectory your soul is meant to follow
- Your authentic nature, stripped of social conditioning
To "do your Will" is to discover what you are truly meant to do in this life and to pursue it with total dedication, regardless of external pressures or internal resistance.
2. "Love is the law, love under will."
This is the second half of the Law, often omitted but equally important.
"Love under will" means:
- Love aligned with purpose, not sentimental attachment
- Union with all things in their proper orbit
- The force that connects each being to their True Will
- Agape (divine love), not eros (romantic love) or philia (friendship)
When you do your Will, you naturally align with the Will of others, creating harmony rather than conflict.
3. "Every man and every woman is a star."
This is the cosmology of Thelema: each person is a sovereign, self-luminous being with their own orbit, their own path, their own light.
You are not a servant, a sinner, or a subject. You are a star—complete, divine, and free.
Your job is not to follow someone else's path, but to shine in your own unique way.
The Three Aeons
Thelema teaches that human spiritual evolution moves through three great Aeons (ages), each governed by a different divine formula:
Aeon of Isis (Matriarchal Age)
Era: Prehistoric to ~2000 BCE
Formula: Mother Goddess, nature worship, cyclical time
Consciousness: Instinctual, tribal, earth-based
Aeon of Osiris (Patriarchal Age)
Era: ~2000 BCE to 1904 CE
Formula: Dying and resurrecting god (Osiris, Christ, etc.)
Consciousness: Sacrifice, sin, redemption, hierarchical religion
Characteristics: Emphasis on suffering, obedience, external authority
Aeon of Horus (Current Age)
Era: 1904 CE to present
Formula: The Crowned and Conquering Child
Consciousness: Individual sovereignty, True Will, self-deification
Characteristics: Freedom, personal responsibility, direct gnosis
We are now in the Aeon of Horus, where each person is called to discover and enact their True Will without intermediaries.
The Book of the Law: Key Passages
Chapter I (Nuit - Infinite Space):
"Every man and every woman is a star."
"The word of the Law is Θελημα (Thelema)."
Chapter II (Hadit - Infinite Point):
"Come forth, o children, under the stars, and take your fill of love!"
"There is no law beyond Do what thou wilt."
Chapter III (Ra-Hoor-Khuit - The Crowned Child):
"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law."
"Love is the law, love under will."
The Book of the Law is intentionally cryptic, filled with symbolism, numerology, and layers of meaning. Thelemites study it for a lifetime.
The Great Work in Thelema
The goal of Thelemic practice is the Great Work:
- Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel (K&C of HGA) — Direct contact with your Higher Self or divine genius
- Crossing the Abyss — Ego death and union with the divine
- Becoming a Master of the Temple — Living in service to your True Will
This is achieved through:
- Ceremonial magic (Golden Dawn rituals, Enochian work, etc.)
- Yoga and meditation
- Study of Qabalah and Tarot
- The practice of Magick (spelled with a 'k' to distinguish it from stage magic)
Thelemic Practices and Rituals
The Gnostic Mass
The central public ritual of Thelema, a Eucharistic ceremony celebrating the union of opposites (masculine/feminine, spirit/matter). It's theatrical, symbolic, and deeply moving.
Liber Resh vel Helios
A solar adoration performed four times daily (dawn, noon, sunset, midnight) to align with the sun's journey and maintain awareness of the divine.
The Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram (Thelemic Version)
Thelemites use a modified LBRP that invokes Thelemic god-names instead of Hebrew ones.
The Star Ruby and Star Sapphire
Crowley's versions of the pentagram and hexagram rituals, using Greek god-names and Thelemic formulas.
The Abramelin Operation
A six-month (or 18-month) intensive retreat designed to achieve Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. This is the central ordeal of Thelemic magic.
Thelemic Symbols
The Unicursal Hexagram
A six-pointed star that can be drawn in one continuous line, representing the union of macrocosm and microcosm. It's the primary symbol of Thelema.
The Eye of Horus
Represents the Aeon of Horus and the all-seeing awareness of the magician.
The Stele of Revealing
An ancient Egyptian funerary stele (Stele 666 in the Cairo Museum) that Rose Crowley identified as significant. It depicts the god Ra-Hoor-Khuit and is considered a physical anchor for the Thelemic current.
93
The number 93 is sacred in Thelema because:
- Θελημα (Thelema) = 93 in Greek gematria
- Αγαπη (Agape, divine love) = 93
Thelemites greet each other with "93" (meaning "Do what thou wilt") and close with "93 93/93" (meaning "Love is the law, love under will").
Common Misconceptions
"Do what thou wilt" means do whatever you want."
No. It means discover your True Will and do that, which often requires discipline, sacrifice, and hard work.
"Thelema is Satanism."
No. Thelema has no concept of Satan or worship of evil. It's a system of self-deification and alignment with divine will.
"Crowley was evil."
Crowley was controversial, provocative, and deliberately transgressive. He was also a brilliant magician, poet, and mystic. Judge the system by its fruits, not by tabloid headlines.
"Thelema is just hedonism."
No. True Will often demands asceticism, discipline, and renunciation of lower desires in service of higher purpose.
Is Thelema Right for You?
Thelema is not for everyone. It demands:
- Radical self-honesty about your true nature and desires
- Personal responsibility for your choices and their consequences
- Willingness to challenge social norms and religious conditioning
- Dedication to the Great Work above comfort or convenience
If you're drawn to individual sovereignty, direct gnosis, and the idea that you are a divine being with a unique cosmic purpose, Thelema may resonate.
How to Explore Thelema
- Read The Book of the Law (Liber AL vel Legis) — It's short (3 chapters) and available free online
- Study Crowley's commentaries on the Book of the Law
- Read Magick in Theory and Practice by Aleister Crowley
- Explore the A∴A∴ or O.T.O. (Thelemic magical orders) if you want structured training
- Practice the rituals (Liber Resh, Star Ruby, etc.)
- Keep a magical diary to track your progress toward discovering your True Will
Final Thoughts
Thelema is a radical, uncompromising path. It offers no comfort, no easy answers, no external savior. It says: You are a god. Act like it.
Your True Will is waiting to be discovered. The only question is: will you do the Work?
93 93/93
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