Wandering Stars

The Stele of Ankh af na Khonsu in the Egyptian Museum Equinox 2004 photo courtesy Ab Nephthys.

About Thelema

In my 45-page paper “About Thelema and the Threefold Book of Law,” I explore in some detail the fascinating backstory of the compelling spiritual philosophy and religious movement founded by Aleister Crowley in 1906, focusing especially on its Egyptian dispensation.

Here’s a brief overview:

Origins and Principles: The foundational text of Thelema is the Threefold Book of Law, which Crowley claimed was dictated to him by a non-corporeal entity named Aiwass, channeled through his wife Rose while on their honeymoon in Cairo Egypt, in 1904. The writing emphasizes personal freedom and love, with the central axiom “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, love under will.” Thelema centers around actively and intentionally discovering and following one’s “True Will,” which, being a “spark” of the divine, transcends ordinary desires. Crowley taught that each person has a unique purpose in this incarnation, and should seek to discover and express it. In so doing each individual encourages others to follow by example.
Cosmology and Deities: The primary connection before writing the Book of Law was Rose leading Crowley to the “Stele of Ankh af na Khonsu” (pictured above) on the second floor of the old Egyptian museum when he had challenged her to point Horus out to him, after having passed several images by. On this funerary plaque are three Egyptian god-forms and a priest:
Nut, the arching goddess of the infinite circle of space and Milky Way galaxy, the “Queen of Heaven” representing our source and our afterlife abode, and the ultimate source of all possibilities.
B’Hedet, the “Great God” Horus the Elder as the winged globe, and the center everywhere found in the body of Nuit, an infinitely small point symbolizing self-awareness, intent, manifestation, and motion.
Ra Horakhty (Ra Horus of the Two Horizons), the hawk-headed solar deity and dread gatekeeper of the afterlife, representing the Sun and the active energies of transformation and magick.
Ankh af na Khonsu, the offering priest and deceased owner of the stele.
The gods are written in the Book of Law as Nuit, Hadit, and Ra Hoor Khuit; while Crowley and/or Aiwass are identified with the priest.
The Egyptian Dispensation: Liber Legis reveals a new dispensation of the natural religion of the old gods or Neteru of ancient Egypt and directs us to its Sacred Science for understanding. This “atavistic resurgence” of religious knowledge, practices, and technologies - fine-tuned over thousands of years by their learned priests, physicians, and philosophers, will serve as a solid foundation in the turbulent times ahead, as prophesied in the book.
Magick and Self-Realization: The performance of ritual, ceremony, and magick play a central role for many in Thelema. These aim to align us with the divine confluence of forces to uncover one’s ”pure will” and then enact change in alignment with it, a lifelong process called The Great Work. These paths to self-realization can be many. Such work can be likened to the path of a warrior, doing battle with one’s personal weaknesses and self-limiting behavior.
The Word of the Law: “The word of the Law is Thelema. Who calls us Thelemites will do no wrong, if he look but close into the word.” Thelema (pronounced “the-LEE-mah”) is a Greek word meaning divine or emotional will, and “to desire, love, and seek joy and pleasure.”

To summarise, Thelema emphasizes love and self-realization, encouraging freedom of personal exploration and expression, and the pursuit of one’s unique “pure will.” Imagine, if you will, a collective society based upon Thelema, where human potential and overall spiritual evolution are maximized in every individual.

If you would like to delve deeper, I invite you to read “About Thelema and the Threefold Book of Law ‘The Egyptian Dispensation’.” It is also available for a nominal fee as a .pdf. file in my Wandering Stars Publications store.

In Maa’t,

Sekhau!

𓁧

Wandering Stars is dedicated to expounding the Sacred Science of Ancient Egypt

In memory and in honor of John Anthony West

Born July 9, 1932 - Wested February 6, 2018

AUM