“Think for yourself, and question authority” –Dr. Timothy Leary

The philosophy of Thelema is based on the axiom of “Do what you will.” It establishes itself as the “Law” or universal truth by which all conduct is based on. The Law of Thelema can be seen as a solution to today’s problems of ethics, or as an antithesis to contemporary ethics. It dares to question the moral authorities of modern society.

The great task of moral philosophers has been to establish the “Universal Truth.” When discussing moral and ethical philosophy, universal truth cannot be avoided. An absolute truth forms a baseline from which all ethical views are drawn from. The universal truth separates right conduct from wrong conduct. It makes order out of the chaos of life.

Throughout history the religious, the political, and the educational authorities, have attempted to comfort the public by providing people with order. The authorities endeavored to control the public, by informing people, or forming in their minds of the their own version of reality. The religious authorities have based their universal truth on God. The political authorities have justified their universal truth by might. And the educational authorities have used reason to rationalize their universal truth.

An individual is truly mad who accepts no universal truth. Without this absolute truth, whether it be God or gods, might and power, reason and rational, an individual is doomed to a life of chaos. For it is on the foundation of universal truth that we build our reality. The mad man declares that we are in a constant state of chaos, with or without the “Universal Truth.” He claims that chaos is inherent in reality, and order is an illusion created by our oppressors, societies authorities. He insists that our so-called “Universal Truth” is only relative to the individual, and if universal truth is not absolute it is a relative truth. But, isn’t the mad man’s argument essentially circular, as all arguments are? One can just as easily assert that beneath the chaos there is an underlying order to things, and perception of chaos is itself an illusion.

Perhaps, the Enlightenment‘s philosophes had it right when they declared that all men are created equal, and all men possess certain unalienable rights. Liberty can be asserted to all individuals, and can be considered as a universal truth. Yet, liberty fails to give a reference to guide people in their conduct of everyday life. If everyone did as they pleased things would surely be chaotic. Also, what if one person’s freedom conflicted with another person? Could someone assert his or her rights over another, when we are all essentially equal?
When the notion of freedom is conformed, by stipulations and mandates, the ideal becomes corrupt, and contradicts true freedom. The question arises of how could society act in a manner that enables individuals to reach their full potential, in the method of their choosing, without creating conflict with the universe around them? What universal rule of thumb can be used to guide people’s everyday lives?

“Fais ce que vouldras” –Francois Rabelais

Francois Rabelais was the first to utter the Law of Thelema. He was a French Renaissance humanist and humorist, who authored the revolutionary satire Gargantua and Pantagruel. Within the first two paragraphs of chapter 57 of Gargantua is the famous motto—“Do what you will” (Fais ce que vouldras) 1.

Abbaye de Theleme best expresses his ideas on Christian life and freedom. As a Franciscan, and later a Benedictine friar, Rabelais was very familiar with the monastic life of his time, and eventually became disillusioned with it. He described his Abbey of Thelema as a magnificent Renaissance castle with no external walls and no clocks. The abbey was coeducational and admitted boys from 12 to 18 years, and girls from 10 to 15 years. They were permitted to marry, amass riches, and live in freedom. Rabelais’ Abbey was the complete opposite of the monastic life he was use to.

Over the entrance to the abbey was an inscription that did not permit entrance to hypocrites, but admitted people of noble families and noble bearing. The only rule of the abbey was “Do what you will.” Rabelais believed that free people, well born and educated, who associated with good people, have a natural gift and tendency that always impels them to act virtuously and avoid vice. These so-called free people were called Thelemites.
The philosophy of Thelema offered by Rabelais is a universal truth of freedom. But, does Thelema also offer a recipe for disaster? Can everyone do what he or she wills without conflicting with one another?

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law”—Aleister Crowley


It was Aleister Crowley, the British Occultist, who further developed Thelema. He declared in his Liber AL vel Legis, or The Book of the Law 2, that “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law,” and “There is no Law beyond do what thou wilt.” This is the Law of Thelema, which Aleister Crowley offered as the universal truth.
The key to his message lies in the word Thelema. Thelema is Greek for will. Thelema does not mean, “Do what you like.” On the contrary, Thelema implies that if every man and every woman did his or her will, their true will, there would be no clashing. Crowley likened the individual to a star. If all stars traveled on their appointed path, there would be plenty of room for all; it is only disorder that creates confusion. Crowley writes in his commentary to Liber AL:

“It is the apotheosis of freedom; but it is also the strictest possible bond. Do what thou wilt—then do nothing else. Let nothing deflect thee from that austere and holy task. Liberty is absolute to do thy will; but seek to do any other thing whatever, and instantly obstacles must arise. Every act that is not in definite course of that one orbit is erratic, a hindrance. Will must not be two, but one.”

He makes it clear that to act in accordance with the true will is to act in accordance with the universe. Only when an individual acts contrary to his or her true will do they find themselves at odds with the universe. If we take this into consideration, it seems all problems arise when we are not in harmony with our true will. But what is our True will, and how do we perform it?

Crowley suggests we discover our true will by first furnishing the mind with the knowledge of how to inspect and control it. Next train the body to obey the mind, and not to distract its attention. Control the mind wholly to discover the true will. Explore the course of that will until the source is reached, the silent self. Once the true will is discovered the individual shall perform it with one-pointedness, detachment, and peace.

In order to address the problem of two individual’s will conflicting with one another Crowley declared, “Love is the Law, love under will.” Thus, individuals would be united through love. He also mentions in his essay titled Duty 3:

To bring out saliently the differences between two points-of-view is useful to both in measuring the position of each in the whole. Combat stimulates the virile or creative energy; and, like love, of which it is one form, excites the mind to an orgasm, which enables it to transcend its rational dullness.

His vision was that this love and war would be in the nature of sport, where one respects and learns from the opponent, but never interferes, outside the actual game. To interfere in another’s will is considered dangerous and should be avoided. To seek to dominate or influence another is to seek to destroy a necessary part of one’s own universe, that is, of one’s self.

Governments should do everything possible to establish this Law of Thelema, insisted Crowley. He thought the true aim of legislature should not be to restrict the individual, but to grant the most freedom for each individual being violated (i.e. the murder restricts the victims right to live; the robber restricts the victims right to fruits of labor; etc.). He recommends criminals be separated from society, but also shown how their actions are contrary to their own true will.
According to Crowley all artificial crimes should be abolished. When fantastic restrictions disappear, the individual will learn to avoid acts that really restrict natural rights. Crowley believed that this would cause real crime to diminish automatically.

Instead of creating a cult with his Thelema, Crowley would rather have seen it develop and grow in the hands of dedicated and independent students. He understood that only through absolute freedom could we attain anything that could be considered truth. The wise application of the Law of Thelema is based on observation and experiment, and working in conscious harmony with evolution.

Notes
1. Pocetto, Alexander T., Rabelais, Francis de Sales and the Abbaye de Thelema, O.S.F.S. (Allentown College of St. Francis de Sales, Revised Feb 1998, http://www4.desales.edu/~salesian/rabelais.html.
2. Crowley, Aleister, Liber AL vel Legis (Book of the Law), Cairo, Egypt, 1904. http://www.hermetic.com/220/crowley-comment.html.
3. Crowley, Aleister, “Duty”, OTO, 1994, http://oto-usa.org/duty.html.