Encyclopedia > Thelema

  Article Content

Thelema

Thelema is the English spelling of the Greek word 'Θελημα' which implies 'will' or 'intention.'

Thelema is also the name of a philosophical/religious practice founded by Aleister Crowley. It is founded on the notion that knowing and doing one's True Will provides absolute freedom and enlightenment. Crowley's 'received' text Liber AL vel Legis or The Book of the Law is the central document which provides the basis for Thelema. This book declares that "Love is the law, love under will", "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law", and "The word of the Law is Thelema".

The Greek Thelema is the basis of the word Thelemite, coined by Francois Rabelais, the 16th century French humorist-philosopher in his classic work Gargantua[?], where it is used to describe the dwellers in a sort of anti-monastery, the Abbey of Thélème.



All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

 
  Search Encyclopedia

Search over one million articles, find something about almost anything!
 
 
  
  Featured Article
North Haven, New York

... all households are made up of individuals and 18.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.20 and the average family ...

 
 
 
This page was created in 24.6 ms