First Open Source Gnostic Church
Aleister Crowley
From Ecclesia Gnostica Universalis
Aleister Crowley (October 12, 1875 – December 1, 1947) was a British occultist and writer. He was a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. He is best known for his magical writings, especially The Book of the Law, which he made the centerpiece of his religion Thelema, based on the earlier philosophy of François Rabelais.
Quotations
"All I ask is that my results should convince seekers after truth that there is something beyond doubt worth seeking, attainable by methods more or less like mine. I do not want to father a flock, to be the fetish of fools and fanatics, or the founder of a faith whose followers are content to echo my opinions. I want each man to cut his way through the jungle." -- The Confessions of Aleister Crowley
"It is this, then, that I desire to emphasize: those who accept the New Law, the Law of the Aeon of Horus, the crowned and conquering child who replaces in our theogony the suffering and despairing victim of destiny, the Law of Thelema, which is Do What Thou Wilt, those who accept it (I say) feel themselves immediately to be kings and queens. 'Every man and every woman is a star' is the first statement of The Book of the Law." --Liber CLXI
"They all pretend to be Christians, yet the injunction 'Love your enemies,' which by the way is really the first corollary of the Law of Thelema, is universally regarded as infinitely objectionable. I am myself in all kinds of a mess simply because I insist upon putting this into practice. I refuse to consider my enemies as irreconcilable; I take the utmost pains to understand and love them." --The Confessions of Aleister Crowley
"Nothing can save the world but the universal acceptance of the Law of Thelema as the sole and sufficient basis of conduct. Its truth is self-evident. It is as susceptible of the strictest mathematical demonstration as any other theorem in biology. It admits that each member of the human race is unique, sovereign and responsible only to himself. In this way it is the logical climax of the idea of democracy. Yet at the same time it is the climax of aristocracy by asserting each individual equally to be the centre of the universe." --The Confessions of Aleister Crowley
"The Law of Thelema ... is not limited by ethnological, social, religious or linguistic barriers. Its metaphysical basis is strictly scientific. Its principle is single, simple and self-evident. It does not deny human nature or demand impossible virtues. It offers to every individual the fullest satisfaction of his true aspirations; and it supplies a justification for all types of political systems beyond the criticisms which have undermined all previous theories of government." --The Confessions of Aleister Crowley
"In many respects, no doubt, the Law of Thelema is revolutionary. It insists on the absolute sovereignty of the individual within the limits of his proper function. And this principle will be resented by all those who like to interfere with other people's business." --The Confessions of Aleister Crowley
"The Law of Thelema avows and justifies selfishness; it confirms the inmost conviction of each one of us that he is the centre of the cosmos." --The Confessions of Aleister Crowley
"In the New Aeon, each man will be a king, and his relation to the state will be determined solely by considerations of what is most to his advantage." --The Confessions of Aleister Crowley
"Chastity may thus be defined as the strict observance of the Magical Oath; that is, in the Light of the Law of Thelema, absolute and perfected devotion to the Holy Guardian Angel and exclusive pursuit of the Way of the True Will." --Little Essays Towards Truth
