Holy Books of Thelema
From Free Encyclopedia of Thelema
The Holy Books of Thelema is the name recently given to the collection of those works that Aleister Crowley penned, but that he claimed were written through him—not by him. They therefore are to be considered 'inspired' works. The chief of these books, Liber AL vel Legis, is the only one that involved a voice dictating the text to him. Of all the others, Crowley writes in Confessions:
- "The spirit came upon me and I wrote a number of books in a way which I hardly know how to describe. They were not taken from dictation like The Book of the Law nor were they my own composition. I cannot even call them automatic writing. I can only say that I was not wholly conscious at the time of what I was writing...I cannot doubt that these books are the work of an intelligence independent of my own."
Some of these works were originally published by Crowley in 1909 under the title "ΘΕΛΗΜΑ." In 1983 these original texts, together with a number of additional texts, were published under the new title The Holy Books of Thelema by O.T.O., Inc. under the direction of Hymenaeus Alpha.
Contents |
Original Contents of ΘΕΛΗΜΑ
- Volume I
- Liber LXI vel Causæ—Explains the actual history and origin of the present movement. This text, being in Class D, is not technically a Holy Book, but was included in "ΘΕΛΗΜΑ" as an Introduction, and is thus listed here.
- Liber LXV: Liber Cordis Cincti Serpente—An account of the relations of the aspirant and his Holy Guardian Angel.
- Volume II
- Liber Liberi vel Lapidis Lazuli—These are the Birth Words of a Master of the Temple. It's 7 Chapters are referred to the 7 Planets in the following order: Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Sol, Mercury, Luna, Venus.
- Volume III
- Liber Trigrammaton sub Figura XXVII—Being a book of Trigrams of the Mutations of the Tao with the Yin and Yang. An account of the Cosmic process.
- Liber AL vel Legis sub Figura CCXX: The Book of the Law—Among the Holy Books of Thelema, the chief is The Book of the Law. Every Thelemite is expected to interpret the book, "each for himself."
- Liber DCCCXIII vel Ararita—An account of the Hexagram and the method of reducing it to the Unity and Beyond. This book describes in magical language a very secret process of Initiation.
Additional Texts included in The Holy Books of Thelema
- Liber B vel Magi—An account of the Grade of Magus, the highest grade which it is even possible to manifest in any way whatsoever upon this plane.
- Liber Porta Lucis—An account of the sending forth of the Master Therion by the A.'.A.'. and an explanation of his mission.
- Liber Stellae Rubeae—Sexual Magick veiled in symbolism.
- Liber Tzaddi vel Hamus Hermeticus—An account of Initiation, and an indication as to those who are suitable for the same.
- Liber Cheth vel Vallum Abiegni—Sexual Magick veiled in symbolism.
- Liber CCXXXI: Liber Arcanorum—An account of the cosmic process so far as it is indicated by the Tarot Trumps. The sequence of the 22 Trumps is explained as a formula of Initiation.
- Liber A'ash vel Capricorni Pneumatici—Analyzes the nature of the creative magical force in man, explains how to awaken it, how to use it and indicates the general as well as the particular objects to be gained thereby. Sexual Magick veiled in symbolism.
- Liber CD: Liber Tau vel Kabbalae Trium Literarum—A graphic interpretation of the Tarot on the plane of Initiation.
See also
References
- Crowley, Aleister. The Holy Books of Thelema. Samuel Weiser, York Beach, Maine, 1983.
