''The Holy Books of Thelema'' is a collection of 15 works by

Aleister Crowley Aleister Crowley (; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pr ...

, the founder of

Thelema Thelema () is a Western esoteric and occult social or spiritual philosophy and new religious movement founded in the early 1900s by Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), an English writer, mystic, occultist, and ceremonial magician. The word ' ...

, originally published in 1909 by Crowley under the title ', and later republished in 1983, together with a number of additional texts, under the new title, ''The Holy Books of Thelema'', by Ordo Templi Orientis under the direction of Hymenaeus Alpha.

Content

''The Holy Books of Thelema'' consists of the wholly class A

libri of Aleister Crowley The Libri of Aleister Crowley is a list of texts mostly written or adapted by Aleister Crowley. Some are attributed to other authors. The list was intended for students of Crowley's magical order, the A∴A∴. Classes The publications of ...

, which indicates that they that are not to be changed, even to the letter. According to Crowley, they were not so much written ''by'' him as ''through'' him, and are therefore referred to as inspired works. Additionally, ''Liber LXI'', a class D text, is included as an introduction after a preface by Hymenaeus Alpha and synopsis compiled from Crowley's writings. ''Liber LXI'' was originally class A, then changed to class B, indicating works of scholarship, then changed to class D, indicating official rituals and instructions. ''Liber I'' was originally a Class B document but was reclassified as class A in 1913, and so it is included in ''The Holy Books of Thelema''. The majority of these texts were written between the years 1907 and 1911. They are listed in numerical order, following their designation in

Roman numerals Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, ...

, with the exception of ''Liber XXXI'' which immediately follows ''Liber CCXX''.

''The Book of the Law''

'' Liber AL vel Legis'', also known as the ''

Book of the Law ''Liber AL vel Legis'' (), commonly known as ''The Book of the Law'', is the central sacred text of Thelema. Aleister Crowley said that it was dictated to him by a beyond-human being who called himself 'Aiwass'. Rose Edith Kelly, Crowley's w ...

'', is the foundational text for

. It is included in both ''Liber CCXX'' and ''Liber XXXI''. The latter is the handwritten original, while ''Liber CCXX'' was transcribed from the original and was given the number 220 because it is composed of 220 verses. It is the only ''Holy Book'' that

claimed to have had no part in the authorship of. Its primacy is indicated in chapter 3, verse 47: '' The Comment'' is sometimes considered to be part of the ''Book of the Law''; at other times, it is considered to be a different document. In either instance, it has been understood by some to mean that no discussion of any of the ''Holy Books'' may take place, despite the fact that ''the Comment'', which was written after all of the ''Holy Books'' were written, only applies to the ''Book of the Law''. According to this interpretation, the purpose of ''the Comment'' is to allow others to interpret the ''Book of the Law'' for themselves; in other words, no one is to preach its contents or tell you their understanding of it is the one true understanding. However, ''the Comment'' also prohibits the study of the ''Book of the Law''. The stated punishment for violating ''the Comment'' is

anathema Anathema, in common usage, is something or someone detested or shunned. In its other main usage, it is a formal excommunication. The latter meaning, its ecclesiastical sense, is based on New Testament usage. In the Old Testament, anathema was a cr ...

(shunning).

Original contents of ''Θελημα''

* Volume I ** ''Liber LXI vel Causæ'' **: Briefly explains the history and origin of Thelema and the

A∴A∴ The A∴A∴ ( ) is a magical organization described in 1907 by occultist Aleister Crowley. Its members are dedicated to the advancement of humanity by perfection of the individual on every plane through a graded series of universal initiation ...

. This text, being in Class D, is not technically a "holy book", but was included in ' as an introduction, and is thus listed here. ** ''Liber LXV Cordis Cincti Serpente sub figurâ '' **: An account of the relations of the aspirant and his

Holy Guardian Angel A guardian angel is a type of angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group or nation. Belief in tutelary beings can be traced throughout all antiquity. The idea of angels that guard over people played a major role in A ...

. * Volume II ** ''Liber Liberi vel Lapidis Lazuli, Adumbratio Kabbalae Aegyptiorum sub figurâ VII'' **: These are the birth words of a

Master of the Temple The Temple Church is a Royal peculiar church in the City of London located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters. It was consecrated on 10 February 1185 by Patriarch Heraclius of J ...

. Its 7 chapters are referred to the 7 planets in the following order: Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Sol, Mercury, Luna, Venus. * Volume III ** ''Liber Trigrammaton sub figurâ XXVII'' **: A book of

trigram Trigrams are a special case of the ''n''-gram, where ''n'' is 3. They are often used in natural language processing for performing statistical analysis of texts and in cryptography for control and use of ciphers and codes. Frequency Context ...

s of the mutations of the '' tao'' with the

yin and yang Yin and yang ( and ) is a Chinese philosophical concept that describes opposite but interconnected forces. In Chinese cosmology, the universe creates itself out of a primary chaos of material energy, organized into the cycles of yin and ya ...

. An account of the cosmic process. ** ''Liber AL vel Legis sub figurâ CCXX'', commonly called ''the

'' **: Among the ''Holy Books of Thelema'', the chief is ''the Book of the Law''. Every

Thelemite Thelema () is a Western esoteric and occult social or spiritual philosophy and new religious movement founded in the early 1900s by Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), an English writer, mystic, occultist, and ceremonial magician. The word ...

is expected to interpret the book "each for himself". ** ''Liber DCCCXIII vel Ararita sub figurâ DLXX'' **: An account of the

hexagram , can be seen as a compound composed of an upwards (blue here) and downwards (pink) facing equilateral triangle, with their intersection as a regular hexagon (in green). A hexagram ( Greek language, Greek) or sexagram ( Latin) is a six-pointe ...

and the method of reducing it to the unity and beyond. This book describes in magical language a very secret process of

initiation Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformation ...

Additional texts included in ''The Holy Books of Thelema''

* ''Liber B vel Magi sub figurâ I'' *: An account of the Grade of

Magus Magi (; singular magus ; from Latin '' magus'', cf. fa, مغ ) were priests in Zoroastrianism and the earlier religions of the western Iranians. The earliest known use of the word ''magi'' is in the trilingual inscription written by Darius th ...

, the highest grade which it is even possible to manifest in any way whatsoever upon this plane. * ''Liber Porta Lucis sub figurâ X'' *: An account of the sending forth of the Master Therion by the

and an explanation of his mission. * ''Liber AL (Liber Legis) sub figurâ XXXI'', commonly called ''the Book of the Law'' *: A

facsimile A facsimile (from Latin ''fac simile'', "to make alike") is a copy or reproduction of an old book, manuscript, map, art print, or other item of historical value that is as true to the original source as possible. It differs from other forms of ...

of the handwritten manuscript of the ''Book of the Law''; includes '' the Comment''. * ''Liber Stellæ Rubeæ sub figurâ LXVI'' *:

Sexual magic Sex magic (sometimes spelled sex magick) is any type of sexual activity used in magical, ritualistic or otherwise religious and spiritual pursuits. One practice of sex magic is using sexual arousal or orgasm with visualization of a desired re ...

k veiled in symbolism. * ''Liber Tzaddi () vel Hamus Hermeticus sub figurâ XC'' *: An account of Initiation, and an indication as to those who are suitable for the same. * ''Liber Cheth () vel Vallum Abiegni sub figurâ CLVI'' *: Sexual magick veiled in symbolism. * ''Liber Arcanorum sub figurâ CCXXXI Liber Carcerorum cum suis Geniis'' *: 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 sub figurâ CCCLXX'' *: 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 Tau () vel Kabbalæ Trium Literarum'' *: A graphic interpretation of the Tarot on the plane of Initiation.

Other holy books of Thelema

Three libri ''containing'' class A material (but which are not wholly class A) are excluded from the collection, namely: ''Liber CDXV — Opus Lutetianum'' (commonly called ''the Paris Working''); ''Liber XXX vel Sæculi sub figurâ CDXVIII'' (commonly called ''

The Vision and the Voice ''The Vision and the Voice'' (Liber 418) is a book by Aleister Crowley (1875–1947). It chronicles the mystical journey of the author as he explored the 30 Enochian aethyrs originally developed by John Dee and Edward Kelley in the 16th century. ...

''); and ''Liber sub figurâ DCCCCLXIII'' (commonly called ''the Treasurehouse of Images'').

''Stèle of Revealing''

Despite its significance to Thelema, the ''

Stèle of Revealing The Stele of Ankh-ef-en-Khonsu (also known as the Stele of Revealing) is a painted, wooden offering stele located in Cairo, Egypt. It was discovered in 1858 by François Auguste Ferdinand Mariette at the mortuary temple of the 18th Dynasty Pha ...

'' (also called ''Stèle 666'') is not listed as one of ''The Holy Books of Thelema'', however, it is included in ''Appendix A'' alongside supplementary materials. Crowley purports to have authored the text in a past incarnation as the ancient Egyptian priest Ankh-f-n-khonsu.

References

Sources

* *Crowley, Aleister (1996). ''Commentaries on the Holy Books and other Papers'' (The Equinox Vol. IV No. 1). York Beach, ME:

Samuel Weiser Weiser Antiquarian Books is the oldest occult bookstore in the United States. It specialises in books on Aleister Crowley and his circle, magic, mysticism, eastern religions and alternative spirituality. Its earlier New York incarnation, The Weiser ...

. *Free Encyclopedia of Thelema (2005)
Holy Books of Thelema
Retrieved March 27, 2005. *Thelemapedia (2005).
The Holy Books of Thelema
'' Retrieved on 03/11/05. {{DEFAULTSORT:Holy Books Of Thelema, The 1909 books Thelemite texts Works by Aleister Crowley Series of books