What did aleister crowley mean by do what thou wilt. Aleister crowleys in his 1904 work the book of the law expresses the rede do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law more recently, the rede became the center piece of doreen valientes 1964 poem derived from gerald gardner s statement that witches are inclined to the morality of the legendary good king pausol, do what you like so long. The rede is interpreted by most wiccans as stating that they are free to do what ever they want to, as long as it does not harm themselves or anyone else. If there is no law beyond do what thou wilt, what is. The book contained elements of wiccan theology and ritual, with. Harm none, but take no sht january 14, 2020 mat auryn patheos explore the worlds faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality. Nevertheless, the similarity of the phrasing of the rede and explicit and verbatim phrasing of other texts suggests that this statement is partly based on the law of thelema as stated by occultist aleister crowley, 10 do what thou wilt is the whole of the law. And he trembling and astonished said, lord, what wilt thou have me to do. In its entirety, the rede is eight words the wiccan rede fulfill, an it harm none do what ye will.
Never was there a man who up to that moment felt less need of asking such a question. Bide the wiccan laws ye must in perfect love and perfect trust. It may be best to strive for a conversation with your guardian before attempting to effect your surroundings. The actual wording of the wiccan rede is an it harm none, do as ye will. The timing of this piece is excellent as just yesterday i was driving to work behind a car that was going slow and then speeding up, etc. Despite the similarities, i would argue that an it harm none, do what ye will and do what thou wilt be the whole of the law are two very different statements. An it harm none do what ye will implies something very different. Many thelemites do find that membership in a thelemic organization.
Wiccan rede religion, spiritualism, and occult there are no commandments, catechism, or similar doctrine in wicca. That republicanbashing meme feels good when we post it but the. The rede differs from some other wellknown moral codes such as christian or islamic notion of sin in that, while it does contain a prohibition, it is largely an encouragement to act freely. Crowley claimed the disincarnate being aiwassdictated the book of the law to him on april 810th, 1904.
The wording is archaic an is an old word for if in. This is a far cry from the usual harm none that gets thrown around. Never a man more sure of his purpose and his goal in life or more determined to reach it. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law is a moral utterance found in the thelemic foundation scripture, which is called the book of the law. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law secrets. The rede has taken many forms from a long litany written by lady gwen thompson to the original words of do what you like so long as you harm none. Contrast do unto others as you would have them do unto you with do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law and maybe you can appreciate my concern. There is a relationship between the law of thelema and the wiccan rede, an it harm none do as ye will, the moral. There is a relationship between the law of thelema and the wiccan rede, an it harm none do as ye will, the moral rule of late 20th century witchcraft in englishspeaking countries. An you harm none, do what thou wilt just means as long as you harm no one, do whatever you want. I have listened to too many people mindlessly rattle on about, and it harm none, do what thou wilt. Whatever action you take will return to you threefold. Do what thou wilt but i recommend this book without reservation. Most of us involved in paganism or magick have heard of the terms do what thou wilt and harm none but what exactly do they mean.
If something is harmless, you are permitted to do it. A similar phrase, do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law. Do what thou wilt, but harm none and and ye harm none, do as thou wilt, while. Harm ye none and do what ye will article about harm ye. Judge not the path of another for her or his path is sacred. However, if another person does interfere with your will, you have the right to defend yourself in the most appropriate way that situation dictates. Let it make no difference to thee whether thou art cold or warm, if thou art doing thy duty. Im a believer in do what thou wilt but harm none but if live is causing harm to yourself or others, no one is just required to let you, imo. Lively, surprisingly wellwritten all too many biographies dont seem to be written by real writers, and apparently wellresearched, its a book youre likely to find hard to put down. You might say that we are working magic all the time we are. In this chapter, i revisit a particular section of my book to respond to a. That crowleyanized version of the wiccan rede was invented and publicized by raymond buckland, via his 1986 book bucklands complete book of witchcraft. An it harm none, do what thou wilt the wiccan rede do what thou will shall be the whole of the law alasteir crowley, the book of the law. Do what thou wilt do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law is a moral utterance found in the thelemic foundation scripture, which is called the book of the law.
Are atheists following the doctrine of aleister crowley. Never was there a man whose path was plainer before him. The rede is the most basic expression of ethics in wicca. The problem is that phrase means something very different. An ye harm none, do what thou wilt is known by witches, wiccans, pagans and cowans alike. Know your truest self before undertaking any ritual magick. An it harm none, do what thou wilt moon and shadow. Russell, 2018 maxim love, and do what thou wilt, gutierrez intimates that a real. However, no matter how you lay it out, crowleys do what you will shall be the whole of the law, is fundamentally flawed. Eight words ye wiccan rede fulfill an it harm none, do what ye wil. He put concern for the self at the center, ignoring harm to others.
What he wrote was do what thou wilt be the whole of the law. Thelemites live by the law of freedom, do what thou wilt shall be the. Eight words the wiccan rede fulfill, an it harm none, do what ye will. The wiccan rede ontario consultants on religious tolerance. The old religion witch credo and ye harm none do what thou wilt.
Do as thou wilt, but harm none is not a good ethic. Witches of all paths and experience are welcome here. An alternative explanation is that the rede was extracted directly from the wiccan credo which some wiccans believe was written circa 1910 ce by. Gardner may have taken the phrase from rabelais and crowley. There is no requirement to join any particular organization, to associate with or shun other thelemites, or to follow any specific course of study, meditation, or ritual practice. Thelema ogni cosa che fai, nel giusto modo di concepirla per imprimerle il tuo suggello.
The pagans, it seems, were uncomfortable with anything. The earliest progenitors are probably hippocrates, st. Crowley describes the pursuit of will as not only with detachment from possible results, but with tireless energy. Pagan studies scholar graham harvey has it as an it harm none, do as you. The message of the master therion, the law of thelema is summarized succinctly as do what thou wiltthen do nothing else. The exact relationships between the three different forms of the maxim remain controversial. David richard jones eight words the wiccan rede fulfill. The substance of the universe is obedient and compliant. Preliminary to this question arising, one might suggest, is fulfillment of the prophecy or injunction do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law. That it harm none, do as thou wilt do what you will, so long as it harms none a similar phrase, do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law, appears in aleister crowley s works by 1904, in the book of the law though as used by crowley it is half of a statement and response, the response being love is the law, love under will. I think most people would agree that defending your life from an attacker is not a bad thing though.
Note that it does not mean do whatever you feel like, although many people interpret it this way. The word thelema is the english transliteration of the koine greek noun pronounced, will, from the verb. Atheism is not a moral code and there is no common standard of behaviour that all atheists adhere to, so it is not clear why anyone would think atheists believe do a thou wilt, as you falsely assert. The wiccan rede is known to have existed since the time of doreen valiente 1964, who also linked to gerald gardner, who in turn, knew aleister crowley 1904, who in turn also had. A similar rule, or guideline, can be found in the work of aleister crowley around the turn of the century, in which he advised his readers, do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law. Do what thou wilt magickal ethics and philosophy youtube. An ityeyou harm none, do aswhat yethouyou wiltwill. The wiccan rede, for those new to the community or coming into atheopaganism from atheistskeptic circles, is the only widely though far from universally adopted moral precept in the pagan community. But they believe a certain law to be important, you must not use magic for. Do as you will and harm none is not an easy way to structure morality. The internet classics archive the meditations by marcus. Not harm none many people abbreviate the rede to two words. An it harm none, do what you will its aligned with the working of magic the will, and. Do as thou wilt because men that are free, of gentle birth, well bred, and at home in civilized company posses a.
Temple of thelema view topic do what thou wilt shall. All this aside, do what thou wilt is simply a good read. An is an archaic version of if, as in my favourite snippet of shakespearian dialogue from as you like it, i think. Preshrunk, antipill fleece in lightweight and heavyandwarm options. As a first approximation, its not a bad foundation for a moral sy. An it harm none, do what you will its aligned with the working of magic the will, and relates to all work done in that context. He clipped the wiccan rede, if it harm none, do what you will. The encyclopedia of witchcraft, wicca, and neopaganism detroit. The critical quotation is taken from the book of the lawqv. Is this book a portrait of an artist as a great failure. Crowley in turn got the phrase thou wilt from the hermetic order of the golden dawn, to which he belonged. Aleister crowley, the book of the law liber al vel legis. What you do beyond that is entirely up to you do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.
Witches, wiccans and pagans can draw on the rede, an it harm none do what ye will. But they witches believe a certain law to be important, you must not use magic for. Eight words the wiccan rede fulfil, an it harm none, do what ye will. Crowley adopted the line do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law from this writer who in 1534 wrote, do as thou wilt. One is anarchic to the core, while the other contains the seeds of those lists of moral rules were all accustomed to. While, aleister crowley was ostensibly an influential magician, a founder of an occult religion called thelema, and a pioneer of sex magick crowleys spelling which seems to have taken its inspiration from a nonmagical, mystical practice found in hinduism called tantra, do what thou. Wiccan morality is largely expressed in the wiccan rede. A common form of the rede is an ye harm none, do what ye will which was. An ye harm none, do what ye will, or and it harm none, do what you will. Gerald gardner compared the moral code of witches with the legendary ethic of the fabled king pausol which was do what you like so long as you harm no one. Lest in thy selfdefense it be, ever mind the rule of three. Tookes the eagletrvssers elegie, first published in 1647, but dating from c. Lewis began his book mere christianityattempting to argue from a general sense of. Weekly theme an it harm none, do as ye will syrah 112018.
Earth religion news in 1974 a complete twentysix line poem entitled the wiccan rede was published in this neopagan magazine. Harm none is a hard and fast rule that you are never ever to hurt anything for any reason. It also doesnt bear much similarity the the wiccan harm none, do what thou wilt which is an expression of the responsibility of individual morality. Do what thou will shall be the whole of the law, will under love. What is logically wrong with a harm none, do what thou. That which inhibits the will of another is not our true spiritual will. Here, in a book that must be regarded as right now the definitive text on the life of crowley, we have a downtoearth, unsensational accounting of an outofthisworld, sensational life.
The rede is seen by both wiccans and outside observers as very similar to the golden rule, a belief that is found in nearly every religion. So, for us, harm none, is implied in do what thou wilt. That having become the case, and there being found to be no law discernable beyond such exalted state, one might, and here i so do, ask what is beyond do what thou wilt, if. Doreen valientes an abc of witchcraft past and present witches morality can be summed up in one sentence, do what you will, so long as it harms none. This book outlines rituals for working with the witchs devil so its definitely. But that doesnt make harm none a useful rule to follow. But the truth is, witchcraft is a naturebased, gentle practice, and these days, being a badass witch is something to take pride in and celebrate. Crowley claimed the disincarnate being aiwass dictated the book of the law to him. But all things are made and perfected according to this reason. Some despise it, some laugh at it, some adhere to it as ardane law, many see it merely as a guide and nothing more.