[Vision2020] Seeking some definitions -- just what do you mean?

[Christopher Witmer]

Point well taken, Paul -- thanks. I stand corrected, as it is now clear to
me that I was misunderstanding Crowley. However, it is also readily apparent
to me that there are vast numbers of people in modern society who live as if
they actually believe the doctrine contained in the stereotypical
[mis]representation of Crowley . . . although not as followers of Crowley
per se . . . more likely as followers of Madison Ave. and Hollywood teaching
them to indulge and to be controlled by their lusts.

-- Chris

-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Rumelhart wrote:

Christopher Witmer wrote:
> Example 1
> "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law . . . There is no Law 
> beyond Do what thou wilt" -- Aleister Crowley
>   

Just a quick aside here.  The above doesn't mean you should just do 
whatever whimsical act enters your mind, which is how most people read 
it.  In Crowley's world view (the system he called Thelema), every 
person had a True Will that was spiritual and possibly divine.  This is 
the answer to the question that Know Thyself is asking.  This inner will 
or spiritual destiny was often very demanding and in some cases ran 
afoul of other religious morality systems.  This True Will was in marked 
contrast to the everyday "whim" that might otherwise occur to a person.  
The above quote is basically urging everyone to play the role that they 
were born to play in this world, and not to be distracted by the mundane.

The quote usually has three parts: 

- Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law
- Love is the law, love under will
- There is no Law beyond Do what thou wilt

I'm not a huge fan of Crowley, but he is so often used as a punching bag 
in these kinds of discussions that it gets to be a bit tiresome.

Paul