Thelema (1904-1947)
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) October 17, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.22251150 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis |
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| Key points | Describes Thelema as an esoteric new religious movement founded by Aleister Crowley in 1904, built on the notion of the True Will and the phrase "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law", with practices centered on ritual magic, Eastern meditation, and sacred sexuality. It traces the movement's organization through the A.'.A.'. and the Ordo Templi Orientis and notes that extensive media coverage cemented its image as controversial and antinomian. |
Abstract
The esoteric new religious movement Thelema (Greek "Will") founded in 1904 by the British magus Aleister Crowley (1875-1947). This entry focuses on the development of Thelema during Crowley's life, from its foundation in 1904 in Cairo, to Crowley's death in Hastings, December 1947. Thelema has as its foundational premise the notion of the True Will (a form of Self-Spirituality), popularized through the phrase "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law". The practices center on ritual magic, Eastern meditation techniques, and sacred sexuality. Thelema during Crowley's lifetime was organized through the organizations the A.',A.', (later often referred to as the Order of the Silver Star, Lat. Argenteum Astrum, Gr. Astron Argon) founded in 1907, and the Ordo Templi Orientis ('Order of the Temple of the East' or 'Order of Oriental Templars'), founded in the early twentieth century by the German occultist, theosophist, and Freemason Theodor Reuss, whose central feature was the practice of sexual magic. Thelema and its founder Aleister Crowley received extensive media coverage, cementing an image of Thelema as a controversial and antinomian new religious movement.