The Institutes of Kingship Foundations in the Principles of Life
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. I’m probably ahead of myself here because I haven’t released anything for you on Unified Kingdom Theology yet—I’m still working on that essay and find that it’s a bit more complicated than I originally thought to ensure...
Integral Thelema
Integral Thelema is a weekly newsletter promoting the growth, education, and application of integral Thelemic philosophy and theology with a focus on application to real-world concerns in pursuit of wholeness in all four primary domains, and to the complex issues in the world, through a framework of applied Thelema in 360°of life.
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Liturgy of the Sun A Celebration of the Company of Heaven
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. I’ve always felt a deep pull toward the beauty and gravity of Eastern Orthodox liturgy, just as I’m moved by the raw simplicity of Quaker unprogrammed worship. And I’ve always loved the way food becomes sacred in...
In Defense of a Rule of Life A Thelemic Fidēs as Action
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. As a Thelemite, I can tell you that I am not all fond of rules. In fact, I dare say if you ask ten Thelemites if they like rules, you’ll get thirteen “hell, no’s” in response. Of course, the irony is that if you ask...
A Way of Spiritual Formation Maturity in the Aeon of the Child
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. If there is one thing that continues to plague my thinking about modern Thelema, it is something a mentor of mine once said—and I’m paraphrasing here—that just because Crowley was a magician doesn’t mean that everyone...
Thelema and Authority A Tripartite Approach of Equilibrium
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Let’s talk about a-a-a-authority. I know. I know. It’s a dirty word in Thelemaville. The moment you drag out the word authority people start to think you’re about to slap on the chains and drag them off to the salt...
Mere Thelema Street Theology—A Plain and Simple Thelema
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. I’ve offered three weeks of technical theology—doctrine, hermeneutics, and exegesis—which are, granted, a bit simplified for general consumption. But now I want to turn it around and go in the other direction. I want to...
Thelemic Exegesis A Critical Evaluation of the Study of Thelemic Scripture, Part II
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Exegesis in Thelema is not a passive act of textual analysis or mere number crunching but a transformative engagement with its sacred writings. Interpretation, in this sense, is not about imposing external authority...
Dreaming of an Impossible Future Idealized Thelemic Community Planning
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. This post came up in my personal Facebook memories from 19 March 2022. Yeah. Three years ago! I had been working overnight in a residential youth shelter and was mulling over some ideas of what I thought would make a...
Thelemic Hermeneutics A Critical Evaluation of the Study of Thelemic Scripture, Part I
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Hermeneutics broadly refers to the study of interpretation, especially of texts, language, and meaning. It is relevant in multiple domains—including philosophy, law, and literary criticism—but is most notably linked to...
Thelema: A Religion? Who’s Still Afraid of Crowley's Big Bad Wolf?
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Religion, as such, has become one of the largest boogiemen of Thelema since Crowley proclaimed calling Thelema a religion “a rather stupid kind of mischief.”Crowley, Aleister. 1994. “Religion–Is Thelema a ‘New...
Ethics
Between the Beast and the Bitch A Brief Assessment of Aleister Crowley and Ayn Rand
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. I understand that I may lose a few people to this topic, as I usually do, but here we go. Introduction I am generally loathe to tell stories about my adolescence, though in this case, it seems like a good way to...
Eyes Wide Shut Personal Lesson in Ideological Bubbles
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. I grew up in a sheltered childhood. I was raised within a Southern Baptist evangelical environment, but it was a paradoxical mix of standard 1970s end-of-the-world messaging and 1980s Satanic Panic paranoia with a load...
Broken Swords & Fallow Fields Will Thelemites Ever Tire of Being Terrible?
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. For as long as I can remember, Thelemites have had one of the worst reputations in all of occulture even before occulturewas coined in the 1990s as a term that is still as vague today as it was back then. There was an...
Raise herself in pride! Thoughts on the Scarlet Woman
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. The subject of the Scarlet Woman comes up enough to warrant its own discussion to get at the heart of the matter from a theological perspective. Much rubbish has...
Politics
Dreaming of an Impossible Future Idealized Thelemic Community Planning
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. This post came up in my personal Facebook memories from 19 March 2022. Yeah. Three years ago! I had been working overnight in a residential youth shelter and was mulling over some ideas of what I thought would make a...
Choose ye an island! Rethinking the Future of Thelema in an Unstable World
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. I may have fallen off a cliff. Again. I’m not sure yet if I’ve jumped into dangerous waters or...
Pit Called Because An Introduction to Wicked Problems
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Let’s get something out of the way first: I have no idea what I’m talking about here. Well, that’s only partially true. I have some idea. But this isn’t my area of expertise. However, I have enough understanding (as a...
Eyes Wide Shut Personal Lesson in Ideological Bubbles
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. I grew up in a sheltered childhood. I was raised within a Southern Baptist evangelical environment, but it was a paradoxical mix of standard 1970s end-of-the-world messaging and 1980s Satanic Panic paranoia with a load...
Of Dog Catchers, School Boards, and Presidents Voting Thelema into Office
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Grab a seat. Trust me. I fully admit my ADHD may have hit a ceiling with this one. I am really all over the place. And, for once, I’m not going to apologize for the semi-brain-dump feel of this offering. We’re just...
Will of the Commons Thelema and the Tragedy of the Commons
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. In 1968, the xenophobic, eugenics proponent Garrett Hardin wrote his now-famous article in Science...
Psychology
In Defense of a Rule of Life A Thelemic Fidēs as Action
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. As a Thelemite, I can tell you that I am not all fond of rules. In fact, I dare say if you ask ten Thelemites if they like rules, you’ll get thirteen “hell, no’s” in response. Of course, the irony is that if you ask...
A Way of Spiritual Formation Maturity in the Aeon of the Child
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. If there is one thing that continues to plague my thinking about modern Thelema, it is something a mentor of mine once said—and I’m paraphrasing here—that just because Crowley was a magician doesn’t mean that everyone...
Alethiology, Part 1 Toward a Thelemic Therapeutic Orientation
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Personal Introduction If I said that psychology is a hobby of mine, that’s probably a bit dishonest. To provide a little context, as a research psychologist my focus started out in the study of the empirical divide...
Thelemic Cartography A New Approach to Personal Discovery
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. For decades, the assumption in Thelemic communities has been that everything can be mapped to the Tree of Life. And that may be true. Frankly, Miss. Scarlet W., I don’t give a damn. I think the Tree of Life is the most...
5 Habits for the New Year New Year’s Clickbait. Duh!
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. It’s the new year! Welcome to 2025! I feel like it’s going to be a wild year no matter how it all shakes out. A lot of change happening around here. A lot is staying the same too. We’re two months in on the new puppy,...
True Will Some Ill-Advised Thoughts on the Matter
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. The concept of the so-called True Will can be a tricky little beast. It’s thrown around by...
Theology
Liturgy of the Sun A Celebration of the Company of Heaven
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. I’ve always felt a deep pull toward the beauty and gravity of Eastern Orthodox liturgy, just as I’m moved by the raw simplicity of Quaker unprogrammed worship. And I’ve always loved the way food becomes sacred in...
Thelema and Authority A Tripartite Approach of Equilibrium
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Let’s talk about a-a-a-authority. I know. I know. It’s a dirty word in Thelemaville. The moment you drag out the word authority people start to think you’re about to slap on the chains and drag them off to the salt...
Mere Thelema Street Theology—A Plain and Simple Thelema
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. I’ve offered three weeks of technical theology—doctrine, hermeneutics, and exegesis—which are, granted, a bit simplified for general consumption. But now I want to turn it around and go in the other direction. I want to...
Thelemic Exegesis A Critical Evaluation of the Study of Thelemic Scripture, Part II
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Exegesis in Thelema is not a passive act of textual analysis or mere number crunching but a transformative engagement with its sacred writings. Interpretation, in this sense, is not about imposing external authority...
Thelemic Hermeneutics A Critical Evaluation of the Study of Thelemic Scripture, Part I
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Hermeneutics broadly refers to the study of interpretation, especially of texts, language, and meaning. It is relevant in multiple domains—including philosophy, law, and literary criticism—but is most notably linked to...
Thelema: A Religion? Who’s Still Afraid of Crowley's Big Bad Wolf?
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Religion, as such, has become one of the largest boogiemen of Thelema since Crowley proclaimed calling Thelema a religion “a rather stupid kind of mischief.”Crowley, Aleister. 1994. “Religion–Is Thelema a ‘New...
Special Dispatch
Liturgy of the Sun A Celebration of the Company of Heaven
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. I’ve always felt a deep pull toward the beauty and gravity of Eastern Orthodox liturgy, just as I’m moved by the raw simplicity of Quaker unprogrammed worship. And I’ve always loved the way food becomes sacred in...
Dreaming of an Impossible Future Idealized Thelemic Community Planning
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. This post came up in my personal Facebook memories from 19 March 2022. Yeah. Three years ago! I had been working overnight in a residential youth shelter and was mulling over some ideas of what I thought would make a...
Thelema: A Religion? Who’s Still Afraid of Crowley's Big Bad Wolf?
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Religion, as such, has become one of the largest boogiemen of Thelema since Crowley proclaimed calling Thelema a religion “a rather stupid kind of mischief.”Crowley, Aleister. 1994. “Religion–Is Thelema a ‘New...
Choose ye an island! Rethinking the Future of Thelema in an Unstable World
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. I may have fallen off a cliff. Again. I’m not sure yet if I’ve jumped into dangerous waters or...
Reading Plans for 2025 Diving Deeper into the Spiritual Mind
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. After mentioning my choice to start reading through the Orthodox Daily Office again this year, and having a private query over it, it hadn’t really dawned on me that it might be of interest to others to find various...
Learning and Unlearning A Personal Introspective Manifesto
Originally written in 2001. Updated in 2007. Minor textual corrections and footnote commentary in 2024.Now seemed like a good time to bring this back out. Maybe I needed a reminder.Thelema is more than just empowerment. It’s embodiment. It is the embodiment of...