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The Llewellyn Encyclopedia

Term: book of the law

DEFINITIONS

Book of the Law: The Book of the Law, also known as Liber AL vel Legis, was channeled by Aleister Crowley in Cairo in 1904 from a "preternatural" entity calling himself Aiwass. It is divided into three sections, respectively attributed to the Egyptian deities Nuit,Hadit, and Ra-Hoor-Khuit. Its chief tenets are "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law," "Love is the law, love under will," and "Every man and every woman is a star."

Book of the Law:

This book, also known as Liber AL vel Legis [or just Liber AL], is composed of three chapters, each written down by Crowley in one hour starting at noon April 8, 9, and 10 in 1904 in Cairo, Egypt. The words were spoken to Crowley by an entity named Aiwass, later referred to as Crowley’s Holy Guardian Angel. 

The Book of the Law is the holy book for Crowley’s followers. It teaches the Law of Thelema, usually represented by these two phrases:

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law (AL I:40) and 

Love is the law, love under will (AL I:57)  

Thelema is both religion and philosophy, and yet—as used in the GBG—it is more a source of inspiration to the student to continue with the Great Work of attaining the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel.

Carl Llewellyn Weschcke


ARTICLES

The Initiatory Tarot of the Golden Dawn Review
Summary: The Initiatory Tarot of the Golden Dawn is an evocative and provocative deck exploring a new vision of tarot that is fresh and exciting while remaining consistent with the Golden Dawn tradition. This deck would be suitable for someone with ...
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Review of the Mayan Tarot
Summary: The Mayan Tarot is a doorway into another world, into a culture, into the past. Just like any lost civilization, this one gives teasing glimpses of what might have been and invites discovery. By losing oneself in the art, by letting ...
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Imagining Health
When the patient came to the University of Oregon Medical School, he was barely alive. The 61-year-old man was suffering from a particularly deadly form of throat cancer. His weight had dropped from 130 pounds to 98 pounds. He could barely swallow, ...
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Sibilla Oracle Cards Review
Sibilla Oracle Cards Review Summary: A wonderful deck of 52 cards that have both images and meanings on the card. That makes this deck perfect for beginners looking to enhance both their intuition (expanding on the obvious meanings) and for pros ...
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The Zodiac Tarot Review
Summary: A unique deck that can aid in understanding astrology basics and the correspondences between the Tarot cards and astrology as made by the Golden Dawn. Also great for psychologically oriented readings. Name of deck: Zodiac Tarot Publisher: ...
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Review of The Fey Tarot
Summary: The Fey Tarot invites you into a world of joy and magic. The faeries in these cards are not traditional English spirits but altogether different and completely enchanting. Likewise, the meanings of the cards and the messages they give are ...
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The Sensual Wicca TarotReview
Summary: A brilliant attempt to present the Tarot, Wicca, and the Wiccan aspects of sexuality that doesn’t quite succeed due to limitations of format and skill. Still, at times this deck soars above the limitations and is filled with brilliance and ...
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How Is Astrology Different from Psychic Prediction?
Astrology is a science, based upon the mathematical calculation of the planets’ positions in the sky and their relationships to each other and to the Ascendant and Midheaven. By using the longitude of your birth place, the date and the time, an ...
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Creating a rune amulet
Modern rune rituals are sometimes done entirely with visualization - the runes are made in the astral world and are never actually written down or carved on any material. This technique works fairly well, but it is not in harmony with the ancient ...
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Review of the Tarot of the Angels
Summary: Based on the Rider-Waite-Smith, this deck provides an interesting addition to the familiar images. Angels, representing guidance from the Divine or your own higher self, show up in the cards. Discover how you can better interact with or ...
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The Sacred Circle Tarot
Summary: The Sacred Circle Tarot features brilliant, realistic art and a totally Celtic Pagan orientation. Perfect for art collectors, Pagans, and people who already have experience with Tarot, its uniqueness is its high point and its challenge, as ...
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"The soul comes from without into the human body, as into a temporary abode, and it goes out of it anew…it passes into other habitations, for the soul is immortal." - Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-82) Have you lived before? The answer to that question is yes. As a human soul you have lived before; many of us have even experienced many lifetimes... read this article
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