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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 History of the Golden Dawn
The story of the Golden Dawn, like that of any human organization, is replete with high points and low points—with human achievements and human failings. There is no need for us to try to whitewash or sugarcoat the faults of some of the individuals ...
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Principles of Ceremonial
Magical ceremonial can be built up and elaborated to forms of great subtlety and complexity, but the initial principles which cause its creation are simple in the extreme. In the first place, ceremonial is a different thing from meditation, and it ...
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Astrological Houses
Your astrological chart is divided into twelve sections called houses. They are numbered from the left side counterclockwise around the chart. The chart represents the planets against a background of the signs of the zodiac, and these signs rise in ...
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Celtic Religion
Druidism can be used synonymously with the phrases Celtic religion and Celtic magic. In order to enter into this magico-religious system, a familiarity with mythology is necessary. Celtic mythology is best represented in the Irish Book of Invasions ...
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Signs of the Zodiac
The signs of the zodiac are the most widely known part of the astrological system. As mentioned earlier, almost everyone knows your Sun sign. The daily horoscopes in the newspaper are based on the position of the Sun in the zodiac. The zodiac is ...
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The Work of the Medsen Fey - the Leaf Doctors of Haiti
Loulou Prince is the medsen fey (leaf doctor/herbalist and shaman) for a Haitian community of around 1,500 people who live in the vicinity of Jacmel, a small town close to the border with the Dominican Republic. In his daily practice, he deals with ...
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Planets
The planets (including the Sun and Moon) are the actors in the astrological drama. They represent ten general categories of energy – ten sub-personalities – that reflect facets of your personality and ways that you function in the world. Each planet ...
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Meditation
Meditation is: An emptying of the mind of all thoughts and "chatter" often by concentration only on the slow inhalation and exhalation of breath and is characterized by slow alpha and theta waves. It induces relaxation and a "clean slate" ...
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Vodou - An African Shamanic Tradition
At first sight, shamanism and Vodou - what Hollywood has introduced into the popular imagination as "voodoo" - seem to have little in common. The former seems based on peaceful co-existence with nature and the elements, while the latter, in so far ...
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Norse Gods & Goddesses
Partial List of the Norse Gods, Goddesses & Other Supernatural Beings Their Lore, Powers & Influence The Names of the deities are in the old Norse language while the Rune names are in German. (Note: Many of the correspondences given in ...
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When I first came up with the idea of writing the book Spells for Tough Times, I did so because I knew people out there needed help. They may need help with their finances, they may need help with their families, they may need help with their health; whatever the topic, there are people in this world in need, and it seems we often tend to forget... read this article
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