ON DIVINE LAW
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
The concept of Divine Law is the constitutional principle of our Western culture. Its influence can be seen at all times, despite the concept itself having been given little attention. The intent of this essay is to provide an introduction to a study of that founding impulse.
Nature provides no law but what we call Natural Law. Everything that is possible may also happen. And what man is capable of doing, he may also do. This is the reality of the man of nature; he is free to do everything he is able to do. The typical gods of justice are in myth, described as the Gods that create order out of chaos. Divine Law is to us the original source of all human law and the ideal for all who follow its rules and regulations.
Thelemites support the Divine Law of Thelema (Do what thou wilt ) as given to humanity by way of the Great Wild Beast 666. We also recognize Aleister Crowley as the prophet whose magickal identity was the archetypal Nephesh, the animal soul of man, the freest of them all. The purpose of Divine Law has always been to establish a society without friction and collision. It has been known as the ‘golden rule’ that creates the conditions necessary for man to prosper, reach for nobility and the cultivation of goodness; our highest ideals.
The Relation Between Ethics and the Divine:
“As above, so below.”
The understanding of what man does in his most primal and ignorant state affect not only his immediate awareness on the physical plane (hylic), but also affect his whole being; including his hidden soul (pneumatic) and mediating layers (psychic). This led the ancient Adepts to create what is called Karma-Yoga; a Yoga that consists of regulations for normal mundane activity. The general karma-yogic instruction is to lead and live a good and just life.
Ethics in itself is based upon the evaluation of two factors, cause and effect; by knowing these two we become enabled to perform volitional and intentional actions. The ethical values we ascribe in the cause and effect chain are mutually dependent, despite the fuss of the philosophers who love put one above the other. The end doesn’t justify the means or vice-versa. Both are supposed to at least be termed acceptable; to be an acceptable act, e.g. if you think it’s acceptable to kill one to save hundred, you find it acceptable in this context. For society to find this acceptable would depend on how they interpret their written laws, which in their completeness is actually a manifesto on how this society interprets the spirit and its ideal of Justice.
So, back to karma-Yoga; the motivation behind this and the connection between ethics and religious belief can be simplified as follows: by choosing certain actions before others, one is able in the long run to create effects, which produce a spiritual growth or reward. The mechanics of Divine Morality can then be simply expressed as: Do this and get a place in heaven, do that and go to hell.
Since Natural Law is very complex, it is very difficult for most to calculate full range of consequences, and thereby commit to deliberate actions. This opens the door for exoteric religion that instead of trying to explain nature and the divine, resorts to the rhetoric of “Do that, because God says so.” Exoteric religion therefore takes on divine authority and intervenes on God’s behalf.
In order to defy this, it becomes incumbent upon the individual to learn the nature of both the natural and divine order so that one can come to understand how to effectively conduct one’s actions. This overrides the alienating factors resulting from the intervention of religious patriarchs, whom ultimately become corrupted by the power they give themselves over others. We can then set up a dynamic and wholesome dialectic whereby the individual is enabled to circumvent the corruption of the ‘nobility’ that has subsequently insulated itself from the populace it governs.
Social Darwinism
The difference between natures own way or order, and mans cultivated ways,
can be seen in the phenomena which today is called Social Darwinism. Mostly
known under the slogan survival of the fittest, these viewpoints have
inspired several waves of politicians and most notably Hitlers Nazism.
This inclination seeks to strengthen man and society by having us submit
to rules which in nature cultivates and selects the best. I cannot see
that there is anything intrinsically wrong with trying to formulate such
conditions, which in the long run would be the best for the human race.
Though it preferably should of course be applied to the entire race and
not any particular subset.
The erroneous extremes so gruesomely exposed by Nazism, are now suitable
examples of how one can examine the argument of the ends justifying the
means. They didnt, as we know, and any further attempts on establishing
conditions for the bettering of the Human races, must; in order to be
successful, be formulations which in no way undermines or are direct violations
of mans natural rights; our Liberty, Life, Love and Light, as that wouldnt
cultivate true strength; that daring intelligence that is able to see
strength as a principle partaking in all qualities and which is able to
commit wisdom unto Will and make it functional. Here is Might and Power.
Aleister Crowley wrote the Law of the Strong (Liber OZ), which to Thelemites
is one of the main comments on Liber vel Legis or the Book of the Law.
This document draws up the basic human rights. Rights are not something
which are automatically respected, rights must be upheld and defended.
The acknowledgement of a Right is established by the mutual recognition
of our basic needs and vulnerability. As a culture matures, we establish
rights, which gives us freedom to take certain things for granted and
we can then use our energy on pursuits that are beyond basic survival
efforts. This is a sign of success in any culture. Where mutual respect
reigns, the conditions for Love are strong, and we can spend our energy
on higher aims, and thereby build high culture.
From nature we see that might is right, by observing the simple laws of
force, like that of gravity. Though the argument of might is right is
based upon the projection of own values. Nature isnt right or wrong, it
just happens. We cannot overlook these phenomena, rather we must acknowledge
them and the fact that there is no intrinsic meaning or purpose within
these natural laws apart from what we are able to feel; our lives, well
being, activity and successful interplay with our surroundings. Therefore
its by raising human Justice to might and power we have a possibility
to in a large scale secure humanity by virtue of recognizing the value
of The Individual.* In this way we also are able to turn natures Might
is right to Rights is might. Conflicts on this matter is likely to happen
when culture educates itself into forgetting our relation to nature, or
our own nature.
* Here we can understand why the new Divine Law was given to a Beast and no noble representant for anyone else.
The Cultivation of Goodness
During the reign of Christianity we have seen a constant misunderstanding of the polarity between good and evil, which has also hampered the perceptions of many of those whom we still regard as the greatest thinkers of western culture. Insofar as we are of Hadit; the unknowable factor, we are neither good nor evil, but beyond both. Man is not inherently good or evil, but somebody who chooses to attach himself to these values. Good and evil are subjective qualities, being therefore relative and not absolute. Still we notice that the appearance of these qualities is most predictable, so much that they appear reliable.
Anything permanent and absolutely good doesn’t belong to this world. Still the experience of good and evil is as real as anything else. The key to the experience of goodness comes from within; it is personal and subjective. Christianity attacks this natural subjectivity in diverse ways. Listen not to Jesu who says, “Don’t judge anyone lest thou be judged thyself.” To deny anyone the natural inclination to form an opinion is an attack upon the individuality, and must not be regarded as some relief from a mundane ego. The ego isn’t surpassed that easily, but is instead forced down into servility and bitterness. Rather, judge wisely and receive a wise judgment. Your opinion is valuable, and even helpful to others as it is only you who can describe reality from your viewpoint, and thereby fill in the gaps of others limited perception of reality. Together we create an understanding of our world and the conditions of extolling the good and the pleasant.
Christianity’s evil ways are created by its obsession for goodness. At first, when its goodness is found, it is also felt, later the Christian clings to its forms, which once beheld the goodness, but has now become hollow and empty. The obsession is caused by the loop that the Christian enters when reading the many threats of Jesus that impel to commit to what we understand to be blind faith. And this admonishes us to hold onto hollow forms, though they are outdated and also utterly unreasonable. The goodness of the world is like every thing in the world, impermanent. Accept this, let past glories fade, and instead cultivate the intelligence that recognizes the conditions that create goodness. In this way, there is a chance of bringing the experience to new heights; heights so high that it might not be of the world, but of the Trinity.
The Divine Law in History
Moses from Egypt
The appearance of the concept of Divine Law in our culture is usually attributed to Moses. The Ten Commandments appear in Exodus, chapter twenty and are followed by more regulations including the ‘eye for an eye’ theme in chapter twenty-one. This is however, not the emergence of a culture without history and a background in a highly developed civilization. Egypt had their Hall of Judgment from which the origin of the Ten Commandments can be found in the Book of the Dead, where the deceased had to make a confession on his or her journey to the starry abodes, affirming that he or she had not committed certain crimes.
There can be found variations of these confessions and their corresponding prohibitions that continue with the cultures that use the Bible as its holy scripture. The commandments of Moses that appear in Exodus are actually seventeen and not ten. The Ten Commandments is the result of a priesthood contemplating the words of God and then verifying them. The Jews, the Catholics and the Protestants have now three variations of the Ten Commandments.
More can be said about Divine Law as it pertains to Egypt, but Egyptology has barely pierced the surface of the knowledge of the ancient Egyptians and has so far, found little apart from the themes already discussed. I would expect Divine Law to be a theme far more elaborately worked out, particularly in the Hermopolitan School, as that was the one belonging to Thoth, the judge. Unfortunately, this city; Hermopolis was obliterated and its remains are scarce.
The Ten Commandments are very concrete prohibitions. The ancient Christians must of course have noticed that the ten prohibitions are not enough to create a society free of friction. If someone wants to indulge in the spirit of crime they can easily find new ways of bothering community without violating these ten. Therefore we have from Moses also the theme of "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." This rule is what we can term a super law or a meta-law, as it describes the manner of creating rules for possible hitherto unforeseen cases. And as such, it provides a clue into the nature of divine Law.
Today people often regard the law of “an eye for an eye” as the law of revenge, and associate it with the spiral of negativity that we find in the theme, “violence begets violence." This is not the intent as the rule of "an eye for an eye" teaches vengeance in proportion, and the spiral of negativity is avoided by not exacerbating the revenge. It is the failure to practice this Law that leads to the spiral of negativity. This image of exact measure points us to the image of the scales of Justice. This again is is the image of the sign of Libra in the zodiac.
How Moses would have considered these themes interpretation in today’s world, we may wonder; as much in the same chapter where the “eye for an eye” rule is taken contains rules that teach punishments, which in no way can be considered proportionate; e.g.: Exodus 21:15 states that "He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death." These rules and others that are clearly horrible are now disregarded by the main body of descendant religions, while other rules still continue to create friction; so much for the holiness of the word of their God.
Draconian Law
The great example of the lack of divinity in what is called Divine Law happens also in this era. Around 621 BC, Draco, the chief magistrate of Athens installs a set of laws that now is referred to as Draconian Law. He demands death sentences for a lot of minor offences like theft. We see clearly that the consequences are dire. A thief discovered upon the act, may just as well kill the unfortunate witness, as there is no difference between the offences. We also know that unfair laws are breeding bitterness and ill will, thus a lust of evil. And also that the long term effect of this is a backfiring, as contempt for the Laws and the institutions of justice is rising. Draco’s laws were widely challenged and in 594 BCE, Solon repealed the death penalty laws. He only retained those laws that imposed the death penalty for homicide.
Today the old incident of the giving of Draconian Law is a great reminder of another archetype, the dragon. Well known in the hermetic science of Alchemy, his nature is maybe best revealed through C.G Jung’s Seven Sermons to the Dead, where the appearance of a Creatura from the Pleroma is described. The term, Creatura, would be an ArchDragon, whose nature is the essence of the perishable, the corruptible, the un-lasting. This means that the presence of the dragon is a most natural condition under which natural man functions. We can thus see the presence of the Dragon in all and everything, but the mystical non-presence of the Pleroma.
Therefore the Dragon is our home and ally, as we can see him sleeping
all over the Universe. The Beast is the lowest and most primal state of
man and it dwells in a natural communion with the Dragon at its origin.
But as soon we find the Beast in ourselves from this seat of natural identity,
the power and the glory of our instincts start to aim for the classic
attainments of the transcendent. We also start to pull off our natural
obsession
with the carnal and perishable world of Maya, and we awake the dragon
from its sleep. It is like a distilling process. From the fresh biological
material we can then start seeing the material created by the benevolent
powers of life to simply rot and start to stink.
When trying to raise our awareness to the permanent, the dragon is repelled, he will awake and we will see the father of corruption go corrupt. He will not go away just because we said it once; he will cling to consciousness and try to repossess, but now in a version that is lower than the origin. So if he succeeds in repossessing, the Beast will be caught up below and start to engage in the processes of the perishable and the corrupt, and we are likely to see its outcome as evil or the attachment to evil.
The end of that descending is as hard to get at as the attainment of the highest. The bottomless pit of the creature of slime is as illusionary as anything else (from the view of ultimate truth) and the bottomless-ness can be extended eternally, to a reward of supreme ugliness. This process has been the subconscious activity of the Thelemic movement after Crowley’s death. I would like it to become conscious, and see intelligence strive to make this work become less troublesome.
The dragon of corruption was and is the enemy of the Catholic Church. The great wild Beast 666 didn’t point out the dragon as our enemy, but he showed his inclination without hesitation in his identity as Perdurabo: “I will endure to the end,” for unto the end endure naught. The aim for permanence is clear in these words, and his attitude and focus was to aim for the desirable; beauty, not to sit hating ugliness. Therefore the Beast 666 didn’t give these themes much consideration and space in his books. He simply stated: one has to get rid of false will.
As I have shown our use of the sleeping dragon as an unavoidable fact in terms of the symbolic presentation, it is therefore absurd to appoint this dragon as an absolute enemy of our community. Any attempts on setting up campaigns and crusades against the dragon on a permanent basis should be dismissed as untenable. We have the Law of Thelema as our guideline and we therefore shouldn’t commit the Christian error again; to criminalize our basic nature as a sin against God. We can fight unfairness where we face and see it. We don’t punish anyone because they are likely to become corrupt. But if a foul smelling dragon bothers you, find your sword.
Christianity
Jesus is also among those who have made contributions to Western culture’s understanding of Divine Law. He also made a break with Mosaic Law though not very effectively, as there are many Christians who have not noticed his alterations. The gospels reveal that Jesus often had a public that was very hostile and railed against the ideas in his speeches. He also was perhaps more careful than we would want of anyone today who has serious views to air.
Jesus stated that he accepted Mosaic Law, but claimed his commandments were greater, and that upon his two commandments depends all the Law and the prophets. This statement has been interpreted as a break with Mosaic Law. Therefore it’s the task of the Christian to disregard the rules of Mosaic Law, which are not compatible with his commandments. Maybe Jesus explained the details of this incompatibility, and pointed out which of the old rules should be removed, but we have no record of it.
Lacking a treatise on how to regard Mosaic Law is nowadays the reason for a very serious schism in Christianity, which I really think the Christians should pay more attention to. The two extreme fronts are between the ‘form conservative;’ those who do not interpret the Law, but will be faithful to the exact wording of the Bible, and the ‘value conservative;’ those who interpret Mosaic Law in accordance with Jesu’s two main commandments for following Jesu ‘Law of Love.’ It seems obvious that the ‘form conservative’ will have a great problem explaining the inherently blatant contradictions contained in the code. Remember that a contradiction is technically a lie.
Here follows the verses that introduce the radical change of Mosaic Law.
Mark 12
28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another,
and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment
is the first of all?"
29 Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God,
the Lord is one;
30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with
all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.'
31 The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There
is no other commandment greater than these."
Matthew 22
And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him.
36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"
37 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
38 This is the great and first commandment.
39 And a second is like it; you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets."
The Golden rule of Jesus was also established, as found in Matt 7: 12:
Matthew 7
12 So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this
is the law of the prophets.
And the golden rule of Mosaic Law was overruled:
Matthew 5
38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth
for a tooth:
39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite
thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Here we see that Jesus breaks the mechanic of Mosaic Law, he changes what we could call a pragmatic approach and starts a spiritual Law. His two commandments are positive in that they say, “Thou shalt.” In the 1st commandment, he commands us to worship God by virtue of Love and then in the 2nd commandment, he directs that love towards one’s neighbor.
By these commandments Jesus starts an energy cycle. This naturally creates a benevolent surplus, and it is by this surplus that the Christian can override the evildoer; having a goodness that is more powerful than the evilness he meets. It is an attempt to start a positive spiral. It all looks very promising, but as we know from today’s world, the Christians are not very successful in this art. Instead of getting our world to sing positive vibrations, they are more occupied with launching prohibitions to normal human activity, putting up draconian bylaws, using the whips and all the bogeymen they can find to threaten people into their faith.
What’s wrong? Where does all this negativity come from?
1) Christianity doesn’t respect The Man of Earth; his natural activity, his natural needs. Christianity imposes and enforces its ideals upon humanity instead of offering these as strong advice when choosing to live a spiritual life. Jesus rejects the instinctual human by having him look away from his natural state and reach for some higher state. This is the logic of turning the other cheek. Man is condemned as a sinner from his birth. His being and will are distrusted, and therefore it is the Christian job to prohibit everything, because the Man of Earth will in their eyes do no good.
2) Jesu’s golden rule does not note the variance of human individuality.
People are different; they want and need different treatment. The Golden
rule also only works when people are filled with positivism. If a suicidal
person uses this rule, ill doing will be the result, as the initiative
calls for death. (See also Kant’s categorical imperative, for the
study of how ugly this rule can get, as the philosopher ends up only acting
upon duty, in other words; slavery. Also J.P Sartre; the existentialist
continued his thought in the twentieth century ev. Neither of these noticed
they were making ethics for clones without any real incentive. These philosophers
explain involuntarily how Love grows cold.)
3) People are commanded to do God’s will. And thereby look away
from their own will. If ever done successfully, people would then be an
affront to their own particular divinity, as the teachings of Valentinus
on the Holy Guardian Angel are unknown to the regular Christian.
http://www.gnostique.net/Valentinus/angel.html
http://home.no.net/karl24/statements.htm
These points are all means to lead Christians into a state of hollowness and emptiness, which could lead them to universal sorrow, though petty pity is also an option. However; the sorrow of the hollowness, the ontological state of not-being is the grave of Christianity and there is no way out, so Christianity in its response have become the cult where suffering have been made the virtue and empathy with misery is equated with compassion and (false) Love. As consequence; a victim of torture is placed on their holy altar. They don’t see they have become the cult of the dying God, whose gift is foremost, prolonged suffering.
Against these arguments of mine, there is one great counterargument; If Christianity really is so bad and casts off so many problems, how could it all have been launched, and how can it still be regarded as a period of Divine Law?
Answer: Christianity still works. To follow its practices to some degree will clearly give results that can inspire some to continue, but one is likely to succumb to the errors that I describe. The wise spiritualist may be able to use the Gospels as the way to attainment, insofar that he/she may be able to see through the symbols and understand the reality that the symbols points towards; reconstructing the meaning of that is hinted at by Jesus. After all, my positive interpretation of Christ regards his teachings as a Middle Path Bhakti Yoga. And that it is something that is still very common and popular due to the easy attainment of results. Just take a look at India’s Krishna cults. They are far more successful than our average Christian churches in summoning the light, due to more complex teachings and practices.
AL III.51: "With my Hawk's head I peck at the eyes of Jesus as he hangs upon the cross."
Hail Ra Hoor Khu; who helps Jesus in dying, and thus makes ready for his resurrection. Or maybe its help for prolonged suffering?
The real answer for this question lies in the doctrines on Aeons or the Ages. To certain times some formulas are more potent, natural and beneficial. Therefore all argumentation around these themes may be in vain, unless somebody naturally sees and feels Thelema’s concordance with reality, they wouldn’t care. And counterarguments can always be produced by the discipline of logic, because where there is a will to something, ways, means and solutions are always subject to will.
Thelema
At last we have once again gained the chance to attain to high culture.
The Law is clear: Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love
is the law, love under will.
The Gods have spoken in the Book of the Law, and their words are theirs.
There is no law beyond do what thou wilt. Man is free to create his own
path and to look away from the divine, to see the consequences of own
errors and foolishness; he can learn. He can face evil and learn that
attachment to evil is the error, not evil in and of itself.
But more important TBOL introduces a radical thought, which we fast can see is illuminating. God is now found within, and there is a clean path from the primal Man to his own divinity and then ultimate divinity. There is no more need for reading the rules and advice of the Bible for finding out what to do when committing to God’s will. There sure are not many Christians who are able to commit to their own stern rules, and as consequence Christianity is a religion producing sinners and hypocrites, dependent upon mercy.
Thelema is therefore a blessing to explore nature both mundane and divine, and it is by this blessing that we can have people previously bound and gagged by the “thou shalt not” culture to educate themselves and learn ‘why.’ Therefore we can expect a commitment to the Divine hitherto unseen, as experienced Thelemites will know for sure.
Is Thelema then a very noisy religion? No, not necessarily, but we have to expect noise when people are taking up their will, as will is a phenomena which extends from the highest to lowest, and the refinement path to Pure will implies to most Thelemites also to get rid of false will. Pure will is found in such an intimate relation with love, that we may wonder if will is love itself, but of course when action happens we can see the will. This spiritual truth that Crowley brought to humanity, is also something that I have experienced. We have nothing to fear from pure will; we can instead expect wonders.
And concerning noise and spam, in a Thelemic age, humans don’t have to respond with love unless they will to do so. This is good news as in the Christian era, quite so many souls have entered into the error of becoming vampires of love; tended to and fed by a system of mercy, they hardly have been recommended to stop; but have instead could demand to continue their errors, defended by the developed holes of authoritative doctrine. We can guard our ability to love and direct it towards success on any level.
Of course I am a convinced Thelemite, and I could have written much more on the benefits of Thelema, but I still think the works of A. Crowley are far too little read and much too misunderstood, and I would therefore refer the readers to get their illumination on Thelema directly from the source; To Mega Therion 666.
Love is the law, love under will.
Tau To Logos.
Reading list:
The Law is for All.
Liber OZ; The Law of the Strong.
Duty.
The Message from Master Therion.
Liber Librae.