Religion and Thelema
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To anyone here who is religious as well as Thelemite (for the moment assuming Thelema not to be a religion), how does your other religious practice mesh with your practice of Thelema and the A.'.A.'.? Did it take a while to discover a way in which both ideologies could fit together, or did it work well from the start?
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To anyone here who is religious as well as Thelemite (for the moment assuming Thelema not to be a religion), how does your other religious practice mesh with your practice of Thelema and the A.'.A.'.? Did it take a while to discover a way in which both ideologies could fit together, or did it work well from the start?
For me, I was on a path away from my childhood religion (Jehovah's Witness) and away from all associated beliefs (God, Christianity, the Bible), when I encountered Thelema.
Funny, because in the end, I returned to the storehouse of imagery that I amassed as a child to find the meaning behind the symbols. A la Blake, I found myself reading the Bible again... just paying more attention to the white part of the page more....
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To anyone here who is religious as well as Thelemite (for the moment assuming Thelema not to be a religion), how does your other religious practice mesh with your practice of Thelema and the A.'.A.'.? Did it take a while to discover a way in which both ideologies could fit together, or did it work well from the start?
I consider Thelema my religion for practical purposes, in that it's my core spiritual philosophy for all I do in life. While I practice some of Crowley's rituals I also do "Luciferian" magick using cthonic/infernal godforms. I have always had a draw towards the demons and dark gods that goes beyond a mere rebellion against Christianity.
I wouldn't say I was following 2 religions though. The way I see it, if it's for the purpose of discovering your true will then invoking a demon can be part of Thelema as much as any other ritual.
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To anyone here who is religious as well as Thelemite (for the moment assuming Thelema not to be a religion), how does your other religious practice mesh with your practice of Thelema and the A.'.A.'.? Did it take a while to discover a way in which both ideologies could fit together, or did it work well from the start?
"the method of science, the aim of religion"
I consider myself scientific illuministregarding Thelema, I prefer syaing 'mysto-magickal philosophy', but if we consider the term religion in its original sense, re-ligare = to connect again, to achieve Unity from division => that which aims at re-connection with the One/God (...), then sure, Liber L can be labeled as religious text.
but above all, I would say it's a mystical and ethical revelation for this Aeon.