Could Thelema Cause or Become Avolition?

Frater Tenc

I'm curious if anyone has an opinion on perhaps certain people with certain mindsets latching onto Thelema, who have a perpetual or frequent 'identity crisis' kind of aspect to their personalities, or lack of direction?

Take, for example, Borderline Personality Disorder - something I unfortunately have, and a sort of "Schizo-OCD" (think Howard Hughes). Anyway, it dawned on me that maybe myself and some others, perhaps use Thelema internally at least as an excuse not to set goals in life.

Why? It seems to me that avolition is in fact optimal to maintain as a Thelemite unless and until one has received his or her True Will. I have made contact with my HGA, and received his name. I've been the kind of person who is good at analyzing and even hyper-intellectualizing, but not actually making decisions, planning physical activity... basically poor executive function.

No doubt, some of this if not much may be chemically induced, but I believe I made my question clear:* Could Thelema be, or has it been to your knowledge, adopted by persons who either lack volition or use it to perpetuate the state of avolition, as a reasoning or even 'excuse'?* This could be very complex to speculate upon given multiple factors and a relative vagueness about my thought process and maybe wording. I'm also pressed for time, so thank you for patience and I look forward to any responses if appropriate.

Regards,

C. Norman from Waterbury, CT, USA

Gnosomai Emauton

In my experience, it's actually been the exact opposite. Granting up front that avolitional tendencies will allow one to find an excuse in anything to avoid setting goals and following through on them (trust me, I feel you on that one), basic ground-level Thelema seems to be the perfect antidote to that.

The first goal, even before doing one's True Will, is to discover it. There is no waiting to receive it, one has to put in the Work to discover it. The document "Duty" lays this out in simple, direct steps that create a solid framework on which to grow:

[:2fx9f4rq]Find yourself to be the centre of your own Universe.[/2fx9f4rq]
[:2fx9f4rq]Explore the Nature and Powers of your own Being.[/2fx9f4rq]
[:2fx9f4rq]Develop in due harmony and proportion every faculty which you possess.[/2fx9f4rq]
[:2fx9f4rq]Contemplate your own Nature.[/2fx9f4rq]
[:2fx9f4rq]Find the formula of this purpose, or “True Will,” in an expression as simple as possible.[/2fx9f4rq]
[:2fx9f4rq]Extend the dominion of your consciousness, and its control of all forces alien to it, to the utmost.[/2fx9f4rq]
[:2fx9f4rq]Never permit the thought or will of any other Being to interfere with your own.[/2fx9f4rq]
[:2fx9f4rq]Do not repress or restrict any true instinct of your Nature; but devote all in perfection to the sole service of your one True Will.[/2fx9f4rq]
[:2fx9f4rq]Rejoice![/2fx9f4rq]
www.thelema.org/publications/books/Ethics.pdf

So that's what Thelema gives you, right up front: an outline of goals that you just need to plug into your own life and accomplish. They're certainly not easy, but they are solid and ready-made, and they are all things that you can accomplish on your own, well before attempting the "next step" of K&CHGA.

gerry456

@Frater Tenc said

"I'm curious if anyone has an opinion on perhaps certain people with certain mindsets latching onto Thelema, who have a perpetual or frequent 'identity crisis' kind of aspect to their personalities, or lack of direction?

USA"

So Thelema may attract people who are incapable of making functional mundane decisions because you can only truly employ one's decision-making faculty when you are 5=6? If that were true wouldn't Thelema be attracting 90% of humanity? Lol.

Even if that was true, so what? Realistically, the variables are too complex to answer. How would you collate the data for evidence? You could e.g. look at Soror Meral or Crowley's CV before and after their 5=6 attainment and find evidence for and against if you word it in a certain way. Then you could take somone not attracted to Thelema and get the stats on their existence and analyse how they did or did not made effective decisions. Like I said the question is basically pointless with regards to what Thelema is.
*
27. There is great danger in me; for who doth not understand these runes shall make a great miss. He shall fall down into the pit called Because, and there he shall perish with the dogs of Reason.

Now a curse upon Because and his kin!
May Because be accursed for ever!
If Will stops and cries Why, invoking Because, then Will stops & does nought.
If Power asks why, then is Power weakness.
Also reason is a lie; for there is a factor infinite & unknown; & all their words are skew-wise.
Enough of Because! Be he damned for a dog!

Shadow Self

@Frater Tenc said

"I'm curious if anyone has an opinion on perhaps certain people with certain mindsets latching onto Thelema, who have a perpetual or frequent 'identity crisis' kind of aspect to their personalities, or lack of direction?

Take, for example, Borderline Personality Disorder - something I unfortunately have, and a sort of "Schizo-OCD" (think Howard Hughes). Anyway, it dawned on me that maybe myself and some others, perhaps use Thelema internally at least as an excuse not to set goals in life.

Why? It seems to me that avolition is in fact optimal to maintain as a Thelemite unless and until one has received his or her True Will. I have made contact with my HGA, and received his name. I've been the kind of person who is good at analyzing and even hyper-intellectualizing, but not actually making decisions, planning physical activity... basically poor executive function.
"

I think people who convert to different religions and philosophies already have this "identity crisis" aspect to their personalities, as you say and I don't think this is just an observation that relates to Thelema. Most people just take their religion to the grave no matter what happens in life, barring having a certain type of personality, and of course internal family group tribe vs greater society type of issues. Philosophies I believe are more malleable based on life experiences and exposure, but again I think people who change them have this identity crisis, just perhaps to a lesser extent.

"So Thelema may attract people who are incapable of making functional mundane decisions because you can only truly employ one's decision-making faculty when you are 5=6? If that were true wouldn't Thelema be attracting 90% of humanity? Lol."

No, I don't really think this is an issue with 90% of humanity. People may make decisions that we do not think of as good decisions, but they make them even if it just seems like they make them based on things set out by their families or communities. Most people don’t seem to have difficultly making choices even if they don't put much thought into them, perhaps because they don't put much thought into them, it makes it easy for them to make choices.

So Ultimately I don't think Thelema causes Avolition per se, but rather those who have it might be drawn towards Thelema as a tool to make decisions.