dilemma, or sometimes pronounced as the Lima, is a religious philosophy best thought of as an umbrella term. It covers a lot of different areas, and its meaning on an individual level can vary greatly depending on the person and their beliefs, as well as their practices. It can function as a system of mysticism, a philosophy of religion, or any combination thereof. The reason even a simple definition becomes such a complicated thing to unpack is the individual and occult aspect of its practice and adherence. In this video, I will be discussing what it is, where it comes from, and how some people interpret it as a magical practitioner and fellow knight myself. I'm particularly interested in doing this topic justice, so I hope you enjoy it and get something out of it. So, let's get going. Dilemma was founded by the complex and controversial occult figure Aleister Crowley. He was a ceremonial magician, a poet, painter, mountain climber, writer, and prophet of a new religious movement. When I say Prophet, I don't mean Crowley is revered the same way Christians view

Jesus Crowley was the delivery person but not the message itself. Those who align themselves with the framework of dilemmas seek their own path and their own Divinity within. Although Crowley was an interesting historical figure, it is not about emulating or trying to be him; it's about being yourself in the fullest sense. So, where does all of this come from? Aleister Crowley was on a honeymoon in Egypt with his wife, Rose Crowley. It was on this trip that he received a channeled text called Libra Al velegus, or the book of the law. This text was not Crowley speaking as himself, but rather a being, entity, or part of his Consciousness known as Iwas, dictated this text through him. Practitioners have a wide range of beliefs around what this book is and what it means. Many people believe this was simply a part of Crowley's Consciousness speaking on the nature of divinity, while others believe it to be from an external source. Crowley, at the time of the reception of this book, was a Buddhist, and echoes of that

or perhaps a reaction to that can be found throughout the book itself among a vast wealth of other occult thought and philosophy. I'm going to be flipping through a couple of different versions of the book of the law while I talk to you about this book. At the time of the reception of the book of the law, Crowley didn't realize the significance or importance of the text at all. It took him a while to even getting around to publishing it. The book turned out to be incredibly important. It is essential and sacred holy text of dilemma. The book of the law proclaims the arrival of a new aeon, the Aeon of Horus. There was a belief that different times throughout human history can be divided into Aeons. Each aeon is accompanied by its own magical formula. The Aeon of Horus is spelled out by the book of the law and is characterized by Humanity leaving behind the tyranny of abrahamic religions and entering a time of Greater Consciousness and self-actualization. The Book of the law

is an incredibly beautiful channel text. Of course, beauty is a subjective thing, and not everyone would agree with me, but for some, including myself, this book is like a chord to the soul. This book, as well as other thalamic holy books, are arguably not meant to be read as unquestioned fact or works to be followed in blind faith. They demand introspection and exploration; they are an invitation. It is poetry that demands authenticity and thoughtfulness from the reader. The seemingly endless depths serenade you to pursue an existence of deeper meaning and divine purpose. I mean by divine purpose, well, that was my fast and loose way of referencing this concept called true will. The book of the law spells out central concepts at the heart of dilemma, two of those being do without wilt shall be the whole of the law and love is the law, love under will. These two statements are a distillation of the general principles of thilema. The first statement does not mean that you should do whatever you want and give in to whatever whims you may feel at the

time. It has a very specific meaning and one that is actually quite restrictive. It charges its adherence to follow their true will above all else and to not take any actions that may conflict with that. Your true will is your innermost spark of divinity. It can be thought of as your divine life's purpose or an expression of your true nature. It's worth noting that different people approach and interpret this concept of true will differently. I hope on your own path you arrive at your own unique understanding of it. And of course, here are some thoughts to help you along your way. David Shoemaker encapsulates this concept very nicely in his book Living Thilema, where he says, The true will is the will of the deepest inmost self, the core of who you really are as a spiritual being. Also, and importantly, it is an expression of the universal will as particularized and expressed in your individual life. That is why when we are living in accordance with our true will, we find that much of the universe seems to open up a path right in front of us.

Aleister Crowley himself explains this concept in Liber 2, which can be found in the Equinox. To quote Crowley, it seems to imply a theory that if every man and woman did his or her will, the true will, there would be no clashing. Every man and every woman is a star, and each star moves in an appointed path without interference. There is plenty of room for all; it is only disorder that creates confusion. From these considerations, it should be clear that do what thou wilt does not mean do what you like. Do what thou wilt then do nothing else. Let nothing deflect thee from that austere and holy task. Love is the law, love under will, isn't referencing romantic love, although that could be a part of it too. This love refers to unification. It is our participation, unification with the universe, which should be kept in check first and foremost by our true will. Knowing and doing your true will is the priority above all else. To quote an explanation taken from the Centennial edition of the book of the law:

each action or motion is an act of love, the uniting with one or another part of new eat. Each such act must be under will chosen so as to fulfill and not to thwart the true nature being concerned with those principles in mind. A thalamite would be someone who is a practitioner of philoma, more specifically, they are someone who accepts the book of the law and whatever it means to them personally, and also seeks to know and do their will. That definition is one laid out by Grandmaster Sabazias of the Oto, and I think it's a pretty solid one. Of course, not everyone would agree with that. Some people have proposed broader or more narrow definitions. If this is something that interests you, then I suggest doing your own research and seeking out your own truth. I never want my videos to be a stopping point but instead a springboard for more discovery. It's coming to hear thalamites shouting numbers at each other, specifically saying 93 or 93s. It can be heard as being said as sort of

a greeting like hello or goodbye or something like that. 93 means do without Wilt shall be the whole of the law, and 93s means love is the law, love under will. So, where does that come from? Dilemma is the Greek word for will. 93 is the number you get when you represent each letter with a number and then add them up. This number and letter method is known as isopsophy. Isopsophy is the practice of adding up the number of values of the letters in a word to form a single number. The total number is then used as a metaphorical bridge to other words evaluating the equal number. Isopsyphy is related to Gematria. Gematria is the same practice using the Hebrew alphabet. 93 has another additional meaning when you add up the corresponding numbers to Agape, which is the Greek word for love; you also get 93. All of this, of course, goes back to those core ideas: do what thou Wilt should be the whole of the law, and love is the law.

love under will. The goals of dilemma can be thought of as active ones meant to transform your relationship with yourself and the world. All of us are capable of great personal transformation within the pursuit of one's true will. That is exactly what happens. It is a process of self-discovery to know what your will is and then self-mastery to be able to actually do your will once you know it. In the Revival of magic, Crowley explains it as follows: man should seek perfection in his own true nature. That know thyself is indeed the first of his duties, that his true will is the expression and action of the word of the purpose which God or nature constructed him, just as he is and not in any other way. This video can go on for a really long time in all different directions since dilemma contains Occult Philosophy. There is so much depth there ready to be explored and discovered and talked about, but I'm going to keep it short and wrap up with what I think are two essential documents in addition to what I already

talked about, uh, in defining dilemma. One is Alistair Crowley's essay on duty, and the other is Libra Oz. Alistair Crowley wrote Duty as an exploration of the practical conduct to be observed by those who accept the law of dilemma. He goes through a bunch of duties that you have as a thalamite. It's a short little essay, and if you get a chance, then it's worth reading through on your own, but here are some highlights. As a duty to yourself, he urges you to explore the nature and powers of your own being. This includes everything which is or can be for you, and you must accept everything exactly as it is in itself, as one of the factors which go to make up your true self. As your duty to other individual people, he says, Abstain from all interferences with other wills and seek, if you so will, to enlighten another when the need arises. Additionally, he says that you have a duty to all other beings and things to quote duty. It is a violation of the law of dilemma.

to abuse the natural qualities of any animal or object by diverting it from its proper function as determined by consideration of its history and structure. Thus, to train children to perform mental operations or to practice tasks for which they are unfitted is a crime against nature. Similarly, to build houses of rotten material, to adulterate food, to destroy forests, etc., etc., is to offend. Aleister Crowley wrote Libra Oz in 1941. It talks about the natural rights of all people and how these rights extend to everyone. I think it is a beautiful piece and worth reading and rereading for anyone interested in dilemma. It quotes the book of the law in several parts and then states, There is no God but man. You hear this phrase a lot through different occult spaces and especially in Satanism. Satanism gets it from dilemma. Libra Oz declares that all people should have the right to live by their own law, including how they love, who they love, how they rest, play, work, and just live their life. While this is a radical call,

for freedom of self. It is also a radical call for the freedom of your fellow humans. Naturally, this extends to all people, and it's thalamites. We agreed to not infringe upon the rights of others or to not interfere on their will. Of course, this document does not grant us the power or the ability to exercise any of these rights. We are still subject to the laws of nature and the society as we live in, just like we are not free from the consequences of our actions, though we may be free to do those actions. Thank you so much for joining me today on this exploration of what is dilemma. I hope you found it insightful for all different people, and wherever your path may take you, I wish you the best of luck. If it's dilemma, welcome. As always, I will put all the books I mentioned in this particular video down below in the video description, as well as places to find me on social media and stuff. So, thanks so much for watching, and I am the center of expression for the Primal will to good.

and so are you. [Music] Thank you. [Music]

What is Thelema?

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