This Tribe was inspired by the sudden proliferation of local Pagan tribes, and a discussion on the Thelema tribe. Rather than create another general-interest group, we decided to use this opportunity to describe the tradition of Thelemic Wicca which we have been developing and teaching in our Grove classes and within our coven Kyklos ton Asterion. Here is some basic information:

Thelemic Wicca is a tradition-in-progress that recognizes the contributions of Aleister Crowley’s brand of ceremonial magick to the Western mysteries and emphasizes the discovery and development of each person's true will in a community of like-minded individuals. We acknowledge that we are urban Pagans of the twenty-first century and do not pretend to be our indigenous ancestors (or any other peoples) living in their hereditary homelands.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law. Love is the law, love under will. This is the code of Thelemic Wicca, as opposed to the Wiccan Rede. We hold that magick is a form of internal self-transformation based on conscious choice. Our work focuses on self-understanding and personal accountability within a group framework of structure and support.

Thelema in Greek means will, and Thelemic Wicca encourages practitioners to explore and expand their particular capacities. Through societal conditioning and circumstances, many of us have lost touch with our fundamental selves, and in our tradition we seek to re-connect with our inner nature. Intellectual tasks of reading, research and inquiry develop the mind, and sensory, physical, bardic and meditative experiences center the body and emotions.

Will does not mean following every whim or gratifying every impulse, but holding to your own truth and continuing on your desired path despite external and internal distractions. As fire is fueled by kindling, so will is fueled by finding options and making choices in attitude and action.

While concepts such as reincarnation(1) and karma(2) may have personal significance, there is no actual empirical support of their validity. Belief in them is purely a matter of individual choice. They were and are methods of maintaining social cohesiveness and stability, created by very human lawmakers who realized that people function better if there is an idea of reward and retribution awaiting the acts they perform.

Karma was first codified around the 8th century BCE in India by the Brahmin priestkings, and over the centuries it justified the evolution of one of the world's most rigid caste systems. A parallel belief was that prayers, charms and offerings to certain deities could influence karma, an idea was very similar to the medieval Catholic church's selling of indulgences. According to karma, your behavior in a former life caused you to be born into your current family and economic environment.

In this worldview, social and civil injustices were not perceived as appalling situations that should be corrected but rather these experiences served as a restitution for prior acts. By karma, someone burned as a witch during the sixteenth century could have been an ancient Roman who gleefully sent Christians to the lions. Ironically, many modern Pagans have no trouble refuting and refusing the debilitating aspects of the monotheistic dogmas that we were born into, yet will accept equally enervating philosophies from more exotic sources.

Similarly, the axiom of "you create your own reality", so often mindlessly mouthed by many who insulate themselves in New Age superficiality, essentially promotes the idea that there is no objective reality, making us responsible not only for the choices we make but what befalls us as well. This philosophy places an unhealthy level of guilt upon the individual by enforcing upon them a demand for control over any situations where they logically may have none.

All beings on this planet are interconnected. We each strive to develop ourselves, and through this development guide and support our companions on this life journey. Therefore we cannot all be creating our own individual realities but rather we are co-creating and responding to the conditions of a greater reality. In this sense the seemingly selfish philosophy of the Thelemic path actually takes on a greater meaning: by finding and following our own wills, we evolve into a viable community of strong, centered human beings.

We do realize that actions have consequences, and individuals bear the responsibility for their deeds and conduct. Not every occurrence in a person’s life will be of their own conscious or unconscious choosing, but every individual has the power to choose how they will respond to each situation. Rather than conforming to an externally-dictated righteousness, Thelemic Wiccans aim for response-ability, examining themselves and their circumstances to determine the most viable solution to their difficulties.

Many people have come out of religious backgrounds where they were told how to perceive and worship deity. In accordance with Thelemic code, we hold that belief in deity is purely a matter of personal preference. Though members may openly express and debate their opinions, no member may impose their views of divinity upon another.

Too often, the term archetype and deity are used interchangeably. An archetype is a primal force the raw material from which deities are created. Deities are cultural forces created by the people of that specific culture and region representing the ideals, qualities, characteristics those people held sacred. They also include all the frailties; in many ways, the gods and goddesses of particular cultures are the people of that culture aggrandized. Odin and Hermes are both examples of the trickster archetypes, but have very different personalities and characteristics reflecting their respective cultures (Norse and Greek).

While we work with pantheons of the Middle East and Europe, our overall approach is closest to that of the Hellenistic Greeks. This civilization encompassed both the logical and intellectual capacities of scholars and philosophers as well as the ecstatic and creative practices of the mystery religions, art and theatre. Similarly, we combine both Apollonian and Dionysian aspects.

We make a strong distinction between reality and metaphor, between the objective and the subjective. Too many Wiccan and New Age books do not make this crucial discrimination. Claims such as the existence of Atlantis, psychic phenomena, astral projection, etc., have not been verified scientifically. If something is presented as a fact, let it be proven!

The realm of artistic expression is a totally different matter. We value and encourage creativity, and it is the suitable place for personal interpretation and free-flowing imagination. Mists of Avalon is a great novel.

In summary, we understand that each person is an individual with their own abilities, difficulties, and unique character traits. We spend our lives walking through the realms of our own shadows, that place of our denied and repressed hopes and fears. Rather than continue this denial and repression, the goal of Thelemic Wicca is to use the power of will to bring forth, transcend and incorporate the shadow to achieve wholeness.

(1) Many people assert prior existences, but these claims are subjective, not objective. As the Dalai Lama said, "Can I remember what I did in a past life? I count myself fortunate if I can remember what I did last week." All ancient peoples did not believe in reincarnation; it was not a tenet of Egyptian or Mesopotamian cosmology, nor of the Greek, with the exception of Pythagoras and his followers. Plato did believe in reincarnation yet his teacher Socrates did not. Nor, as some writers assert, was it part of the early Christian sects, and, with the exception of the Celts, it was not a belief held widely among Western peoples.

(2) Karma (deriving from the Sanskrit karman meaning work or action) is basically the law of cause and effect multiplying over lifetimes, with the overall goal of improving the soul so it doesn't have to reincarnate anymore. While often equated with the Threefold Law, karma does not increase in triplicate, but is much closer in nature to the axioms of "an eye for an eye" or "as a man soweth, so shall he reap."

Joe and Jezibell
www.joeandjezibell.net