03 July 2008

Misunderstanding: Part One.


I've done some thinking, in general, on different ideas of faith. Specifically I'm going to revisit the whole "Golden Rule" thing, what some deem the "ethics of reciprocity". I'll admit, I just took my thought and went with it, and although I'd done some research, I don't think I fully explored the topic properly and therefore my comments were underformed. I'm taking the time (for me if no one else) to really try to convey my view on this.

I want to first explain why I put Thelema in the same group as other faiths that follow ethics of reciprocity. Here is an excerpt from Thelema 101:

“Every man and every woman is a star.”
This is usually taken to mean that each individual is unique and has their own path in a spacious universe wherein they can move freely without collision.
“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.” and “Thou hast no right but to do thy will.”
Most Thelemites hold that every person possesses a True Will, a single overall motivation for their existence. The Law of Thelema mandates that each person follow their True Will to attain fulfillment in life and freedom from restriction of their nature. Because no two True Wills can be in real conflict (according to “Every man and every woman is a star”), this Law also prohibits one from interfering with the True Will of any other person. As each person has a unique point-of-view of the universe, no one can determine the True Will for another person.
"Love is the Law, love under will."
This is an important corollary to the above, indicating that the essential nature of the Law of Thelema is that of Love. Each individual unites with his or her True Self in Love, and so empowered, the entire universe of conscious beings unites with every other being in Love. Of course, with the emphasis on freedom and individuality inherent in Thelema, the beliefs of any given Thelemite are likely to differ from those of any other...The important thing is that each person has the right to fulfill themselves through whatever beliefs and actions are best suited to them (so long as they do not interfere with the will of others), and only they themselves are qualified to determine what these are."

As with all websites, there is a chance of misinformation. So, perhaps, this was not the best place to find information but this is where I found an understanding of Thelema. There are other sites, of course, though this one seemed to spell it out in the simplest terms. In reading through this website (the introduction page in particular) it seemed to make clear to me that although all Thelemites discover and follow their true will, they try to do their own thing without getting in the way of others, thereby not imposing their will upon anyone else.

Could I be wrong? Of course. Am I going to freak out over it? No. Would I like to learn more? Sure. But now, at least, I've laid it out exactly as I've come to understand it. Stay tuned for Part Two!

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