True Will

True Will is a foundational concept in Thelema, the philosophical and magical framework established by Aleister Crowley early in the 20th century. It represents the intrinsic and divine purpose unique to each individual, transcending mere personal desires and societal expectations. At the core of Crowley's teachings is "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law", a central dictum of his received work, The Book of the Law. This principle asserts not a license for unchecked indulgence, but rather a mandate for individuals to align their actions with their truest spiritual calling. By adhering to their True Will, practitioners of Thelema seek to fulfill their spiritual destiny by harmonising with the cosmic order.

Crowley, drawing from diverse mystical traditions and personal experiences, articulated True Will as essential to personal fulfillment and universal harmony. For Crowley, the journey to uncover one's True Will requires deep introspection, spiritual discipline, and a commitment to the ethical conduct outlined in The Book of the Law. This work, written down during a revelatory experience in 1904, serves as a guiding principle for Thelemites, emphasizing the transformative power of aligning one's life with their True Will.

Concept and meaning

True Will in Thelema refers to an individual's unique, divinely ordained purpose or path in life. It is the core principle that guides a person's actions and decisions, transcending personal desires and ego-driven motives. According to Crowley, True Will is the expression of one's deepest and most authentic self, aligned with the universal order.

Distinguishing True Will from ego-driven desires is crucial in Thelemic practice. While personal desires often stem from temporary emotions, societal conditioning, or superficial goals, True Will represents a higher calling that aligns with the cosmic order and one's inherent nature. Pursuing ego-driven desires can lead to conflict, dissatisfaction, and disharmony, whereas following one's True Will brings about a sense of fulfillment, purpose, and alignment with the greater good.

True Will is not static but evolves as individuals grow and develop spiritually. Discovering and understanding one's True Will requires introspection, self-discipline, and spiritual practices that help uncover the deeper layers of one's being. In Thelema, various techniques such as meditation, ritual magick, and divination are used to gain insight into one's True Will and to align one's actions with this higher purpose.

Crowley believed that in order to discover the True Will, one had to free the desires of the unconscious mind from the control of the conscious mind, especially the restrictions placed on sexual expression, which he associated with the power of divine creation. He identified the True Will of each individual with the Holy Guardian Angel, a daimon unique to each individual. The spiritual quest to find what one is meant to do and to do it is known in Thelema as the Great Work.

In Crowley's writings

In Crowley's essay The Secret Conference (written under the pseudonym "Gerald Aumont", and prefaced to The Heart of the Master), he suggests that a technique must be devised by which a child's True Will may be discovered at birth, or as early as possible in life, in order to permit the correct ordering of society.

In Crowley's ethical treatise Duty, he identifies True Will with the Nature of the individual. This capitalized "Nature" may be compared with the "Perfect Nature" of earlier Gnostic systems, which was another term for the personal daimon or augoeides, usually referenced by Crowley as the Holy Guardian Angel.

The Message of the Master Therion (Liber II]) is a document that attempts to delineate the doctrine of True Will. By reference to Liber Thisharb, Liber II suggests a theory of metempsychosis, whereby the individual True Will is the result of a person's prior incarnations. But here as elsewhere, Crowley stops short of asserting objective validity for memories of past lives. He recommends developing "the magical memory" as a means to an end, and connecting the aspirant's abilities and remembered past with some purpose. By definition, the aspirant's True Will must fit the aspirant's nature.

In De Lege Libellum (Liber CL), Crowley defines True Will as the will which "does not rest content with things partial and transitory, but...proceed[s] firmly to the End", and in the same passage he identifies that "end" as the destruction of oneself in Love.

See also

• Agency – Capacity of an actor to act in a given environment
• Free will – Ability to make choices without constraints
• Self-agency – The phenomenal will
• Volition – Cognitive process of decision to act
• Will – Faculty that selects among a being's desires
• Will to power – Philosophical concept
• Ziran – Key concept in Daoism

References

Works cited

• Crowley, Aleister (1976). The Book of the Law: Liber AL vel Legis. York Beach, Maine: Weiser Book. ISBN 978-0-87728-334-8.
• DuQuette, Lon Milo (2003). The Magick of Aleister Crowley: A Handbook of the Rituals of Thelema. Weiser. ISBN 1-57863-299-4.
• Hymenaeus Beta (1995). "Editor's Foreword". In Crowley, Aleister (ed.). The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King. Red Wheel. ISBN 0-87728-847-X.
• Kraig, Donald Michael (1998). Modern Sex Magick. Llewellyn. ISBN 1-56718-394-8.
• Sutin, Lawrence (2002). Do What Thou Wilt: A life of Aleister Crowley. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-25243-9. OCLC 48140552.

Further reading

• DuQuette, Lon Milo (1997). Angels, Demons & Gods of the New Millennium. Weiser. ISBN 1-57863-010-X.
• Harvey, Graham (1997). Listening People, Speaking Earth. C. Hurst & Co. ISBN 1-85065-272-4.
• Morris, Brian (2006). Religion and Anthropology. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-85241-2.