Thelema is a Greek word repurposed by Aleister Crowley in 1904. It has grown very important in modern occultism, and is considered the Word of the Aeon of Horus. A “Word” is just a fancy term for a central concept to a philosophy, it is a summation of the ideology as a whole. For example, when we say “Thelema” we have numerous things that it automatically refers to, including Crowley, The Book of the Law, the moral system of Thelema, the Gods, the G.D and OTO, etc. and so on. It is consider something intensely magical, because it brings a lasting, philosophical and practical change to the objective universe. So what is an “Aeon”? It goes along with the other question: what is “Horus”?
Horus is the Platonic Form of Order. If you are unfamiliar with Platonic Forms, think of Archetypes which literally exist. For example, two triangles can be identified no matter how varied due to their Form, their essence, that which makes them triangles. Likewise, there is an Order which underlies all of our physical, objective universe and has, it seems, since the universe came into existence. Perhaps this may boil down to a few mathematical equations on day, but even those will still share the Form of Order. Were Order not a fundamental part of the universe, there could be no consistency, and therefore nothing like math, logic, or science could exist. An Aeon is simply an ideology which rules a system. The Aeon of Horus, therefore, is the time ruled by ideologies routed in the Form of Order. Ironically, we see this Order manifest in the real world during this time, with fascism running rampant, a very conservative United States, things of that nature.
The word Thelema itself translates to “Will”, in the sense of divine will or the will of God. In this case, God is associated with Order, a very strict, solar type force similar to the Tao of Taoism. It’s not necessarily personal though, more reminiscent of the mystical All than a monotheistic God. So, the will of this “God” is equivalent to the natural order of the universe, the natural functioning of the All. In Thelema, the goal is to understand one’s place and role in this order, and it is believed that this falling in line with the will of God will lead to a peaceful life, less obstacles, as well as an eventual Union with the All itself.
Understanding one’s Thelema seems to be extremely important. To illustrate: image you spend your whole life growing up wanting to be a teacher, but your physician parents insist you go into their field and inherit the practice. If you follow your Thelema, in this case teaching, you are more likely to be happy and satisfied in life, more willful and dedicated, than if you had followed the will of others. Thelema is a deep understanding of who one is, what one wants, which limits one has and which of those can be overcome, etc and so on. “Know thyself,” in essence.
On the other hand, Xeper (Xpr) is a verb from early ancient Egyptian times, repurposed by Michael Aquino in 1975. It has also grown very important, if to a lesser extent and strictly to the western Left-Hand Path. It is the Word to describe the Aeon of Set. We’ve discussed what a Word and Aeon are, so what is Set? Set is the Platonic Form of individual Selfhood. That constant, fundamental part of you that can realize and claim “I exist,” which sets us and few other animals apart from the rest of Horus/God/Nature. It is that which can separate itself from, question, and even go against and manipulate the Order of nature in accordance with individual will. One of the oldest meanings of the name “Set” is “separator” or “isolator.”
The word Xeper is verb meaning “to become” or “becoming”. It represents a change that has already occurred though can occur again. It was tied to the god of the dawning sun, Khepri, and can be seen as referring to that moment when the sun “comes into being” over the horizon. Xeper, like Thelema, is very important and even unavoidable. Changes in one’s Self and the world one lives in all fall under Xeper. While knowing one’s Thelema is important, it is only through Xeper, change and coming into a new state of being, that one actually does their true will. Simply being aware of it is not enough, one must actively work for it, as well as work to control it.
The critical failure of Crowley was starting with the external system and focusing on Order, whereas Thelema requires a much greater independence that cannot be found in a brotherhood, or by limiting readers to a single source. Crowley believed in the popular Egyptian myth of Horus overthrowing Set, zen-ing it to enlightenment by falling in line with order rather than fighting for it, but this story hardly illustrates the complex relationship between Horus and Set we are now aware of. Imagine if Crowley had access to H. Te Velde and other such authors! I believe a lot of AL was misunderstood and even twisted by Crowley and his interpretation, and I think the paths that have extended from it are equally flawed. Thelema is important, yes. But it is not the beginning and ending, and by far the simpler and more direct course compared to Xeper.
I’m out of steam, damn. Been meaning to write this for a while and it’s at least a good start. 93 and Xeper.
Horus is the Platonic Form of Order. If you are unfamiliar with Platonic Forms, think of Archetypes which literally exist. For example, two triangles can be identified no matter how varied due to their Form, their essence, that which makes them triangles. Likewise, there is an Order which underlies all of our physical, objective universe and has, it seems, since the universe came into existence. Perhaps this may boil down to a few mathematical equations on day, but even those will still share the Form of Order. Were Order not a fundamental part of the universe, there could be no consistency, and therefore nothing like math, logic, or science could exist. An Aeon is simply an ideology which rules a system. The Aeon of Horus, therefore, is the time ruled by ideologies routed in the Form of Order. Ironically, we see this Order manifest in the real world during this time, with fascism running rampant, a very conservative United States, things of that nature.
The word Thelema itself translates to “Will”, in the sense of divine will or the will of God. In this case, God is associated with Order, a very strict, solar type force similar to the Tao of Taoism. It’s not necessarily personal though, more reminiscent of the mystical All than a monotheistic God. So, the will of this “God” is equivalent to the natural order of the universe, the natural functioning of the All. In Thelema, the goal is to understand one’s place and role in this order, and it is believed that this falling in line with the will of God will lead to a peaceful life, less obstacles, as well as an eventual Union with the All itself.
Understanding one’s Thelema seems to be extremely important. To illustrate: image you spend your whole life growing up wanting to be a teacher, but your physician parents insist you go into their field and inherit the practice. If you follow your Thelema, in this case teaching, you are more likely to be happy and satisfied in life, more willful and dedicated, than if you had followed the will of others. Thelema is a deep understanding of who one is, what one wants, which limits one has and which of those can be overcome, etc and so on. “Know thyself,” in essence.
On the other hand, Xeper (Xpr) is a verb from early ancient Egyptian times, repurposed by Michael Aquino in 1975. It has also grown very important, if to a lesser extent and strictly to the western Left-Hand Path. It is the Word to describe the Aeon of Set. We’ve discussed what a Word and Aeon are, so what is Set? Set is the Platonic Form of individual Selfhood. That constant, fundamental part of you that can realize and claim “I exist,” which sets us and few other animals apart from the rest of Horus/God/Nature. It is that which can separate itself from, question, and even go against and manipulate the Order of nature in accordance with individual will. One of the oldest meanings of the name “Set” is “separator” or “isolator.”
The word Xeper is verb meaning “to become” or “becoming”. It represents a change that has already occurred though can occur again. It was tied to the god of the dawning sun, Khepri, and can be seen as referring to that moment when the sun “comes into being” over the horizon. Xeper, like Thelema, is very important and even unavoidable. Changes in one’s Self and the world one lives in all fall under Xeper. While knowing one’s Thelema is important, it is only through Xeper, change and coming into a new state of being, that one actually does their true will. Simply being aware of it is not enough, one must actively work for it, as well as work to control it.
The critical failure of Crowley was starting with the external system and focusing on Order, whereas Thelema requires a much greater independence that cannot be found in a brotherhood, or by limiting readers to a single source. Crowley believed in the popular Egyptian myth of Horus overthrowing Set, zen-ing it to enlightenment by falling in line with order rather than fighting for it, but this story hardly illustrates the complex relationship between Horus and Set we are now aware of. Imagine if Crowley had access to H. Te Velde and other such authors! I believe a lot of AL was misunderstood and even twisted by Crowley and his interpretation, and I think the paths that have extended from it are equally flawed. Thelema is important, yes. But it is not the beginning and ending, and by far the simpler and more direct course compared to Xeper.
I’m out of steam, damn. Been meaning to write this for a while and it’s at least a good start. 93 and Xeper.
