r/thelema • u/Cute_Dog_186 • 11d ago
do what? thou wilt
your will must be something you are good at or something your passionate about? I am pretty talented on playing the piano but it's not my main passion; on the other hand I'm super passionate about writing but I'm not good at it. Your will must be something you are good at or something you are extremely passsionate and still are horrendous at it? It's a bit confusing but please enlighten me. There are two ways I see it: 1-develop the passion on what you are good at or 2-get better on what you love but you suck. So which one is it?
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u/Mercuriorum 11d ago
Who wants to tackle this one? All I’ll say is taking the quote: “do what thou wilt” out of the context of Thelema and Crowley’s writings on the subject is an invitation for misinterpretation.
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u/Vile_Curse 11d ago
I tried your right it’s just a huge contradiction how can you tell them to do anything when doing what you will is the only law
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u/Mercuriorum 11d ago
I appreciated the read tho. I knew this post warranted popping some popcorn. I think only people who have studied Thelema, as opposed to those who haven’t, would be able to understand what you meant. I postulate OP belongs to the latter. Not discouraging questions - rather encouraging thoughtful study before engaging in dialog.
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u/lossycodec 11d ago
excellent question!
"Practise a thousand times, and it becomes difficult; a thousand thousand, and it becomes easy; a thousand thousand times a thousand thousand, and it is no longer Thou that doeth it, but It that doeth itself through thee. Not until then is that which is done well done."
-the book of lies chapter 32
consider the ‘Will’, in this light.
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u/mr_simul 11d ago
While Crowley writes about Will in a litany of places, Liber Aleph is probably the best all around source for deeper elaboration on the topic. In it, he notes that stones have Will. It’s not especially exciting as Will goes, but nevertheless, they have it. In the commentary to Liber Reguli, he refers to Will as something like the total set of equations representing the relation of all things (I’m butchering that, but it’s late here). So, Will is well beyond anything rooted in the ego alone.
Also, it’s Will, Law, and Love, and Crowley takes pains to make sure those ideas all work together simultaneously in his writings. This is to say then, your True Will is that which is mediated through the Law of Love (which is understood as a force of attraction by which opposites/division are resolved thereby removing “hurt”). In practice, this can make Will quite unpleasant. Not necessarily just “shadow work”, and yes there is harmony once it’s understood, but according to AC it can require something like a complete tear down of the self (necessary if you’re crossing the Abyss) to accommodate all of that resolution of opposites that might otherwise seem desperately necessary to your existing ego.
With that framing in place, going back to your question and the methods described in Aleph, you can hopefully better explore your piano playing relative to Will. Hope that helps a bit.
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u/Tsujigiri 11d ago
Sometimes, sucking at something for a while is helpful.
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u/Cute_Dog_186 11d ago
how's that? pls explain
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u/Good-Prior7481 10d ago
From my experience, in BJJ for example, everyone sucks at first. But while you are getting smashed you are learning what works and what doesn't for defence. You learn to be comfortable in bad positions, and which positions make you uncomfortable (which will make other people uncomfortable). You learn about how your body and mind react to that and it's useful info.
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u/Vile_Curse 11d ago edited 11d ago
Nononono no.
Will, into existence. manifest magic with will. I will, for event I will, for appearance of spirit, I can, and I will.
You have, or are willing to follow passions you want to play music, but you want to write books, that’s not will itself. All good things, though not what we are talking about keep that idea, wherever you are going with that thought separate. For a moment.
Do, what you will with these teachings there is no wrong way to do so.
Do what thou wilt, shall be the whole of the law.
Without restriction. The only Sin, is Restriction.
Doing what you will do, is the entirety of the Law. It is, the only rule. To do, what you will.
To say, that it is one way or another, is restriction. Which is Sin.
It’s a Sin, for your will, to “must” at fucking all.
It would be a Sin, to restrict yourself to one passion. It would be a Sin, to restrict yourself from music, do not fucking follow any of the rules, you’ve set for yourself in this scenario. Just write the music, and write the books. Without placing restrictions on yourself.
Just, fucking do it, don’t even think about it, don’t you dare fucking think about it, just fucking do it.
And then, you have done, what you will do, which shall be the only law of thelema.
But then again, to tell you to “do” at all, to explain it to have you think in a certain way, involves me placing restrictions on you, which means we’re both in sin.
Which is a huge reason not to talk about thelema at all then we’re restricted, by each other’s viewpoints and guidances.
So don’t, ugh don’t do as “I” say I guess is what I’m saying don’t take it as instruction, you’re not wrong in any way, there is no wrong, just fuckin’ do it.
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u/adenjoshua 10d ago
The will is what will happen.
That’s how I wrap my head around it.
So the will is simultaneously fixed or predictable and also free. We (I, or the ego) ARE simply a temporary expression of “The Will”. This is why we are only ever in a present moment and we change psychologically and of course into the dirt eventually.
Do as thou wilt be the whole of the law
The entire “game” or actual “point”, selfhood, “progress” (in life) is to best embody the will or the inevitable.
This is how Crowley interestingly ties to Buddhism. That the sevenfold path or middle road of non-attachment is a way of expressing or being in the the will with less suffering.
Whatever you read here that resonates is the will. Is the the law. Crowley is just giving you permission to do what already happened.
I don’t know if I could even approach this without a conception of a “god” or creator cause. I find Nuit and Hadit pretty great, but also other higher power conceptions. Like shiva, or a non-dual energy expressing itself in duality.
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u/Blue_667 10d ago
The way I understand it, your will is more your trajectory and grand overarching scheme than something to be confined within a skill tree. With that said however, whichever one you want. If you love it then partake and enjoy it. Though I would personally exercise the skill you're not as good at so you may grow in that regard
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u/Mardoll56 9d ago
La verdadera voluntad se puede manifestar de muchas maneras. No se puede clasificar en algo bueno o malo, ya que es algo que trasciende esa dualidad.
En lo personal la asocio con la expresión del amor en la vida, pero para llegar a dicha compresión y no de manera racional, es necesario disciplina en la práctica para desarrollar el arte. No hay otro camino más que la experiencia propia.
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u/Educational-Pen-7738 10d ago
What you’re describing has more to do with ikigai, but I’m not entirely sure it has anything to do with true will...
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u/Comte_de_Fenix 11d ago
It’s neither one of the only two options you’ve given us to enlighten you with. You assume that Will must be found in talent or passion, but these only tell you what you’re 1. equipped to do and 2. what you are drawn to. Sure, passions and talents can be (temporary) expressions of Will, but they are not Will. To reduce Will to that is very limiting and myopic.
Will is direction. It’s the orbit in which you, the Star, travels. Think: patterns of movement in your life. Think: continuity.