Virtues exist as a reflection of the cultural values held by a group of people. Virtues tell us what is important, what is honored, what is respected. Thelema is no different from other religions in that it has ideals and standards. It is interesting to explore what virtues might exist for Thelemites. First, let us define what we mean by virtue.
From Webster’s dictionary:
conformity to a standard of right : MORALITY
a particular moral excellence
a beneficial quality or power of a thing
The third definition is appropriate when we talk about Thelemic virtues. This is similar to what Agrippa refers to in his books of Occult Philosophy when he describes the virtues of plants and other objects. This definition also removes the moral component that is so often attached to virtues.
Many of our deeply held ideas about what virtue is come to us from Western Culture, specifically from Christian ideals that have been handed down to us by the Church, and these mostly have to do with a code of moral behavior. Christian virtues such as faithfulness, selflessness, charity, sacrifice, chastity, and generosity are the ones with which we are most familiar. The Arthurian legends are full of examples of the Christian (and mostly patriarchal) virtues: Bravery, valor, courage, chastity, loyalty, piety, faithfulness, fairness, etc.
Thelemites reject the main premises of the Christian belief system, and so they also often reject out of hand any virtues as conceived and held by that tradition. This may be a case of throwing the baby out with the bath water, however, and we should look more closely at what the virtues really are on their own merit.
What makes virtues Thelemic?
Thelemic virtues would be traits or behaviors that reflect the core nature of Thelema (Will) as it manifests in the lives of Thelemites. These are going to be personal qualities to which Thelemites aspire because they are valuable in the pursuit of True Will. While these traits may be portrayed in a somewhat idealized manner, they are achievable by anyone because they are human qualities.
Some of these same virtues will be similarly revered by other cultures and belief systems. That they are shared with others who are not of us doesn’t make them any less Thelemic.
There are criteria by which we can determine what is a virtue according to Thelema.
Thelemic virtues need to be prominently called out in the Holy Books of Thelema.
Thelemic virtues are personal qualities that will lead to success in pursuit of True Will, in doing one’s Will, or in achieving K&C.
Thelemic virtues do not drive people to right behavior or enforce a moral code, except as they align with one’s True Will or lead to K&C.
Based on the above criteria, here is a short list of Thelemic Virtues:
Strength
Strength can be outwardly physical and muscular. It can be a source of endurance. It can also be power that comes from expressing an inner truth. Transformation requires determination, energy, perseverance, and courage and these are all aspects of strength.
The tarot card representing the path between Chesed and Geburah was called Strength. We know it from the Thoth deck as Lust.
In the Book of Thoth, Crowley explains that because of its placement on the Tree of Life, the path of Teth combines the strength of Geburah with the influence of Chesed, and so the title Lust is a better fit for the tarot card. “Lust implies not only strength but the joy of strength exercised. It is vigour, and the rapture of vigour.” Strength/Lust ties in with Leo in the zodiac, Mars influences, and the symbol of the Serpent. Crowley viewed the path of Teth and all it represents as the key symbol of his work during his incarnation. His first magical motto Perdurabo, or “I shall endure until the end” is indicative of this quality.
Quotes from Liber AL vel Legis:
II:21 “The law of the strong…”
II:22: “Be strong O man! Lust, enjoy all things of sense and rapture: fear not that any God shall deny thee for this.”
III:46 “Success is your proof; courage is your armour; go on, go on in my strength & ye shall not turn back for any!”
Discipline
Self-control in thought, word, and action are central to the work. This personal quality ties in with Saturn influences, and Binah on the Tree of Life. In chapter 70 of Magick Without Tears, Crowley says “About 90% of Thelema, at a guess, is nothing but self-discipline. One is only allowed to do anything and everything so as to have more scope for exercising that virtue.”
Discipline is required for success in most activities. Think yoga, meditation, Resh, Will, pranayama, diary keeping, and the rest of the work we do as magicians. It stands to reason that disciplined initiates are more likely than the undisciplined ones to progress in their studies, to succeed in finding and doing their True Wills, in achieving K&C.
Love
Much has been said about the phrase “Love is the law, love under will.” Love is a core tenet of Thelema. The word ‘love’ appears 33 times in Liber AL. Love is one of the four major Thelemic principles, i.e. Life, Love, Liberty, and Light. There are seven forms of Love according to the Greek philosophers, and of these, it is Agape (selfless, universal love) that most applies here. Universal Love is a constant, a background over which is laid the variations of the foreground we call the known world.
As a virtue, it is the ability to love others freely and without conditions; to express love in thought, word, and deed; and also to accept love from others.
Joy
The word ‘joy’ appears 21 times in Liber AL.
Quotes from Liber AL vel Legis:
I:53 “But ecstasy be thine and joy of earth: ever To me! To me!”
I:58 “I give unimaginable joys on earth: certainty, not faith, while in life, upon death.”
II:35 “Let the rituals be rightly performed with joy and beauty!”
II:9 “Remember all ye that existence is pure joy, that all the sorrows are but as shadows”
II:21 “This is our law and the joy of the world”
II:26 “I am the secret Serpent coiled about to spring; in my coiling there is joy”
II:66 “Thrill with the joy of life and death”
II:70 “Wisdom says: be strong! Then canst thou bear more joy”
The joy and ecstasy we experience can be independent of any outward circumstances in our lives. Whether we are going through good times or bad, and whether we realize it or not, a sense of joy is always present. Becoming aware of that deep level of joy is a by-product of the Great Work.
As a virtue, it is the capacity to find ecstasy and joy in every moment.
Respect
In Liber Librae, it is said:
“In the true religion there is no sect, therefore take heed that thou blaspheme not the name by which another knoweth his God;”
This is an expression of tolerance based on the idea that all religions are different fingers pointing at the same moon, and have the same ultimate goal.
True respect for others comes from the understanding that every man and every woman is a star with their own path. Allowing room for others to act in accord with their Wills is one of the highest and difficult forms of respect.
As a virtue, respect includes self-respect just as much as respect for others.
Quotes from Liber AL vel Legis:
I:3 “Every man and every woman is a star”
Compassion
Quotes from Liber AL vel Legis:
II:21 “Compassion is the vice of kings: stamp down the wretched & the weak: this is the law of the strong: this is our law and the joy of the world.”
III:43 “Let the scarlet woman beware! If pity and compassion and tenderness visit her heart; if she leave my work to toy with old sweetnesses; then shall my vengeance be known.”
This one may be controversial among Thelemites since the Book of the Law seems to say that compassion is a weakness. So why would a “vice of kings” and a trigger for “vengeance” be considered a virtue? It depends on the understanding of what it means to be compassionate.
Ancient Greeks and Romans felt that compassion was a vice when based on pity, but it was a virtue when based on mercy. This definition depended entirely on whether the person receiving empathy was worthy or not -- obviously a very subjective view. The Book of the Law clearly warns against compassion toward the pitiful. But what of merciful compassion? What should a Thelemite do when confronted with suffering?
From a Thelemic perspective, we are all Khabs wrapped in a Khu. As stars in the company of stars, we are travelling on the distinct orbits dictated by our individual Wills. When we encounter an individual who is suffering, that person may very well be carrying out their Will by experiencing their circumstances OR it may be our Will to act on their behalf. And yet above the Abyss, there is no difference between one thing and any other thing. It is from this unified vantage point that we find subject and object are collapsed together into one phenomenon, and any object of our pity or mercy or dispassion is really only an indivisible facet of this One Thing that is ourselves.
Even though a “vice” sounds like it is a bad thing, compassion is a vice that belongs to Kings. Only Kings know true compassion, i.e. the understanding that we are all the same being with a trillion different faces. Thus, at the same time we are the one who suffers and the one who gives relief or turns away, each according to their Wills. Compassion as a virtue is an acknowledgement of the underlying reality. There is no moral component to compassion, and no requirement to act. One must only ever take action or not based on one’s True Will.
Lust
As mentioned above, the Lust card of the tarot was originally called Strength, and it reflects the path balancing the Sephirah Chesed and Geburah on the Tree of Life. As such, these two virtues share a lot in common and are linked together in many ways in our work.
Quotes from Liber AL vel Legis:
I:51 “Be goodly therefore: dress ye all in fine apparel; eat rich foods and drink sweet wines and wines that foam! Also, take your fill and will of love as ye will, when, where and with whom ye will! But always unto me”
II:70-72 “Be not animal; refine thy rapture! If thou drink, drink by the eight and ninety rules of art: if thou love, exceed by delicacy; and if thou do aught joyous, let there be subtlety therein! But exceed! Exceed! Strive ever to more! and if thou art truly mine -- and doubt it not, an if thou art ever joyous! -- death is the crown of all.”
Lust as a virtue includes carnal desire and physical pleasure, but also refers to a lust for life reflected in a joyous pursuit of all experience.
Perseverance
This is perhaps an aspect of strength, but the ability to persist in the face of the obstacles of the occult path seems worthy of being called out as its own virtue. Perseverance in the work will bring each of us to an achievement of Knowledge and Conversation with our HGA, and ultimately to the arrival in Binah, the City of the Pyramids, as Magister Templi.
That Crowley’s motto was Perdurabo, and Paul Case’s was Perseverantia seems significant. They were personifications of this virtue.
Shamelessness
While some of these virtues can be shared among different ideologies, Shamelessness stands as one that is unique to Thelema.
Quotes from Liber AL vel Legis:
III:44-45 “But let her raise herself in pride! Let her follow me in my way! Let her work the work of wickedness! Let her kill her heart! Let her be loud and adulterous! Let her be covered with jewels, and rich garments, and let her be shameless before all men!
“Then will I lift her to pinnacles of power: then will I breed from her a child mightier than all the kings of the earth. I will fill her with joy: with my force shall she see & strike at the worship of Nu: she shall achieve Hadit.”
Shamelessness as a virtue comes across as authenticity, being true to yourself unapologetically, and not giving a fuck what other people think.
Other Avenues, other Virtues
Finally, there are a few other avenues to explore around Thelemic virtues.
One area to consider is the Atu of the Tarot. These are the trump cards (Emperor, Hermit, Devil, Fool, etc.) that signify the paths between the Sephiroth on the Tree of Life. Each of these could be a form of virtue on their own because they represent individual qualities that by definition assist us as we traverse along the Path of Return.
Another pattern to meditate on is the Four Powers of the Sphinx which are the cornerstones of our magical tradition. Will, Knowledge, Courage, Silence. They each fall easily within our definition of virtues, and they map very nicely to the virtues listed above.
Crowley’s “Duty”, which I have detailed elsewhere in my five part analysis of that essay, demonstrates many points that meet the criteria and can be considered Thelemic virtues. When we dutifully set boundaries for ourselves and carry out our own Will successfully, we are exemplifying a Thelemic virtue. When we support others who are doing their Wills, or take action to free up mutual impediments, that is also a Thelemic virtue. Our work towards humanity and world at large are all part of this duty, and it carries the same sense of virtue. These duties outline a type of amoral ethics within Thelema, one based on simple virtues of finding and doing one’s Will.