Thelema: An Introduction to the Life, Work & Philosophy of Aleister Crowley Paperback – February 8, 2018

Bought the book.Read the book.Enjoyed the book.I like what was done with it. The book flowed well so it made for quick and easy reading. I think it is an excellent starting point for people to be introduced to Thelema. It's clear, very positive in attitude, and isn't likely to be threatening to most people. For many people starting out - the beginning practices and ideas are challenging enough. They don't need the philosophy and techniques being buried in a book that's impossible to get through. I liked how the book introduced people to something -at times made it clear that it was beyond the scope of this particular work - but gave them a taste of what it was about (without talking down to a novice) - then told them where to go if they want to wade into the deeper waters of that particular topic. Then, I think importantly, it moves on without getting bogged down in the trenches of the single topic. It seemed like the right move if you want to give people the chance to see there is a bigger picture for Thelema. I think one more thing bears mentioning...while it is a good introduction for someone unfamiliar with Thelema - it also contains practices that could challenge anyone for a long time. The yoga section alone could take up decades of personal work. The practices are also not the type of thing only a beginner does. For many Thelemites these are lifelong daily practices. The fact that the practices are explained clearly and without being unnecessarily wordy doesn't mean aren't challenging and rewarding.

This is a very interesting religion and this book is a strong introduction. It gives you an introduction to Crowley (say crow Lee) his life and how this came into being. His background in Raja Hinduism and the occult inform Thelema. I would give this religion a spin if I wasn’t committed to my Buddhism and Catholicism. The law of Thelema makes a lot of sense once you know what it means. Strong enjoyable read.

93. Interesting. Easy to read. Very informative. 📖

I wish less of the book was about Crowley's life, but seeing as how it's an introductory text it's a bit of a necessity, otherwise, I wouldn't change a thing about this book.It's a great overview of the philosophy of Thelema and covers just enough to get someone started along with plenty of book suggestions to follow up with.After this book, I'd recommend someone new to all of this read The Tree of Life by Israel Regardie, before diving headlong into other Thelemic works.

A very fast read and a thorough introduction to the religion. The author makes Thelema feel inviting and accessible, which is a needed virtue right now.

Having some familiarity with the Master Therion, this book could be considered something of a refresher. However, my knowledge is only of his life by way of a biography. Not being familiar with the nuts and bolts of his life's work, I would submit this book as a great overview and interesting place to start if you are in any way interested in Thelema. It provides a simple overview of the philosophy of Thelema without getting bogged down in ritual and formulas. A great place to start if you're curious, but probably unnecessary if you are already practicing. It could be thought of as a brochure. If you want to dig deeper, it has plenty of references for further study.

The whole book is very insightful, but I'd like to call attention to the many photos included that (to those of us outside OTO) have been previously unavailable -- whole new level of awesome. A very enjoyable read!

Really, we have all the Crowley biographies we can use – after Churton and Kaczynski – we don’t need anything else. But there is more to this book than just the biography. Still in the biography section, I see Campbell using the most standard spelling and interpretation of words and names, even though we’ve come to know them better: Aiwass instead of Aiwaz, and Ra-Hoor-Khuit instead of Ra-Heru-Khuti. At least he writes Liber AL instead of Liber L, though he does mention both. He also writes Argenteum Astrum for Astron Argon. He treats the three volumes of Thelema the same as The Holy Books of Thelema, although these are not identical. He says Crowley adopted the term “Scarlet Woman” when clearly the reference is from The Book of the Law. Also “Lady Frieda Harris” is the wrong way to represent Lady Harris’ name. Did Campbell even have a proofreader? I don’t want to come across as a cranky old person, and the cover does say this is an Introduction, but there are important things that he gives us too much of a shallow definition or description of; and he does this over and over again. I just cannot recommend this book. Quite frankly, it states things so simply, too simply, to the point there will be a misunderstanding of what θέλημα is. My brief "Thelemic Fundamentals" explains things much better than this.