Thelema is a spiritual and occult philosophy founded by the English occultist Aleister Crowley. Crowley said that in Cairo in 1904 he received a text, The Book of Law, dictated to him by a being named Aiwass. Its central principle is the maxim Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law, which Crowley interpreted as the pursuit of one's true will rather than self-indulgence. The name is taken from the Greek word for will, and from the Abbey of Thelema in the work of Rabelais. Crowley set up a short-lived community at Cefalù, in Sicily, in 1920, and Thelema was carried on by organizations such as the Ordo Templi Orientis. It remains controversial, partly because of Crowley's reputation.
Before and after
- 1904Rise of Fauvism
- 1904Founding of Belgium men's national football team
- 1904Herero and Nama genocide
- 1904Rise of Young Bosnia
- 1904Origins of Thelema
- 1904Origins of Enduro
- 18 January 1904Birth of Cary Grant
- from 8 February 1904 to 5 September 1905Russo-Japanese War
- 15 February 1904Publication of Madama Butterfly
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The era
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