THELEMA
The Way of the Strong!

By David Cherubim.
Copyright © 1999.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

We of Thelema recognize two kinds of people in the world: Masters and slaves. As Initiates of the Great Work we, of course, strive to be Masters, to free ourselves of slavery and restriction. We do not seek to master or control others, but to master and control ourselves. Masters are those who realize and do their own True Will, who live as free individuals in the world, self-governed and self-sufficient. Slaves, on the other hand, are ignorant of their True Will, and they are part of mass consciousness, lost and bound to a senseless world of ignorance and delusion. Masters are few, slaves are many. Masters are the true servants of Our Lady Nuit, who exercise Love under Will, and Unite with All by doing their own True Will. Slaves, on the other hand, are bound to their lower or personal natures, and they know not where they go.

In fact, slaves are victims who live at the mercy of the external. Masters, on the other hand, live in the higher consciousness of their True Self, in the Sublime Center of their Souls, and they are dedicated to knowing and doing their own True Will. They are not ego-bound or lacking in Vision. On the contrary, Masters expand their consciousness beyond their personal self to include the greater consciousness of their True Self, which is connected by nature with the True Self of every other individual. They are Stars, unique in the Universe, but intimately linked with every other Star in the Glorious Body of Our Lady Nuit.

The slaves are the people who live in the darkness, confusion and chaos of mass consciousness. They are part of the herd, dull and ignorant, followers, not leaders of self. Masters are those who transcend mass consciousness, who take responsibility for their own life, and who live as autonomous individuals in both thought and action. In this they become truly self-sufficient, able to go forth freely of their own accord and in harmony with their own True Nature.

Masters live by their own inward Light; they are self-reliant and non-attached; they do not depend on anyone. Aleister Crowley wrote: "We want only those who can conquer themselves and their environment. As for 'those dependent on him' it is one of our chief objects to abolish the very idea of dependence on others." Masters banish the restriction of dependence; they live as true individuals, self-reliant and free, in the sublime spiritual consciousness of their True Self; and thus they are alone, true Hermits of the Spirit, far removed from the people of the world, but living and working in the world, among the people, to accomplish their True Will.

Masters are doers of the Word of Thelema. That is, they do their own True Will. And they are willing to pay the price for it. They take the greatest chance of all, that of being their own God, their own Individual, their own Self, and their own Leader and Master in a world of senseless followers and slaves. They accept complete responsibility for their own life and they always strive for excellence, continuously moving in an upward and onward manner, with energy and enthusiasm, discipline and diligence, persistence and power. They are strong, able to turn everything to the advantage of their True Will, and able to endure and surmount all the necessary trials and errors that lead to the fulfillment of their Chosen Path. Nothing is against them; they are not victims, and they make no excuses.

Masters see benefit and value in everything, and they use all to accomplish the Great Work. They are thus without limit, living with unlimited possibilities in Nuit, and they have the creative power to change all things into the golden image of their True Will, making all things harmonious with the Way of their True Self. Masters make use of everything, even their so-called mistakes and failures, to attain success in the Way of their True Will. They realize that all is an expression and part of their True Nature, that nothing is against them or their Chosen Path in Life, and that every so-called mistake and failure, every seeming imperfection or handicap, every tribulation, test and ordeal, is but a necessary stepping stone, lesson and challenge on their Path of Success. Success is the fulfillment of the Will. It is not a goal, but a Way of Life. It is the Way of the Strong! Masters know that the greatest joy and satisfaction in life comes from Achievement and Success, that is, the fulfillment of their True Will, which is the reason for their incarnation on earth.

Slaves give their control over to another; they are weak and powerless and depend on others for their sense of control and self-fulfillment. Masters still work, relate, cooperate, and unite with others, but they do this in a spirit of self-determination and self-reliance, knowing that they are the makers of their own reality, that they are the result of their own thoughts, choices, and actions. Slaves do not feel this sense of control. As a matter of fact, they feel inferior and out of control, and they foolishly look to others to gain or feel a sense of control or personal power. They are divided from the facts of existence itself. They are in conflict with reality. But all of this can be changed by the application of the most fundamental laws of Nature.

Every Master was, at one time, a slave, and one among the masses. All of us start from the bottom. That is how we reach the top, by starting at the bottom and gradually working ourselves up the Great Mountain of Success. And what is the key factor to climbing upward? Realizing one's True Will. Every step on the Mountain of Success is but an extension of this fundamental principle of progress. The more responsibility we accept for our life, the more control we gain over our life. That is a simple and self-evident fact of Nature. Shall we live at the mercy of external conditions and other people or shall we take charge of our own life? Shall we be the pathetic prey of ignorance and bondage or the joyous children of knowledge and liberty? It is for us to determine. It is for us to know and to act.