Aleister Crowley

[David Morris]

http://www.maroney.org/CrowleyIntro/Do_What_Thou_Wilt.html

"Do what thou wilt" is known as the Law of Thelema. It is derived from the 
rule of the fictional Abbey of Thélème in the classic satire Gargantua by 
the French priest and occult student François Rabelais. Crowley recommends 
study of Rabelais when discussing the Law. In Rabelais this rule was "fay çe 
que vouldras", French for "do what you will." From his work the maxim became 
a well-known part of Western literary life, and was adopted by the satirical 
English gentleman's society called the Hell-Fire Club or the Friars of 
Medmenham.

In Crowley's writing, the Law of Thelema is explained in terms of True Will, 
the ultimate spiritual core or quintessence of each person, which has a 
divinely self-ordained path through the world of experience. "Do what thou 
wilt" refers not to the outer emotional and intellectual self but to this 
sacred inner core of personal divinity. Often will is contrasted with whim, 
and the knowing and doing of the True Will is painted not in terms of 
license and ease but of responsibility and hard work.

>From: lorentzen-nicklaus at t-online.de  any discussion about crowley's notion 
>of "will" should, imo, start with the term's configuration in the 
>philosophy of the 19th century, first of all in schopenhauer and nietzsche. 
>especially nietzsche's influence on crowley is obvious, in "the book of the 
>law" and elsewhere. concerning the psycho-spiritual meaning of "will" i 
>recommend the works of the italian psychologist roberto assagiolo 
>("psychosynthesis"), who, very probably, had to do with crowley and/or the 
>oto in an early period of his carreer. in last instance, so it seems to me, 
>crowley's "will" is the non-doing of letting happen the rise of the 
>kundalini shakti ...
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