Thelemic Holy Books

The Book of the Law and the writings Crowley built around it.

5 texts in the archive

Crowley reported receiving Liber AL vel Legis in Cairo in April 1904. He later classed several works as “Holy Books” and gathered them in The Equinox. His commentaries and manuals depend on these texts.

The page separates the received texts from Crowley’s own expositions.

The Lineage

Listed in approximate chronological order. The label above each title states how it relates to the rest of the family.

1
Root text · received 1904; published 1909

The Liber AL vel Legis (The Book of the Law)

The foundational text of Thelema.

2
Direct textual relationship · collected edition

The Equinox Vol. III No. IX - Holy Books of Thelema

Collection of the texts Crowley designated Holy Books.

3
Direct textual relationship · 1936

The Equinox of the Gods

Crowley’s account of the reception, with the text.

4
Influence · 1929

Magick in Theory and Practice

Practical manual interpreting the system.

5
Influence · 1944

The Book of Thoth

Tarot interpreted through Thelemic doctrine.

Relationship Labels

Root text: The earliest surviving text the family is organised around.

Direct textual relationship: Shares or reworks text, or is a translation or edition, of an earlier member (supported by manuscript or textual scholarship).

Influence: Draws on ideas, names or structures from earlier members without reproducing their text.

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