The Book of the Law, or Liber AL vel Legis, is the central revelatory text of Thelema. Aleister Crowley dated its reception to three days in Cairo in April 1904. The text is divided into three chapters and speaks through the figures Nuit, Hadit, and Ra-Hoor-Khuit.[1]

Three voices#

The first chapter presents Nuit through the image of the all-encompassing heavens. The second speaks as Hadit, an inward point of life and motion. The third uses the royal and martial imagery of Ra-Hoor-Khuit. These voices give the book its structure and a distinctive range of tone, from cosmic intimacy to severe command.[1]

The central language of will and love is interpreted throughout Thelemic teaching. O.T.O.'s introduction to Thelema emphasizes the uniqueness of each person's will and the difficulty of describing all adherents through a single formula.[2]

Scripture and interpretation#

The book includes statements about its own authority, transmission, and interpretation. Editions may reproduce the manuscript, the typeset text, and Crowley's later commentary. These are related materials, but they are not identical documents. A citation to a verse should identify the chapter and verse rather than silently replacing it with a commentator's explanation.

Ordo Templi Orientis gives the book a central role in its religious work. Other Thelemic communities and solitary practitioners also read it. Its Egyptian names belong to a modern revelatory setting; they should not be assumed to express the beliefs of every ancient Egyptian worshiper or of the Temple of Set.

See also#

References

  1. Aleister Crowley, Liber AL vel Legis · Primary text in the O.T.O. U.S. Grand Lodge library. (accessed 2026-10-01) ↩
  2. O.T.O. U.S. Grand Lodge, Thelema (accessed 2026-10-01) ↩
book of the lawliber althelematexts

This encyclopedia covers traditions beyond the High Satanic Church. Church doctrine is identified as such when it appears.