Aeon

The concept of {{Nihongo| Aeon|{{Ruby|時代(アイオーン) |Jidai (Aiōn)}} stems from Thelema, a physical, mystical, and religious system created by the occultist Aleister Crowley in the 20th century. In the Thelemite religion, it is believed that the history of humanity can be divided into a series of those Aeons, each named after an Egyptian deity, and each was accompanied by its own forms of "magical and religious expression".

In the Toaru Majutsu no Index universe, the Aeons are a mysterious concept introduced by Aiwass when it meets Accelerator during the DRAGON Arc, when it states that Accelerator can't defeat it due to his attack being from the Aeon of Osiris. Aiwass itself is a being from the Aeon of Horus.

Principles
The Aeons are a concept devised by Aleister Crowley as part of Thelema, which has the history of humanity divided into several ages or Aeons, named after Egyptian deities.

Aeons
The first of these was the {{Nihongo|Aeon of Isis|イシスの{{Ruby|時代(アイオーン) |Ishisu no Aiōn}}, which Thelemites believed occurred during prehistory and which saw mankind worshipping a Great Goddess, symbolised by the ancient Egyptian deity {{W|Isis}}. It was characterized by pagan worship of the Mother and Nature. It was a time of primitive religions, before the establishment of Christianity.

In Thelemite beliefs, the Aeon of Isis was followed by the {{Nihongo|Aeon of Osiris|オシリスの{{Ruby|時代(</rp>アイオーン</rt>)</rp> |Oshirisu no Aiōn}}, a period that took place in the classical and medieval centuries, when humanity worshipped a singular male god, symbolised by the Egyptian god {{W|Osiris}}, and was therefore dominated by patriarchal values. Christianity and other Abrahamic religions are considered by the Thelemites as being the representation of this Aeon, thought of as a time of stagnation during its spread.

And finally the third aeon, the {{Nihongo|Aeon of Horus|ホルスの{{Ruby|時代</rb>(</rp>アイオーン</rt>)</rp> |Horusu no Aiōn}}, which was controlled by the child god, symbolized by {{W|Horus}}. In this new aeon, Thelemites believe that humanity will enter a time of self-realization and self-actualization, achieving a true awakening after the downfall of Christianity. Aleister later came to believe himself to be the prophet of this new age.

Other Aeons
Some Thelemites believe that the Aeon of  will eventually replace the present one.

Other
The Aeons are also associated with several other aspects of Thelema, such as the Thoth Tarot based around the concept and featuring The Aeon as its twentieth Major Arcana instead of .

Background
Like many other European magicians who had reached a dead-end in their research and sought new material elsewhere to make a breakthrough, Aleister Crowley traveled to Egypt, conveniently located just across the Mediterranean, and while he was there incorporated the names of Isis, Osiris and Horus into his concept of Aeons, eliciting a laugh from the Magic God Nephthys. During his time with the Golden Dawn, there are a number of people who didn't support the concept, an extreme view even within that cabal.

In the series, several characters are referenced as being from or possessing the Aeon of Osiris, which is defined (in a simplified manner) as having their worldview defined by the God of Christianity. However, even this definition is too narrow, Accelerator, a non-Christian character, was also described as being in the Aeon of Osiris. Therefore, characters in the Aeon of Osiris have their worldview limited not specifically by the God of Christianity, but rather by an existential belief in outside objective systems of good and evil or right and wrong that are imposed on the character from without. Accelerator may not be a Christian, but up to a certain point, he is controlled by his belief in the notions of "heroism" and "villainy" as they are defined from an outside standpoint.

DRAGON Arc
When Aiwass' self defense program activated in order to counter Accelerator's attack, it referred to his Awakened form as being from the Aeon of Osiris and thus could not match against something like it from the Aeon of Horus.

World War III Arc
The topic of Aeons is mentioned yet again when Aleister Crowley and Fiamma of the Right face off at the end of World War III. There, Aleister praises Fiamma for having made it thus far, but scolds him for staying within the borders of the Aeon of Osiris, implying that, had Fiamma accomplished his plan under the Aeon of Horus, he would have succeeded. He then offhandedly mentions that he has himself gone beyond that, that he is now is of the Aeon of Horus, rejecting the old laws and wanting to create a new world with new laws. It is currently unknown how much are the Aeons of importance to Aleister's Plan. Later when Ollerus and Silvia arrive to rescue Fiamma after being left for dead by Aleister they offer him protection in exchange for what he had heard so they could try to read between the lines of the Aeon of Osiris that Fiamma is of and to see Crowley's Aeon of Horus which comes after.

Also, since the Invisible Thing sealed inside Touma's right arm was able to defeat Fiamma even in his La Persona Superiore a Dio form, it is safe to assume that the Invisible Thing might go beyond the Aeon of Osiris, a fact that even Aleister seems to confirm.

World Rejecter Arc
Othinus and Nephthys refer to the Thoth Tarot and the Aeons during their explanation of Africa and its relation to European magic to Touma.

Coronzon Arc
The matter of the Aeons and the magic derived from them was brought up multiples times during the events surrounding the Crowley's Hazard invasion of the United Kingdom and the battle to thwart Coronzon's Ceremony of Mo Athair.

Kamijou Arc
Aiwass and Anna Sprengel referred to the Aeons while discussing the events which had previously transpired. Later, in a message to Tsuchimikado Motoharu, Aleister referred to the change and the new threat which had emerged as something he failed to predict even with the Aeon of Horus.

Trivia

 * According to Kamachi, the three parts of the Coronzon Arc are meant represent the three main Aeons; Isis, Osiris and Horus. The first volume represents the Aeon of Isis, with the Divine Mixtures derived from the pre-Christian Egyptian and Greek gods. The second volume represents the Aeon of Osiris, with the resolution coming down to the use of Christianity. The third volume represents the Aeon of Horus by going beyond that.
 * In the real-life "Magick in Theory and Practice", Aleister Crowley wrote: "There is a Magical operation of maximum importance: the Initiation of a New Aeon. When it becomes necessary to utter a Word, the whole Planet must be bathed in blood. Before man is ready to accept the Law of Thelema, the Great War must be fought. This Bloody Sacrifice is the critical point of the World-Ceremony of the Proclamation of Horus, the Crowned and conquering Child, as Lord of the Aeon." While this paragraph was apparently written in 1911, three years before the outbreak of (also known as the Great War), Aleister Crowley carried out something similar by themselves in the Toaru series, in the form of the invasion of the British Commonwealth by the Crowley's Hazards. This conflict, in which the billion or so Crowleys were killed but did not kill anyone, was a worldwide blood sacrifice which was intended to optimize the prime Aleister, and was said to have dyed the planet red with blood.