Thelema (セレマ?) is a system of philosophical law and magic, developed by Aleister Crowley.
Several important Thelemic aspects and concepts are featured in the story of Toaru Majutsu no Index, and are involved in Aleister Crowley's plan.
Principles[]
The Unicursal Hexagram is an important symbol in Thelema, representing the microcosmic forces interweaving with the macro-cosmic forces.
In 1904, Crowley traveled to Egypt on a honeymoon with his wife, Rose Kelly. While there, she entered into some kind of connection with the Egyptian god Horus. To test this, Crowley subjected her to tests involving arcane and Qabalistic knowledge of Horus, which she apparently passed with flying colors. After performing a ritual, an entity known as Aiwass dictated to Crowley for an hour. Crowley titled the result The Book of the Law, and this book would become the central tenet of Crowley's new religion, Thelema (Koine Greek for will).
The central belief behind both the Book of the Law and Thelema can be summed up in three sentences from the book:
- "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law." (汝の欲する所を為せ、それが汝の法とならん Nanji no hossuru tokoro o nase, sore ga nanji no hō to naran?)
- "Love is the law, love under will."
- "There is no law beyond Do what thou wilt."
Aeons[]
- Main article: Aeon
An important concept in Thelema is that of Aeons (
There are three primary Aeons; the first is the Aeon of Isis (イシスの
The Aeons influence several other aspects of Thelema, such as the Thoth Tarot (トートタロット Tōto Tarotto?) based around the concept and featuring The Aeon as its twentieth Major Arcana instead of Judgement.[1] Unlike the Golden-style Tarot, in which the Major Arcana connected to the 22 paths on the Sephirot tree tell the story of the Son of God, from birth to execution and resurrection, in order to draw on a portion of his power and acquire a technique of entering the realm of god with a human body, the Thoth Tarot's Major Arcana (with different cards and a different meaning for The Hanged Man) starts at the birth of Christianity and follows it through to its destruction at Armageddon and to the new Aeon arriving afterwards, aimed at destroying the 'closed ceiling' of god's territory and bringing humanity to the next stage above it.[1]
True Will[]
True Will is a central concept within Thelema. True Will originates from within the individual and could be referred to as their "true calling." In essence, it is the idea that a fully actualized person will act in accordance with their personal drive to act according to what they truly need to do. This is differentiated from a person merely doing what they want to and is not simply a call to hedonism; instead, it is a person who surpasses the limitations of normal people by abandoning ideas of "right" and "wrong" as imposed by social norms and instead creating their own concept of morality that is true to themselves.
This concept, itself also referred to by the term Thelema in the Toaru series, forms a key part of Aleister Crowley's plans; his overall plan based on his own to proceed onwards towards his goal regardless of success or failure,[2][3] and Academy City's set-up being modelled after Kamijou Touma's, in order to draw in Imagine Breaker and draw out its potential.[4]
Entities[]
There are a number of deity-like figures and other similar entities which appear within the works of Thelema, a number of which are derived from other sources, such as Egyptian Mythology. These include Nuit,[5][6] Hadit,[5][6] Ra-Hoor-Khuit,[5] Hoor-paar-kraat,[6] Babalon, Therion, and Choronzon.[6]
One particularly notable entity is the being known as Aiwass, who dictated the contents of the Book of the Law to Aleister Crowley.[7]
Other[]
The number 93 is a key number in Thelema, associated with both the term Thelema itself and Aiwass,[8] being the sum of numerical values assigned to the individual letters of certain variants of the terms via the technique of isopsephy.
Background[]
Thelema was devised in the early 20th century by the magician Aleister Crowley, most likely influenced by his desire to find the proper rules and answers that the god who created the world could not in order to make the world a better place, a wish which started him down the path of magic.[9]
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.[1] While he was in Egypt, Aleister experimented in summoning a demon which no one had ever heard of,[10] and incorporated the names of Isis, Osiris and Horus into his concept of Aeons,[1][10] a concept which a number of people within the Golden Dawn didn't support during his time with the cabal, being considered an extreme view even within that cabal.[1] During one of his trips, Aleister apparently used his wife who had accompanied him around the world as a medium to contact the entity known as Aiwass, who taught Aleister the secrets which he would incorporate into the Book of the Law.[7][11]
After severing ties with the Golden Dawn, Aleister continued his work on Thelema. At one point, he established the Temple of Thelema (テレマ僧院 Terema Sōin?), however it collapsed due to a certain accident.[9][12] At least part of this work was an attempt to suppress the creation of sparks from phase collisions by creating a new mythology as cushioning between those many phases, which was ultimately thwarted by the Christian churches sending billions of their followers after him in order to protect their monopoly on the concept of god.[13] In the present day, it forms a key part of his plan with Academy City.[14][4][2][3]
Chronology[]
Toaru Majutsu no Index[]
Various elements of Thelema, such as The Book of the Law, the concept of Aeons, and the entity Aiwass, are featured over the course of Toaru Majutsu no Index and play a key part in events in the story.[7][15][16][17]
Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index[]
The elements of Thelema previously referred to are referenced at various points during Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index, along with certain new elements.[18][19][20][1][10]
Kamisato Rescue Arc[]
- Main article: Kamisato Rescue Arc
When Kamijou Touma, Misaka Mikoto, Karasuma Fran and Toyama Luca examined the core of the original Anti-Art Attachment, Luca observed magical elements within the core derived from Thelema and in a trance-like state, made a link between the Temple of Thelema and the use of drugs in adolescents to induce paranormal phenomena.[21] Luca incorporated multiple Thelemic elements into the spell she and Fran performed in order to rescue Kamisato Kakeru.[22][23] Tsuchimikado Motoharu later told Fran that to Aleister, Academy City is the return of Thelema.[14]
Aleister Crowley Arc[]
- Main article: Aleister Crowley Arc
Various elements from the system are featured during the struggle against Aleister Crowley and the exploration of his past,[24][25][26][27][28][2][8][29][12] including how he used it in the set-up of Academy City and his plan.[4][2][3]
Coronzon Arc[]
- Main article: Coronzon Arc
Numerous Thelemic elements were involved in the events surrounding the Crowley's Hazard invasion of the United Kingdom and the Ceremony of Mo Athair.[30]
Souyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index[]
Post-Handcuffs Arc[]
- Main article: Post-Handcuffs Arc
On December 29th, during his encounter with Touma and the boy's rejection of his help in resolving the situation surrounding the escaped prisoners who survived Operation Handcuffs in favor of trying to overturn the fixed bad ending he had been told awaited, Aleister expressed frustration at seeing a glimpse of the Thelema leading to the 21st Aeon in the home he had already abandoned, remarking how the things he pursued always seem to elude him and the things he discarded turn out to be treasures.[31]
New Year's Arc[]
- Main article: New Year's Arc
During events between January 1st and 3rd, Aleister Crowley and the sealed Anna Sprengel referred to the Aeon of Horus and its implications (including those of the phrase "every man and every woman is a star" found in the Book of the Law)), during the former's interrogation of the latter and the exploration into the nature of the Bridge Builders Cabal, its Transcendents and its plans.[32][33] In a separate case, the term Therion (associated with an entity in Thelema) was used as part of the fictional concept of a Personal Therion in an Academy City New Year's TV PR drama.[34]
On January 4th, as the Bridge Builders Cabal were concluding a ceremony involving summoning a superhuman soul into an unborn fetus, heavily influenced by Aleister's system and theories,[35][6] and it was revealed by Anna Kingsford that it was to create a person rather than a god or demon, Aleister mentioned several Thelemic entities as examples of beings that one might expect a person to choose given the nature of the ceremony.[6]
On January 5th, when Aleister confronted "CRC" at Heaven Canceller's Hospital, with support from both Aiwass and Coronzon, and shifted the phases to cut themselves off from the normal world, allowing them to clash without endangering the hospital and those within it, he referred to his past, thwarted attempt to suppress the creation of sparks by creating a new mythology (that of Thelema) as cushioning between the phases.[13]
Uses of Thelema in the story[]
| Name | Description | Usage in Toaru Majutsu no Index |
|---|---|---|
| Abrahadabra | A key word featured in The Book of the Law (first and last), derived from Abracadabra, described as "the Word of the Aeon" (not to be confused with "the Word of the Law of the Aeon", Thelema, meaning "Will") and the magical formula of a new age, with multiple mystical interpretations. | Abrahadabra was present in a curse-reversal triangle engraved on the core of the Anti-Art Attachment.[21] |
| Aeons | Thelemic concept in which the history of humanity is divided into several different Aeons, named after Egyptian deities. |
|
| Aiwass | An entity encountered by Aleister Crowley, from whom the Book of the Law originated. | Aiwass itself appears within the series, first appearing during the end of Group's confrontation with Shiokishi.[15] |
| Babalon | Goddess and consort of Chaos, also called the Scarlet Woman and Mother of Abominations. | |
| The Book of the Law | Also known as Liber AL vel Legis. The central sacred text of Thelema, written by Aleister Crowley and originating from Aiwass. | The Book of the Law is a coded grimoire, widely considered to be very dangerous by many on the Magic Side.[7] |
| Cake of Light | A special cake which contains blood and can be used as a substitute for a sacrifice.[40] | Containers possibly meant for researching the Cake of Light were present on the Queen Britannia.[40] |
| Hadit | A deity of the Thelemic Trinity, lover of Nuit. Described as the center of the circle, an infinitely small point at the core of everything, the infinity of an ultimately contracted universe. |
|
| Hoor-paar-kraat | Aleister mentioned Hoor-paar-kraat while talking about the Bridge Builders Cabal summoning a superhuman soul into an unborn fetus and the kind of beings one would expect to be the target of such a ceremony.[6] | |
| Nuit | A deity of the Thelemic Trinity, derived from the Egyptian sky goddess Nut, who was said to swallow and rebirth the stars, along with the sun. Called the Lady of the Starry Heaven among other things and often depicted as a naked lady covered with stars, Nuit represents an infinitely-expanded circle whose centre is everywhere. |
|
| Probationer | Initial rank in certain Thelemic groups created by Aleister Crowley on a grading system derived from that of the Golden Dawn, occupying the 0=0 position that the rank of Neophyte was associated with in the original Golden Dawn. | Coronzon refers to the term during conversations with Accelerator and Hamazura Shiage during the events surrounding the Ceremony of Mo Athair.[30] |
| Ra-Hoor-Khuit | A deity of the Thelemic Trinity, a composite of the Ancient Egyptian gods Ra and Horus. Called the Crowned and Conquering Child of the union of Nuit and Hadit, he is the Lord of the Aeon of Horus. | Coronzon refers to the Circle of Ra-Hoor-Khuit in the incantation for her Magick: Flaming_Sword.[5] |
| Thoth Tarot | A variant of Tarot, devised by Aleister, named after the Egyptian god of knowledge Thoth, and connected to the concept of Aeons. | |
| Unicursal Hexagram | A hexagram drawn in a single-stroke and an important symbol of Thelema, representing microcosmic forces interweaving with macro-cosmic forces. |
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 14 Chapter 2 Part 4
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 18 Epilogue
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 18 Afterword
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 18 Chapter 3 Part 14
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 22 Prologue
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 Souyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 08 Epilogue
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 07 Prologue
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 18 Chapter 3 Part 9
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 14 Epilogue
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 14 Between the Lines 3
- ↑ Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 07 Chapter 2 Part 1
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 18 Chapter 4 Part 7
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Souyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 09 Chapter 3 Part 13
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 17 Epilogue
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 19 Chapter 3 Part 13
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 19 Chapter 4 Part 3
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 22 Epilogue
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 05 Epilogue
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 10 Epilogue
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 12 Epilogue
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 17 Chapter 2 Part 13
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 17 Chapter 2 Part 5
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 17 Chapter 2 Part 8
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 18 Prologue
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 18 Chapter 1
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 18 Chapter 2
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 18 Chapter 3
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 18 Chapter 4
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 18 Chapter 4 Part 7
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 22
- ↑ Souyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 05 Chapter 3 Part 4
- ↑ Souyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 07 Chapter 2 Part 7
- ↑ Souyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 07 Epilogue
- ↑ Souyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 07 Prologue
- ↑ Souyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 08 Chapter 3 Part 4
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 19 Prologue
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 21 Chapter 3 Part 18
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 22 Chapter 3 Part 15
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 22 Chapter 4 Part 14
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 22 Chapter 3 Part 10
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 19 Chapter 3 Part 8
- ↑ Toaru Majutsu no Index Episode 05
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 17 Chapter 4 Part 4
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 17 Afterword