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Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law!

I will answer some of your questions in random order. I am a Thelemite but in no way do I speak for all Thelemites, or for Aleister Crowley.

First off, I would start by contacting Seven Spirits Camp in Tucson. They will no doubt be able to answer many of the questions you have. I would also consider purchasing a copy of "Liber ABA: Book 4" which is arguably one of the most important books any magickian could own. It contains, among others, "The Book of the Law" and "Magick in Theory and Practice"; the latter being a book that will answer many of the questions you asked in your post (and many other questions as well). MTP is, in my opinion, the best book on the subject of magickal practice ever written. Liber ABA is an expensive book but believe me when I tell you it is worth every penny and a whole lot more!

As for other occult groups, you will find people from all of them associated with Thelema. Thelema is not a doctrine that pushes out other beliefs and all of us began somewhere else before coming here. I myself came to the OTO as an ordained Gnostic Luciferian priest. Thelema fit well with my existing beliefs and complimented them nicely. I've met Wiccans (which, by the way, Crowley had a hand in helping to found), Satanists, and even ex-Jehovah's Witnesses if you can believe that! We all share one thing. We are each looking to understand the truth within ourselves. You must do the same for "Thou hast no right but to do thy will. Do that and no other shall say nay."

Good luck in your journey!

Love is the law, love under will.

93 - It matters what you want to learn. If you want to learn about Thelema itself, I recommend very specific things:

1. The Book of the Law
   
2. Duty
   
3. Liber II: The Message of the Master Therion
   
4. Liber CL: De Lege Libellum
   
5. Liber Tzaddi... Also, The Revival of Magick Has a lot of great essays in it (including 'Duty' above).
   
   Further, I recommend my own writings since I think they're worthwhile, otherwise I wouldn't have put them out there. I especially recommend the series 'The Philosophy of Thelema' and 'New Aeon Initiation.'
   
   If you come from the angle of the Tarot, The Book of Thoth is invaluable although dense and complex. If you come from the angle of ceremonial magick, Liber ABA/Book 4 is invaluable although dense and complex. Kaczynski's Weiser Concise Guide to Aleister Crowley is actually also not a bad place to start. To get moer into the detail of Thelema and its ramifications, there is no better book (other than The Book of the Law and its commentarise) than Liber Aleph, which can be seen as an extended commentary on Liber AL.
   
   If those recommendations don't last you for a while, then you aren't reading them closely. :)
   
   93 93/93

No probs. It's an absolutely fantastic read & I can't recommend it enough. I'm sure he'd forgive me for saying its occasionally a little dry in the first part with dates and mini-bio's but this won't matter to a reader with a keen interest in the subject matter. You can get a good hardback copy for ~£16 secondhand or £20 new here. Ymmv.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Perdurabo-Aleister-Crowley-Richard-Kaczynski/dp/1556438990/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1VU0S8SH1HO4B&keywords=perdurabo&qid=1567708051&s=gateway&sprefix=Perdurabo%2Caps%2C181&sr=8-1

I am brand new to the theory of Thelema. I was overwhelmed by the amount of material, all of which seemed to be absolutely mystically esoteric. From a bit of study and opinion I found that Book 4 is the magnum opus for Aleister Crowley's work, and was written as a straight forward guide; understandable to beginners and full enough to continue improving the adept.
Last week I purchased the second revised edition and could not be more pleased with my introduction to Thelema.
This is where I recommend to begin. I have not set it down since it arrived and have gone from a minor curiosity to a full study of each text it references; many of which are included within it's appendix.

Magick: Liber ABA, Book 4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0877289190/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_XL0OAbWWKM3BR
It is a sizeable book with a price to match, but it is the corner stone; beautiful and durable I will add.

Every book recommended for students can be found here as well.
http://www.astrumargenteum.org/en/library/

Some of the books are not linked in the A.'.A.'. website, but can be found in a quick copy paste the title Google search.

Are you a person that's into crafting, painting, woodworking, etc.? If so, studying a little about Thelemic symbols or magickal tools could give some ideas on how to create a unique item for using in a magickal ritual.

If not, Etsy is a fun place to find occult gifts like magickal tools (wands, pantacles, cups, swords, robes, tarot cards, talismans, crystals, art) from craftspeople that specialize in this kind of thing. Almost all aspiring magicians need some or all of these things for ritual in the Thelemic system.

You could also get 'blank canvas' type tools for the magician to create their own talismanic work: a nicely crafted blank notebook as a grimoire/magickal journal or large format blank art paper (and paint/markers/pens) to create sigils, seals, and pantacles.

The books of Thelema are nice for collecting as well, if she doesn't already have these:

• Magick: Liber ABA (Book 4) (Aleister Crowley's Magnum Opus - Magick in Theory and Practice)
  
• The Equinox (Vol 1. Nos. 1-10) (10 Volume series - The Official Organ of the A∴A∴)
  
• Gems from the Equinox ("greatest hits" of the above complete Equinox)
  
• Modern Magick (Thelemic influenced system of training, in more modern English than Crowley's writing.)

> And does anyone know which meanings Crowley personally ascribed to the cards?

Check out the Book of Thoth.

The Thoth Tarot is special in that its genesis in symbolism and meaning is very well documented through the letters Crowley and Harris wrote during its creation, the Book of Thoth itself and by Crowley's other works which shed light on what he thought about some aspects of the Tarot and its various correspondences. Nonetheless reading the cards is a matter of interpretation. Individual, personal interpretation. You might have wondered why the chapter with the divinatory meanings of the cards in Lon's Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot is so short compared to the rest of the book. It's because these are Lon's interpretations, not yours or any kind of objective truths. Get to know the cards by heart, check out the correspondences on the Tree of Life and from astrology and alchemy, the connections between them and the symbolism depicted in the images. Of course be inspired by the interpretations of others, but do not consider these as truths. Rather try to reconcile the apparent contradictions in different interpretations and find your own way to read their message.

There's a reason why the cards are images, not text. They speak at a intuitive, asthetic level to us, beyond rationality, and they speak directly to you.

Shoemaker is awesome. Also check out Lon Milo Duquette, he is very beginner friendly on numerous occult subjects. Oh and Perdurabo by Richard Kaczynski is THE biography of choice amongst practicing Thelemites.

No, there isn’t anything like that freely available publicly. The only thing that cones closer is Israel Regardie’s edited omnibus, which frankly is what most people will ever truly need.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gems-Equinox-Instructions-Aleister-Crowley/dp/1578634172/ref=asc_df_1578634172/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=311024763511&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7724226614244888888&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006886&hvtargid=pla-450515212530&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

The difference is, dude, that my key actually works, and that's all that matters when you put it in the lock. I have every single line of Genesis 1-2 corresponding by gematria to the Gates of the Seven Palaces using the same key as Crowley's for Liber Al, so success is most definitely my proof. Really. Keep up! lol. :D


I think I'll give you a point anyway. Having a skeptical attitude is important otherwise we'd let any old fluff pass through our ears unchallenged.

https://www.amazon.com/Genesis-Wheel-other-hermeneutical-essays-ebook/dp/B07TT4N5ZZ

It's in the first chapter of this book (which I found free elsewhere online): https://www.amazon.com/Secret-History-Hermes-Trismegistus-Hermeticism/dp/0801477492

I personally am a big fan of Israel Regardie's One Year Manual. In part because it places some focus on body work, an area where many occult users neglect (aside from some who do yoga). Don't be afraid to combine techniques too. I think between this and the Magick of Aleister Crowley previously recommended you can develop a good training regimen. Just remember to make haste slowly and give yourself plenty of time to let the techniques to sink into your mind.

I suggest you to get The Tree of Life: A Study in Magic by Israel Regardie. It covers a lot of stuff regarding philosophy of Thelema, initiations and traditions... its not very long, and for me it was very interesting read.

As I know Carl Jung's ideas are known to be compatible with magickal theory. This selection of writings from Jung is good for beginners imo because some of the selections are somewhat related to magickal philosophy:
https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Jung-C-G/dp/0691029350

Here's a good resource: https://www.amazon.com/Mystical-Magical-System-Step-Step/dp/0970449607

Just to make things easier for othes:

https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Egyptians-1-Wallis-Budge/dp/0486220559

Here's an amazon link for you: https://www.amazon.com/Thelema-Introduction-Philosophy-Aleister-Crowley/dp/0738751049

This is fascinating, I don't really know much about Tantra especially as it relates to Thelema. There are a few texts, which I have not read but hope to pick them up at some point, that make the connection.


Tantric Thelema: https://www.amazon.com/Tantric-Thelema-Sam-Webster/dp/0984372903

The Magickal Union of East and West: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738740446/ref=rdr_ext_tmb

https://www.amazon.com/Mystical-Magical-System-Step-Step/dp/0970449607

This One:
http://www.amazon.com/Magick-Aleister-Crowley/dp/0710074239/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409551763&sr=8-1&keywords=magick+kenneth+grant

That, I have done.

The most affordable and reliable Equinox edition right now would be the Speech and Silence edition: https://www.amazon.ca/Equinox-Keep-Silence-Vol-No/dp/1642556858/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?keywords=equinox+speech+and+silence+edition&qid=1572846413&s=books&sr=1-2-fkmr0

I don't much trust Budge anymore. Here's an awesome resource: https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Life-Egyptian-Dimitri-Meeks/dp/0801482488/

Description: "This is the first English translation of a highly appealing volume originally published in French in 1993. Informed by a sense of wonderment at divine doings, it treats the ancient Egyptian gods as if they were an ethnic group that captured the fancy of ethnologists or sociologists.The book begins with a discussion of the gods' community as a society unto itself. The authors describe the structures of the society of the gods and some of the conflicts that frequently upset it, with individual gods acting to protect their own positions in an established hierarchy and struggling to gain power over their fellows. The nature of their immortal but not invulnerable bodies, their pleasures, and their needs are considered. What did they eat, the authors ask, and did they feel pain? The second part of the book cites familiar traditions and little-known texts to explain the relationship of the gods to the pharaoh, who was believed to represent them on earth. By performing appropriate rites, the pharaoh maintained a delicate equilibrium, balancing the sky home of the sun god, the underworld of Osiris and the dead, and the earth itself. While each world was autonomous and had its own mythological context, the separate spheres were also interdependent, requiring the sun's daily course and the pharaoh's ritual actions to ensure the cohesion of the universe."

The confusion is understandable, and complicated by the (interesting) history of 'Book 4', ...which necessarily, was composed of 4 separate sections, composed over several years . Subsequently, 'Book 4' has been printed (and re-printed) both in parts and in whole - the copy you link here appears to be limited to the first two sections (indicated by "Reprint of 1913 Edition").

a 'complete' Book 4 will contain;

1: liber ABA part 1: mysticism (1912)
2: liber ABA part 2 : magick (elementary theory) (1913)
3: Magick in Theory & Practice (1929/30)
4: ΘΕΛΗΜΑ - The Law (Equinox of the Gods) (1936/37)