Aeon (Thelema)

In the esoteric philosophy of Thelema, founded by Aleister Crowley in the early 20th century, an Aeon is a period of time defined by distinct spiritual and cultural characteristics, each accompanied by its own forms of magical and religious expression.^[1] Thelemites believe that the history of humanity is divided into a series of these Aeons, each governed by a particular deity or archetype that embodies the spiritual formula of the era.

The first of these was the Aeon of Isis, associated with prehistory, a time when humanity revered a Great Goddess, symbolised by the ancient Egyptian deity Isis. This was followed by the Aeon of Osiris, spanning the classical and medieval periods, during which the worship of a singular male god, represented by Osiris, dominated, reflecting patriarchal values.^[2]

The current Aeon, known as the Aeon of Horus, is believed to have begun in 1904 with the reception of The Book of the Law (Liber AL vel Legis), which Crowley maintained was dictated to him by a praeterhuman intelligence named Aiwass. The Aeon of Horus, frequently referred to as simply the Aeon and symbolised by the child god Horus, is seen as a time of greater consciousness, individual sovereignty, and spiritual awakening. Thelemites believe that this Aeon represents a departure from the constraints and dogmas of the previous Aeon, particularly the influence of the Abrahamic religions, and heralds an era of self-actualisation and the realisation of human potential.^[2]

Within Thelema, each Aeon is characterised by its own specific magical formula, which is fundamental to the practice and understanding of Thelemic Magick. The transition between these Aeons is understood not merely as a change in religious or cultural practices, but as a profound shift in the underlying spiritual paradigm that governs human existence.^[3]

Aeons

Aeon of Isis

The first Aeon, of Isis, was maternal. The female aspect of the Godhead was revered due to a mostly matriarchal society and the idea that "Mother Earth" nourished, clothed and housed man closed in the womb of Matrix. It was characterised by pagan worship of the Mother and Nature. In his Equinox of the Gods Crowley describes this period as "simple, quiet, easy, and pleasant; the material ignores the spiritual."^[4]

Lon Milo DuQuette remarked that this aeon was "the Age of the Great Goddess", and that it had originated in prehistory, reaching its zenith at "approximately 2400 B.C." Continuing with this idea, he remarked that this period was when "the cult of the Great Goddess" was truly universal. She was worshipped by countless cultures under myriad names and forms. It would also be a mistake for us to conclude that the magical formula of this period manifested exclusively through the worship of any particular anthropomorphic female deity. For, like every aeon, the magical formula of the Aeon of Isis was founded upon mankind's interpretation of the 'perceived facts' of nature, and our Isian-age progenitors perceived nature as a continuous process of spontaneous growth."^[5]

Aeon of Osiris

The classical and medieval Aeon of Osiris is considered to be dominated by the paternal principle and the formula of the Dying God.^[2] This Aeon was characterized by that of self-sacrifice and submission to the Father God while man spoke of his father and mother. Crowley says of this Aeon in his Heart of the Master:

Formula of Osiris, whose word is IAO; so that men worshiped Man, thinking him subject to Death, and his victory dependent upon Resurrection. Even so conceived they of the Sun as slain and reborn with every day, and every year.^[6]

Crowley also says of the Aeon of Osiris in The Equinox of the Gods:

The second [Aeon] is of suffering and death: the spiritual strives to ignore the material. Christianity and all cognate religions worship death, glorify suffering, deify corpses.^[7]

Aeon of Horus

The Aeon of Horus, identified by Crowley as beginning in 1904 with the reception of The Book of the Law, marks the current era in Thelemic philosophy. This aeon emphasizes self-realization, individualism, and the pursuit of one's True Will, symbolized by the child god Horus representing new beginnings and potential growth. Crowley described it as a time of the Crowned and Conquering Child, focusing on spiritual awakening and personal freedom. He also stated, "every man and every woman is a star", highlighting the unique and divine nature of each individual.^[8]

Key figures such as Israel Regardie and Kenneth Grant highlight the transformative nature of this aeon, encouraging individuals to embrace their True Will and move beyond previous constraints. Regardie saw it as a shift towards new spiritual and psychological paradigms,^[9] while Grant emphasized the break from the restrictions of prior aeons.^[10] DuQuette elaborates on the Aeon of Horus as a period of growing individual consciousness and the realization of one's spiritual potential, contrasting it with the Age of Aquarius, which he sees as a smaller aspect of a greater spiritual age.^[11] Gunther interprets the Aeon as a time of significant spiritual evolution, driven by the awakening of individual consciousness and the unfolding of the True Will.^[12]

The Thelemic calendar uses a unique dating system incorporating Tarot trumps and astrological positions, aligning significant events with corresponding Tarot cards and the positions of the Sun and Moon, reflecting the Thelemic emphasis on synchronizing personal and cosmic cycles. Crowley detailed the practice of recording magical work in his writings on the magical record, emphasizing the importance of documenting spiritual progress.^[13]

Aeon of Ma'at

Aleister Crowley believed that the Aeon of Ma'at will succeed the present one.^[2] However, Crowley suggested that the succession of the aeons is not bound to the precession of the equinoxes in his 'Old Comment' to Liber AL chapter III, verse 34, where he states, "Following him [Horus] will arise the Equinox of Ma, the Goddess of Justice, it may be a hundred or ten thousand years from now; for the Computation of Time is not here as There."^[14] According to one of Crowley's early students, Charles Stansfeld Jones (a.k.a. Frater Achad), the Aeon of Ma'at has already arrived or overlaps the present Aeon of Horus.^[15]

Crowley wrote:

I may now point out that the reign of the crowned and Conquering Child is limited in time by The Book of the Law itself. We learn that Horus will be in his turn succeeded by Thmaist, the Double-Wanded One; she who shall bring the candidates to full initiation, and though we know little of her peculiar characteristics, we know at least that her name is justice.^[16]

References

Citations

^ DuQuette 2003, p. 15.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Bogdan 2012.
^ DuQuette 2003, p. 14.
^ Crowley 1974, ch. 8.
^ DuQuette 2003, pp. 16–17.
^ Crowley 1973.
^ Crowley 1974.
^ Crowley 1976.
^ Regardie 1970.
^ Grant 1999.
^ DuQuette 2003.
^ Gunther 2014.
^ Crowley 1997.
^ Crowley as quoted in Staley 1989.
^ Nema 1995, Introduction.
^ Crowley 1969, p. 400.

Works cited

Bogdan, Henrik (2012). "Envisioning the Birth of a New Aeon: Dispensationalism and Millenarianism in the Thelemic Tradition". In Bogdan, Henrik; Starr, Martin P. (eds.). Aleister Crowley and Western Esotericism. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 89–106. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199863075.003.0004. ISBN 978-0-19-986309-9. OCLC 820009842.
Crowley, Aleister (1969). The Confessions of Aleister Crowley. Hill and Wang. ISBN 0-80903-591-X.
Crowley, Aleister (1973). The Heart of the Master. Montréal: 93 Publishing.
Crowley, Aleister (1974). The Equinox of the Gods. New York: Gordon Press. ISBN 978-0-87968-157-9.
Crowley, Aleister (1976) [1909]. The Book of the Law: Liber AL vel Legis. York Beach, Maine: Weiser Book. ISBN 978-0-87728-334-8.
Crowley, Aleister (1997). Magick: Liber ABA, Book 4, Parts I-IV (2nd rev. ed.). Boston: Weiser. ISBN 0-87728-919-0.
DuQuette, Lon Milo (2003). The Magick of Aleister Crowley: A Handbook of Rituals of Thelema. San Francisco and Newburyport: Weiser. ISBN 1-57863-299-4.
Grant, Kenneth (1999). Beyond the Mauve Zone. London: Skoob Books Publishing Ltd.
Gunther, J. D. (2014). Initiation in the Aeon of the Child: The Inward Journey. Nicolas-Hays. ISBN 978-0-89254-599-5.
Nema (1995). Maat Magic: a Guide to Self-Initiation. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser. ISBN 0-87728-827-5.
Regardie, Israel (1970). The Eye in the Triangle. Phoenix, AZ: Falcon Press.
Staley, Michael (1989). "The Heart of Thelema". Starfire. I (3) – via Ecclesia Gnostica Universalis.