The concept of “Do what thou wilt” has a very long history. It can be found in many places and times and stated with variations. For example, the most popular current pop-occultural use of the motto is probably Nike’s motto “Just do it”—not surprising considering that Nike is a Greek false goddess.
We have written on this specific topic in On Aleister Crowley’s Book of the Law motto “Do what thou wilt” and also in Aleister Crowley’s influence on pop-occulture – “Do what thou wilt” wherein we chronicled some of the motto’s history.
As an accretion to the motto’s chronicle, let us note Eckhart Tolle who is the [in]famous guru for Oprah Winfrey (about whom you can learn here), G.A.T.E.-the Global Alliance for Transformational Entertainment.
On p. 72 of his book New Earth he quoted the motto thusly, “Love and do what you will.” So was he endorsing Aleister Crowley’s motto?
Firstly, Crowley (about whom you can learn here) quoted the motto in a few different forms. I do not say he wrote but he quoted as the book from which the motto proceeds is the Book of the Law about which Crowley wrote (1976 AD ed., p. 5):
“This book was dictated in Cairo [Egypt] between noon and 1 p.m. on three successive days, April 8th, 9th, and 10th in the year 1904. The Author called himself Aiwass, and claimed to be ‘the minister of Hoor-paar-kraat.”
A specter of sorts would appear behind Crowley and dictate to him. Ironically, Hoor-paar-kraat aka Harpocrates is a god of silence and his minister, nevertheless, spilled the beans to Aleister Crowley. Thus, if he is to be believed; Crowley was the ghost writer (pun intended) for Hoor-paar-kraat and thus, quoted the motto.
One instance of the motto is, “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law; love is the law, love under will.” Thus, Eckhart Tolle certainly seems to be quoting Crowley. However, Tolle actually tells us exactly whom he is quoting as in that p. 72 he actually wrote:
“‘Love and do what you will,’ said St. Augustine.”
So, it was that party animal St. Augustine who came up with this motto! The Augustinian motto comes from his Homily 7 on the First Epistle of John which deals with 1st John 4:4-12 which states:
“You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.
We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.”
In his homily, Augustine wrote the motto as, “Dilige et quod vis fac”:
“This we have said in the case where the things done are similar. In the case where they are diverse, we find a man by charity made fierce; and by iniquity made winningly gentle. A father beats a boy, and a boy-stealer caresses. If you name the two things, blows and caresses, who would not choose the caresses, and decline the blows?
If you mark the persons, it is charity that beats, iniquity that caresses. See what we are insisting upon; that the deeds of men are only discerned by the root of charity. For many things may be done that have a good appearance, and yet proceed not from the root of charity. For thorns also have flowers: some actions truly seem rough, seem savage; howbeit they are done for discipline at the bidding of charity.
Once for all, then, a short precept is given you: Love, and do what you will: whether you hold your peace, through love hold your peace; whether you cry out, through love cry out; whether you correct, through love correct; whether you spare, through love do you spare: let the root of love be within, of this root can nothing spring but what is good.”
Thus, the context is that God’s love is sacrificial, self-giving, and God manifested in the flesh as the Messiah Jesus in order to show the ultimate love, “Greater love has no one that this; to lay down one’s live for one’s friends” (John 15:13). With this sort of love as a guide, we can do what we will as what we will to do will be guided by this sort of love.
Is this the very same thing, guide, context that Aleister Crowley employed? Not quite exactly. Here are some examples of Crowley’s/Aiwass’ context:
“I am the Snake that giveth Knowledge & Delight and bright glory, and stir the hearts of men with drunkenness. To worship me take wine and strange drugs whereof I will tell my prophet, and be drunk thereof! Be strong, o man! Lust, enjoy all things of sense and rapture: fear not that any God shall deny thee of this.”
One does not need to know much Bible to recognize that this being is identifying itself with satan—the serpent in the Garden of Eden who beguiled Eve to partake of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Thus, by the time the term “God” is used at the end of the quotation, we know that this god is not the one true living God YHVH.
So, there is YHVH’s love and there is the twister self-serving selfish pseudo “love” of satan. In fact, verse 57 of the Book of the Law clues us in to the fact that there are various sorts, or definitions, of “love” (see “Love” and “Hate” – Defining Terminology):
“Invoke me under my stars! Love is the law, love under will. Nor let the fools mistake love; for there are love and love.”
Verse 21 states, “We have nothing with the outcast and the unfit: let them die in their misery. For they feel not. Compassion is the vice of kings: stamp down the wretched & the weak: this is the law of the strong: this is our law and the joy of the world.”
Verse 41 states, “The word of Sin is Restriction.”
Verse 61 states “Ye shall gather goods and store of women…always in the love of me…and drunkenness of the innermost sense.”
Verses 56-59 state that “for beauty’s sake and love’s” cowards and fools are to be despised and “As brothers fight ye!”
We could go on and on and on proving that the “love” guide behind the motto is not YHVH’s love but satanic lack of “love.”
Verses 49-55 seem to put a nail in the coffin:
“I am…the blasphemy against all gods of men. Curse them! Curse them! Curse them! With my Hawk’s head I peck at the eyes of Jesus as he hangs upon the cross. I flap my wings in the face of Mohammed & blind him. With my claws I tear out the flesh of the Indian and the Buddhist, Mongol and Din…I spit on your crapulous creeds. Let Mary inviolate be torn upon wheels: for her sake let all chaste women be utterly despised among you!”
So, to what sort of love was Eckhart Tolle referring? He was quoting Augustine however, Tolle’s worldview-philosophy-theology is nothing like Augustine’s. Was it then an underhanded manner whereby to promulgate Aleister Crowley’s worldview-philosophy-theology? It is their shared anti-Christian worldview-philosophy-theology which may answer the question for us.
As a side not which may expose a clue or be a coincidence; recall that for some or no reason Tolle quoted the motto on p. 72. It is a fact that “72” is a very important occult number as it refers to the Goetia, the Lesser Keys of Solomon, wherein there are 72 demons which rule the world. Again, this either means nothing or says it all.
In any case, the love of which Crowley writes and the love of which the Apostle John and Augustine write are direct opposites so—where does Eckhart Tolle lay?
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Here are some relevant books:
Richard Abanes:
A New Earth, An Old Deception: Awakening to the Dangers of Eckhart Tolle’s #1 Bestseller
William Ramsey:
Prophet of Evil: Aleister Crowley, 9/11 and the New World Order
Aleister Crowley: A Visual Study
Abomination: Devil Worship and Deception in the West Memphis Three Murders (which we reviewed here)
John Weldon and John Ankerberg:
Knowing the Facts about Divination Practices and Occult “Games”
Walter Martin:
The Kingdom of the Occult
Ron Rhodes:
The Truth Behind Ghosts, Mediums, and Psychic Phenomena
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