I read Thelema by Colin D Campbell as part of my research on occultism and alternative spirituality. I'm not a practitioner of Thelema myself, but I was curious about its history, philosophy and rituals. The book is a comprehensive introduction to the subject, covering the origins of Thelema in the writings of Aleister Crowley, the main tenets and practices of Thelema, and the contemporary Thelemic community and culture.

The author is clearly knowledgeable and passionate about Thelema, and he presents it in a balanced and respectful way. He doesn't shy away from addressing the controversies and criticisms that have surrounded Thelema, such as its relation to sex, drugs, magic and ethics. He also provides plenty of references and resources for further reading and exploration.

The book is well-written and engaging, with a mix of historical facts, personal anecdotes, quotes and illustrations. It's not a dry academic text, but rather a lively and accessible guide for anyone interested in learning more about Thelema. However, it's also not a book for beginners or casual readers. It assumes some familiarity with occult terminology and concepts, and it goes into a lot of detail and depth on various aspects of Thelema. Some parts of the book may be confusing or overwhelming for those who are new to the topic.

I enjoyed reading Thelema by Colin D Campbell, but I didn't love it. I appreciate the author's effort to present Thelema in a comprehensive and objective way, but I also felt that he was too biased and enthusiastic at times. He seemed to gloss over some of the darker and more problematic aspects of Thelema, such as its elitism, sexism and potential for abuse. He also seemed to promote Thelema as the ultimate spiritual path, without acknowledging that it may not be suitable or appealing for everyone.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is already familiar with or interested in Thelema, or who wants to learn more about it from an insider's perspective. However, I would also advise readers to approach this book with a critical mind and a healthy dose of skepticism. Thelema is a fascinating and complex topic, but it's not without its flaws and challenges.

I give this book 3 stars out of 5.

I’m not a Thelemite. At one point, I counted myself among that tradition. Since then, I’ve grown into a different perspective and left Thelema (and its community) behind.

Nowadays, while my interest in the Golden Dawn’s work persists, I view Aleister Crowley and Thelema from a (mostly) historical perspective.

Nevertheless, having spent four years spent studying Thelema and the general milieu of Crowleyan magick, I believe I’m at least somewhat qualified to speak on the matter, and often answer questions about this tradition on my blog.

There are not many contemporary authors writing about Thelema that I can recommend. Most either sidestep the serious issues, or are overly-obtuse.

When I saw Colin Campbell’s book, Thelema, offered by Llewellyn on Netgalley, I was naturally interested. I’ve often sought to find a succinct, comprehensive book to recommend those who ask me about Thelema and what Crowley was all about.

In recent years, with occult interest exploding and growing well-beyond even what was seen in the 1990s, more and more people have discovered ceremonial paths, such as Thelema.

Beyond that, there’s also a great deal of controversies currently overtaking Thelemic communities. There’s an urgent need to contextualize Crowley, Thelema, and the influence of both in contemporary occultism

Colin Campbell did not appear on my radar prior to the publication of this book. Since then, I’ve learned that he has over thirty years of experience with ceremonial magic, and, as you might guess from the title of the book, with the traditions surrounding Aleister Crowley, the Ordo Templi Orientis, and the Golden Dawn.

He’s more than qualified to tackle a comprehensive look at Thelema as a whole. Having just finished reading the book, I can say that, while assuredly not perfect, I can recommend this one to the folks pressing me with questions about Thelema. I’d have to recommend it with some qualifiers, but still...

Space considerations mean that much of the material is either truncated or a bit simplified. This is entirely fair, considering Crowley’s own work numbers in (likely) tens of thousands of pages, and a summary can only really skim the top of it.

Campbell devotes a large portion of the book to Crowley’s life story. I think this approach is excellent, but I didn’t like how he portrays certain historical figures.

For example, Rose Kelly gets a particularly negative treatment, and her break-up with Crowley gets characterized as Aleister leaving her due to her alcoholism. Having read Perdurabo and other Crowley biographies, I see this as an extreme oversimplification.

Other than that, the sections give a really nice overview of Crowley’s history and relationship with the various organizations in his life. On my blog, folks always ask about what the A.’.A.’. and Ordo Templi Orientis actually are, and this book covers it pretty well.

I’ve got serious reservations about the OTO these days (as well as certain A.’.A.’. lineages, though. Campbell has no such compunctions, and a large portion of the book gets devoted to OTO-specific rituals like the Gnostic Mass.

The rituals are well-described and Campbell even includes helpful information about terminology, going beyond what you’d usually see in these kinds of books.

Again, though, I can be quite critical of the OTO at times. Basically, I’d recommend the reader think critically about these organizations. Do as much research as possible.

It’s important to keep in mind, though, that Campbell’s got a very positive perspective on Crowley, so I’d recommend supplementing this book with more historical texts and biographies that give a fuller picture.

This section also skates over some of the nastier aspects of Crowley’s childhood, namely the severe abuse he suffered both at home and in school. Considering how influential that was on his later life, I would have liked more about that.

I wish there was a more in-depth look at the central Thelemic godforms. The Kemetic aspects (Nuit, Hadit, and Ra Hoor Khuit) receive some pages. I would’ve liked more historical context for them, though.

The section on the Stele of Revealing is pretty good, and probably qualifies as the most succinct, yet thorough, explanation of it that I’ve seen from a contemporary author.

Babalon, Therion, and a few other notable entities receive only brief mentions during the section of rituals. I can imagine anyone not already knowledgeable would find this a bit confusing.

As a side note, Lon Milo DuQuette wrote the introduction to this book. I’ve discussed on my blog and elsewhere some of the issues I have with DuQuette’s work, particularly how he portrays Qabalah.

This book is, refreshingly, devoid of most of the same problems, so again, I do recommend it if you’re curious about Thelema or Crowley.

Overall, I’m giving this book three out of five stars. There’s some problems here, but that doesn’t stop it from being one of the better offerings out there about Thelema. If you’re curious about it, you can pick it up on Amazon, or directly from Llewellyn.

This book is an introduction to the life and works of Aleister Crowley. The book is a pretty basic overview. It is organized into three major parts, plus a small additional part:


"Man, myth, and legend." This is a biography of Aleister Crowley. It provides just enough to give readers an overview of his life. If you want to know more, you may wish to find a more substantial biography. Also, as Campbell urges throughout this book, go read Crowley's works. For all of Crowley's reputation as a "wicked man," the man did have his accomplishments. I'd say today he'd also be labeled "a troll" given that often he said and did things just to challenge the Establishment and get a reaction from people. Overall, I found this biography section interesting, but it left me wanting more.
"Philosophy." This is where Campbell goes over Crowley's philosophy and religion of Thelema. Campbell here takes major ideas of Thelema and strives to make them accessible. Some concepts are explained better than others, though I think much of the difficulty goes back to Crowley.
"Practices and observations." This part of the book looks more at technical aspects of Thelema. If the previous part had the theory, this part has the practical. Campbell here discusses concepts, rituals, feast, ceremonies, and other elements of Thelema as a religion and practice.
"Modern Thelema." This is a quick wrap up section where we see how Thelema survives in our present time.

A strength of the book is that Campbell constantly cites and draws upon Crowley's works. It's like Campbell telling readers to not just take his word for it; go read the primary sources too. Book also includes a lot of footnotes, and Campbell also often comments on what to read depending on context. The book also includes a list of references.


Lon Milo Duquette provides a foreword for the book. Duquette may be known to readers for his works on Crowley, especially his book on the Thoth Tarot deck which is often recommended by Tarotistas for Tarot students wanting to study and use Crowley's Tarot deck.



Still, despite the fact this book is meant to be introductory, there are some parts that can be pretty complex. However, if you are curious about the man and Thelema, this book provides a good starting point. I came to the book as a curious reader, and I feel I learned a bit. It gave me ideas of what to look for next to keep on learning. Overall, I really liked this book.

Very well explained, in-depth books about Thelema. I hadn't heard of that belief system before, so it was illuminating.

I struggled with this book. It just wasn't for me, sadly. I appreciate what the author put into the book but unless you have an interest in Thelema, I doubt you will get anything out of it.

After I requested and before I received this book I gave up on reading about Thelema.
I found the books I've read of Aleister Crowley's to be worded too fancifully; obscuring any truth that's there with an evangelical feeling.

This book described Aleister Crowley rather well giving good insights into the man. It then proceeded to describe Thelema in plain English and surprisingly (to me) I agree with most of its core concepts. The book ends by describing Thelemic practices which didn't jive with me (I can't see myself using Pentagrams or praying to Egyptian Gods) even though they are conveyed well.

This book did well, encouraging me to read up more on the philosophy of Thelema. Who knows maybe after I do I'll feel like doing the practices.

Thelema caught my eye on NetGalley because Aleister Crowley was someone about whom I knew very little (aside from the bad press). I found it fascinating to learn more about both his background and his beliefs. Campbell's work commences with a short but compelling biography of Crowley, showing the origin of his beliefs and practices. Then it goes on to outline those practices, and their place among other belief systems. All in all, it was an eye-opening read that has really improved my understanding of this interesting man.

Review: THELEMA by Colin D. Campbell

THELEMA is a remarkably lucid, readable, and inspiring account of the life, and lifelong work, of Aleister Crowley: ceremonial magician, leader, founder, channeler, prophet. The author's enthusiasm and continued encouragement of readers to press on for themselves, to prove for themselves the truth of the Great Work, drives this book and vivifies his explanations. Cutting through the scurrilous and slanderous propaganda, Campbell illustrates a man who childhood was stable and beneficial, only to be upended and personally destructive to the drives and imagination. As author Campbell delineates Crowley' s biography, he also discusses at length his writings, magical beliefs and activities, and most essential, his Great Work. Included are selections from Crowley' s own writings.