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[[File:Urim and Thummim.png|200px|left]]
[[File:Aleister Crowley.jpg|200px|left]]
The '''[[Urim and Thummim]]''' are elements of the hoshen, the breastplate worn by the High Priest attached to the ephod. They are connected with [[cleromancy]] ([[divination]] by casting lots). Most scholars suspect that the phrase refers to a set of two objects used by the high priest to answer a question or reveal the will of [[Yahweh|God]].
'''[[Aleister Crowley]]''' was an English [[occultist]], [[magician]], poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of [[Thelema]], identifying himself as the [[prophet]] entrusted with guiding humanity into the Æon of [[Horus]] in the early 20th century. A prolific writer, he published widely over the course of his life. Crowley gained widespread notoriety during his lifetime, being a [[recreational drug]] user, bisexual, and an individualist social critic.


The Urim and the Thummim first appear in the [[Bible|Biblical]] verse Exodus 28:30, where they are named for inclusion on the breastplate to be worn by Aaron in the holy place. Other books, especially 1 Samuel, describe their uses. The chronologically earliest passage in the [[Bible]] mentioning the Urim and Thummim, according to textual scholars, is in the Book of Hosea, where it is implied, by reference to the Ephod, that the Urim and Thummim were fundamental elements in [[Judaism]], in the mid 8th century BC.
Several Western esoteric traditions other than Thelema were also influenced by Crowley, with Djurdjevic observing that "Crowley's influence on twentieth-century and contemporary esotericism has been enormous". [[Gerald Gardner]], founder of [[Gardnerian Wicca]], made use of much of Crowley's published material when composing the Gardnerian ritual liturgy. [[L. Ron Hubbard]], the American founder of [[Scientology]], was involved in Thelema in the early 1940s (with [[Jack Parsons]]), and it has been argued that Crowley's ideas influenced some of Hubbard's work.


'''([[Urim and Thummim|Full Article...]])'''
'''([[Aleister Crowley|Full Article...]])'''

Latest revision as of 16:20, 13 December 2025

Aleister Crowley.jpg

Aleister Crowley was an English occultist, magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the prophet entrusted with guiding humanity into the Æon of Horus in the early 20th century. A prolific writer, he published widely over the course of his life. Crowley gained widespread notoriety during his lifetime, being a recreational drug user, bisexual, and an individualist social critic.

Several Western esoteric traditions other than Thelema were also influenced by Crowley, with Djurdjevic observing that "Crowley's influence on twentieth-century and contemporary esotericism has been enormous". Gerald Gardner, founder of Gardnerian Wicca, made use of much of Crowley's published material when composing the Gardnerian ritual liturgy. L. Ron Hubbard, the American founder of Scientology, was involved in Thelema in the early 1940s (with Jack Parsons), and it has been argued that Crowley's ideas influenced some of Hubbard's work.

(Full Article...)