Aleister Crowley described race and class prejudice as based “. . . upon the universal sense of individual weakness. . . . It’s fear at the base of the whole pyramid of skulls.” But should it be illegal?

In chapter 73 of Magick Without Tears, Crowley makes it clear that racism and class consciousness alike are rooted in fear. He points out that moreover, any time people begin to think as a class, it means war.

“But none of these phobias prevent friendship between individuals of hostile classes. . . . The submergence of the individual in his class means the end of all true human relations between men.”

Finally, Crowley lays to rest any concerns about whether Thelema has any racist doctrines, by pointing out that racism is contraindicated in the Book of the Law. He says that asserting the sovereignty of every individual human being, and denying “class consciousness” the right to exist is “. . . the only conceivable way of reconciling [AL II:25] and similar passages with ‘Every man and every woman is a star.'”

Moreover, unlike any administration in the history of the U.S., Aleister Crowley would not allow discrimination of sex, race, class, sexual orientation, creed, etc. in the government, the military, or in any of the public institutions. Each person must find their own level, living life according to their individual abilities, motivations, and physical attributes.

Some may wonder whether Aleister Crowley would allow discriminatory practices to take place at business receiving government subsidies. This will not be an issue at all, however. Why would any business receive a subsidy? Private enterprises must be allowed to succeed or fail on their own merits, without assistance or oppression by the government.

Returning to the original question: should racism, class consciousness, and discrimination be illegal? We briefly hinted at this question in part 3 of the Same-Sex Marriage series wherein we wrote that in a Thelemic society where gay marriage would be allowed, “. . . the Roman Catholic Church would not be required to confer benefits to the same-sex spouses of its employees.”

Man has the right to live by his own law.

The civil rights movement accomplished many great things, and successfully eradicated much of the institutionalized discrimination which had been taking place in public institutions. That work is still not complete. But the civil rights movement also accomplished many things which are contrary to the Law of Liberty, by limiting the freedom of individuals to associate with whom they choose.

Mob mentality is based in fear, and a Thelemic society would tolerate people who engage in it. Man has the right to discriminate and be a coward as he will, and suffer the consequences. The current anti-discrimination laws are draconian and tyrannical, and should be stricken down in the name of the Law of Liberty. It is sufficient to protect all individuals from their rights being violated — whether through violence or curtailment of their freedoms.

Here are some examples of how this would affect some matters in recent news:

• Daniel and Adrienne Sabbia would be allowed to stop the sale of their home to a black couple.
• Julia Acevedo-Taylor would not have a leg to stand on in her suit against a chocolate shop which banned her for breastfeeding on site and refusing to stop.
• Google could fire whomever they want, even if it was just because the guy was old.

At the same time, we would also be free to criticize and protest the above examples, just as people are free to criticize and protest the proposed mosque in Manhattan (watch for an upcoming post about this). And while the freedom of speech would be carefully protected, violence and threats of violence would not be; it is a legitimate and necessary function of the Thelemic state to suppress violence.

. . . to speak what he will. . . .

If a business owner had a cafe that served only whites, distributed racist propaganda, and displayed a sign in his window that read: WHITES ONLY, this would be allowed. So long as a person’s actions are not violating the rights of another, we should all be free to make decisions, whether others agree or not. Aleister Crowley would champion the rights of every individual to do their will, even if they have opinions which are antithetical to the Law of Thelema.

The family, the clan, the state count for nothing; the Individual is the Autarch.