An Open Epistle on the Use of 93

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. –AL I:40

I was recently asked about the use of the numbers ‘93’ in my correspondence. I explained that the reason for using these numbers is actually quite simple; followers of Aleister Crowley’s philosopher are known as ‘Thelemites’ or a seeker after one’s True Will and the word ‘Thelemite’ is derived from the Greek word Thelema, which means Will. In the old days Aleister Crowley would utterly refuse to deal with anyone who didn’t address him properly either in letter or in greeting. For instance; every time you greeted him, or he greeted you, a simple “Hello” would never do. The proper Thelemic welcoming was; “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.” This being a phrase taken from his Holy Book, Liber AL vel Legis I:40. The proper reply to the above phrase is: “Love is the law, love under will.” from Liber AL vel Legis I:57.

However, over eighty years ago, one of Crowley’s most ardent students discovered that both ‘Will’ and ‘Love’ when written out in Greek as Thelema and Agape have a numerical value of 93. Now, thanks to our modern fast-food mentality, especially in California in the early 70s, these two lines have been abridged for convenience. Now, if someone greets you by uttering “93” you reply with a simple “93” in return. This is a little different in regards to letters or emails; instead of beginning with the lengthy phrase “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law” we simply use 93 and at the end of our letter or email; instead of “Love is the law, love under will”, we use 93 93/93.