“Do what thou wilt–then do nothing else. Let nothing deflect thee from that austere and holy task. Liberty is absolute to do thy will; but seek to do any other thing whatever, and instantly obstacles must arise. Every act that is not in definite course of that one orbit is erratic, an hindrance. Will must not be two, but one.”
–The Message of the Master Therion
Maybe you’ve been on the path a while. You enjoy many things that you’re pretty sure are not your True Will—not what you came here to do. Maybe you enjoy playing guitar, even writing a few songs. Maybe you enjoy an occasional camping trip. Do you have to give them up? It depends!Â
Your True Will is something you chose before incarnating to be the central focus of your life. Anything that poses a distraction should be eliminated, yes. I think it’s best to do the Work first and give it “everything” and then allow oneself a few side pleasures when needed to recharge. But, that’s me. The point is to pay attention and take the cues. You have to know.
Hobbies Vs. True Will
Playing a musical instrument as a hobby probably wouldn’t distract most non-musicians from their True Will. “All work and no play….” Take me as an example: I play piano as a hobby. Many years ago, I got to the stage where, to advance in piano playing, I’d have to practice many hours every day. Well, that isn’t what I came here to do. So I had to compromise my piano playing and be happy with it as it is, which is just ok.
Whatever your hobby or hobbies, do they take away from your energy for your True Will? Or do they support it? That’s all that matters.
Similarly, if you have too many hobbies, you fritter away your focus. Some people are skiing, camping, hiking, investing, doing crosswords, playing video games, traveling, going to spas, going to music festivals, constantly “relaxing”. Now, it’s not for me to say how much is too much. But at some point it is.
Money-Making vs True WIll
Some people have a day job that steals their focus. Modern life constantly screams at us that the “basics” cost more and more money. Given that my True Will is not lucrative, in many ways I’ve adopted Timothy Leary’s philosophy of “Turn on, tune in, drop out”. I can’t afford the “basics” and still do my True Will. I laugh at the notion of “retirement”.
I watched my mother spend $100,000 per year in long-term care for the last five years of her life, during which she could do nothing for herself, including think. And of course, they’d have bounced her the minute the money ran out. In the end, the “care” was “just a business”, a phrase much like “just following orders”. This lifestyle is what she wanted, so of course I supported her in that. But I saw the folly of trying to follow that road. If I can’t do my Will anymore, may the Gods take me quickly. In any case, I plan to die with my boots on.
Relationships vs True Will
Usually it’s relationships that torpedo the creativity. The partner wants to eat out, travel, go to events… And to keep the peace, the person does so. There comes a critical point when too little energy is going into the Work. The focus on the Work is lost. It becomes the other person, or paying the bills for the presents that they bought for them.
Happiness Vs. Joy
This is all a long way of saying, you’ll know when you’re straying. Maybe you’ve reached the stage by now where you are receiving synchronicities and messages from your Angel, who will certainly tell you—especially if you ask Them to. No matter what, you should be asking the question. I check in constantly, and I constantly get course corrections.
Don’t ask me to prove it, but True Will always involves joy. Joy isn’t the same as happiness, of course. But there is a feeling of flying when one is doing one’s True Will—despite the “sorrows” that “pass & are done” (BOTL, II:9). It never feels the same as when you do something because your parents browbeat you into it.
“The conception [of True Will] is .. of an eternal motion, infinite and unalterable. It is Nirvana, only dynamic instead of static…”
– The Message of the Master Therion
The worst that might happen is that the ego might resist kicking and screaming. Maybe the ego is obsessed with financial security, but the True Will is to be an artist. In that case, the person who follows the Will might have to go through hell getting used to insecurity. Tough karma. But they would be miserable if they didn’t pour their heart and soul into art. Sometimes you meet people who compromise, do art or music as a hobby when it’s actually their True Will. They seem to be in a constant holding pattern. How many people do we know like that?
Regardless, a person will be motivated to be artist if that’s their True Will. It’s hard to tell the difference sometimes, but I can tell I am trying too hard and thus straying from my True Will when I encounter a certain type of lack of motivation. It’s not laziness or depression, but just having to force something.
An example: I have long felt comfortable and harmonious with doing astrological work on the side of Thelemic magick, writing, and publishing. But I have many times tried to be “an astrologer” and discovered, to my astonishment, that I’m not one–not essentially. In other words, I am not primarily an astrologer, but only one as an adjunct to my role as a spiritual friend. And I find out because when I try to do the things that would allow me to “be an astrologer”, I find myself bored with what I would say or do. To be honest, I haven’t given up the intent to keep trying to find a unique angle for myself there. I keep feeling I’m missing something. But so far I’ve failed five or six times, and I haven’t wasted too much energy in doing so, so I’m happy.
Despite what I said earlier about ego resistance, your True Will comes with little resistance from the Universe. If you do it, unexpected things happen to aid you. Basically, if you do your True Will, you will get what you need to keep doing it. As the Stones said, you might not get what you want, but you will definitely get what you need.