Brothers and Sisters,
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
There has been a considerable amount of discussion online regarding the Order's policies regarding the Class A Comment to Liber AL, and this would seem to be a good time to offer some clarification thereon.
The full text of the Class A Comment is as follows:
The Comment
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
The study of this Book is forbidden. It is wise to destroy this copy after the first reading.
Whosoever disregards this does so at his own risk and peril. These are most dire.
Those who discuss the contents of this Book are to be shunned by all, as centres of pestilence.
All questions of the Law are to be decided only by appeal to my writings, each for himself.
There is no law beyond Do what thou wilt.
Love is the law, love under will.
The priest of the princes, ANKH-F-N-KHONSU
A variety of interpretations of the Class A Comment have been ventured in various forums. The following quote from Letter 50 of _Magick Without Tears_ (1943) confirms our Prophet's own interpretation of the Class A Comment as functioning to forestall revisionism and unnecessary disputation with respect to the Book of the Law.
"What then about AL III, 40? This problem was solved only by achieving the task. In Paris [Tunis], in a mood of blank despair about it all, out came the Comment. Easy, yes; inspired, yes; it is, as printed, the exact wording required. No further cavilling and quibbling, and controversy and casuistry. All heresiarchs are smelt in advance for the rats they are; they are seen brewing (their very vile small beer) in the air (the realm of Intellect --- Swords) and they are accordingly nipped in the bud. All Parliamentary requirements thus fulfilled according to the famous formula of the Irish M.P., we can get on to your other questions untroubled by doubt.
"One Textus Receptus, photographically guaranteed. One High Court of Interpretation, each for himself alone. No Patristic logomachies! No disputed readings! No civil wars and persecutions. Anyone who wants to say anything, off with his head, and On with the Dance; let Joy be unconfined, You at the prow and Therion at the helm! Off we go."
OTO has no policy forbidding study or discussion of the Book of the Law. These matters are left, largely, to the personal judgment of the individual. However, OTO does take the official position that every man and woman has the sacred right to interpret Liber AL for him or herself with the Master Therion's various writings as guide and reference. Therefore, OTO strongly recommends that any study of Liber AL be accompanied by a study of the Master Therion's various writings on Liber AL. Further, it is OTO's policy not to endorse attempts to supplant the Master Therion's writings by the publication of alternative commentaries on Liber AL. This means that OTO will not actively assist those who wish to publish such alternative commentaries, and will not sanction any implied OTO endorsement of such commentaries by allowing them to be published under its aegis, such as in an official local body publication. This would include articles that are primarily intended to serve either as comprehensive alternative commentaries on Liber AL, or as attempts to promulgate novel interpretations of, or "solutions" to, various verses of Liber AL. It would not include articles that are clearly not intended to supersede the Master Therion's writings, even if they include incidental expressions of personal opinion regarding Liber AL. Appropriate disclaimers may be needed in some cases to clarify intent.
As a practical matter, OTO should be an oasis where individual Thelemites can enjoy spiritual fellowship without having to take sides and defend positions in theoretical disputes over how people should interpret our holy books. Each individual has the sacred right to develop his or her own personal relationship with the Book of the Law, and to keep the intimate details of this relationship private. Those who wisely exercise this right while working to extend the influence of the Law of Thelema deserve our respect and encouragement, as they are clearly working in harmony with the express will of the Master Therion.
Love is the law, love under will.