The Citation Quick Reference provides models for the sources that both students and non-academic authors are most likely to use in essays, research papers, and term papers when writing about Thelema and Thelema-adjacent subjects. Each entry gives examples of four forms: a full footnote for the first citation, a shortened footnote for later citations, an author-date citation for parenthetical use, and a bibliographic reference for the final bibliography or reference list. This format reflects the two major systems from The Chicago Manual of Style: notes and bibliography, which uses footnotes or endnotes keyed to a reference list, and author-date, which uses brief parenthetical citations.

Students should follow the form required by their instructor or department. In the notes-and-bibliography system, the first note normally gives enough information to identify the source, while later notes use a shortened form. In author-date style, the in-text citation gives the author’s last name, year of publication, and page or other locator when needed; the full publication details appear in the reference list.

Thelemic hierological texts should usually be cited in the body of the paper by title abbreviation and internal reference, not by page number. Use arabic numerals and place a colon between chapter and verse or paragraph number: AL 1:40, AL 1:57, Cor 1:65. Use an en dash for consecutive verses or paragraphs. Avoid open-ended references such as f. or ff. This follows the same general principle used for sacred and classical texts in Chicago-style citation: cite stable internal divisions such as book, chapter, and verse rather than page numbers. Citing verses from books without chapters are cited as if there is a single numbered chapter.

When the citation is brief, place it parenthetically in the sentence before the final punctuation: “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law” (AL 1:40). For block quotations, place the citation after the final punctuation. If the version, translation, or edition matters, include that information after the reference; if the same version is used throughout the paper, identify it at the first citation or in an early note.

Examples

• “The word of the Law is Θελημα” (AL 1:39).
• “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law” (AL 1:40).
• “Love is the law, love under will” (AL 1:57).

For a range of verses, use an en dash:

• (AL 1:40–44)
• (Tza 1:16–19)

For a specific part of a verse, include the lettered division:

• (Por 1:11c)

For a block quotation:

• But to love me is better than all things: if under the night-stars in the desert thou presently burnest mine incense before me, invoking me with a pure heart, and the Serpent flame therein, thou shalt come a little to lie in my bosom. For one kiss wilt thou then be willing to give all; but whoso gives one particle of dust shall lose all in that hour. (AL 1:61a–d)

A full bibliography entry is not normally needed for a standard hierological reference unless the paper depends on a particular edition, version, editor, translation, or online text.

See §5.1.3.6: Primary Sources for more general information on citing primary sources.

See §6.2: Thelemic Hierological Texts & Versions and §6.3: Primary Sources: Hierological Texts for specific information on citation format and abbreviations for Thelemic hierological texts.

Important Note: Page numbers in the following examples are not intended to reflect accurate reference information, They are for example purposes only.

Book by a Single Author

Long Footnote

11. Gerald Enrique Del Campo, The Heretic’s Guide to Thelema. Volume 1: New Aeon Magick (Richmond, CA: Concrescent Press, 2011).

Short Footnote

11. Del Campo, Heretic’s Guide, 127.

Author-Date Citation

(Del Campo 2011, 127)

Bibliographic Reference

Del Campo, Gerald Enrique. The Heretic’s Guide to Thelema. Volume 1: New Aeon Magick. Richmond, CA: Concrescent Press, 2011.

Note

Include edition information when the cited edition is not the first edition.

Book by Two or Three Authors

Long Footnote

11. Aleister Crowley, Mary Desti, and Leila Waddell, Magick: Liber ABA, 2nd rev. ed., ed. Hymenaeus Beta (York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, 1998), 127.

Short Footnote

11. Crowley, Desti, and Waddell, Magick, 127.

Author-Date Citation

(Crowley, Desti, and Waddell 1998, 127)

Bibliographic Reference

Crowley, Aleister, Mary Desti, and Leila Waddell. Magick: Liber ABA. 2nd revised edition. Edited by Hymenaeus Beta. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, 1998.

Note

For books by two or three authors, list all authors in both notes and bibliography.

Book by More Than Three Authors

Long Footnote

11. Stuart R. Kaplan et al., Pamela Colman Smith: The Untold Story (Stamford, CT: U.S. Games Systems, 2018), 127.

Short Footnote

11. Kaplan et al., Pamela Colman Smith, 127.

Author-Date Citation

(Kaplan et al. 2018, 127)

Bibliographic Reference

Kaplan, Stuart R., Mary K. Greer, Elizabeth Foley O’Connor, and Melinda Boyd Parsons. Pamela Colman Smith: The Untold Story. Stamford, CT: U.S. Games Systems, 2018.

Note

For works by more than three authors, use the first author’s name followed by “et al.” in notes and author-date citations. In the bibliography, list all authors.

Translated Volume

Long Footnote

11. Lao Tzu, The Tao Teh King: Liber CLVII, trans. Aleister Crowley (Dublin, CA: Ordo Templi Orientis/Thelema Publications, 1976), 127.

Short Footnote

11. Lao Tzu, Tao Teh King, 127.

Author-Date Citation

(Lao Tzu 1976, 127)

Bibliographic Reference

Lao Tzu. The Tao Teh King: Liber CLVII. Translated by Aleister Crowley. Dublin, CA: Ordo Templi Orientis/Thelema Publications, 1976.

Note

Name the translator after the title. In the bibliography, use “Translated by” rather than the abbreviated “trans.”

Edited Volume

Long Footnote

11. Henrik Bogdan and Martin P. Starr, eds., Aleister Crowley and Western Esotericism (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012), 127.

Short Footnote

11. Bogdan and Starr, Aleister Crowley and Western Esotericism, 127.

Author-Date Citation

(Bogdan and Starr 2012, 127)

Bibliographic Reference

Bogdan, Henrik, and Martin P. Starr, eds. Aleister Crowley and Western Esotericism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.

Note

When an edited volume is cited as a whole, list the editor or editors in the author position and identify them with “ed.” or “eds.”

Article or Chapter in an Edited Volume

Long Footnote

11. Marco Pasi, “Varieties of Magical Experience: Aleister Crowley’s Views on Occult Practice,” in Aleister Crowley and Western Esotericism, ed. Henrik Bogdan and Martin P. Starr (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012), 127.

Short Footnote

11. Pasi, “Varieties of Magical Experience,” 127.

Author-Date Citation

(Pasi 2012, 127)

Bibliographic Reference

Pasi, Marco. “Varieties of Magical Experience: Aleister Crowley’s Views on Occult Practice.” In Aleister Crowley and Western Esotericism, edited by Henrik Bogdan and Martin P. Starr, 53–88. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.

Note

For an article or chapter in an edited volume, cite the author of the article or chapter first, followed by the article or chapter title, the book title, the editors, and the publication information. Include the full page range in the bibliography (111–156, not 111-56).

Reprint Title

Long Footnote

11. Aleister Crowley, Tannhäuser: A Story of All Time (1907; repr., Project Gutenberg, 2023), 127.

Short Footnote

11. Crowley, Tannhäuser, 127.

Author-Date Citation

(Crowley [1907] 2023, 127)

Bibliographic Reference

Crowley, Aleister. Tannhäuser: A Story of All Time. 1907. Reprint, Project Gutenberg, 2023.

Note

When the original publication date is important, give the original year before the reprint information. In author-date citations, place the original year in brackets before the reprint year.

Electronic Book

Long Footnote

11. Lon Milo DuQuette, Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot: New Edition (Newburyport, MA: Weiser Books, 2017), Kindle edition, chap. 3.

Short Footnote

11. DuQuette, Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot, chap. 5.

Author-Date Citation

(DuQuette 2017, chap. 3)

Bibliographic Reference

DuQuette, Lon Milo. Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot: New Edition. Newburyport, MA: Weiser Books, 2017. Kindle edition.

Note

If an electronic edition does not reproduce the print edition exactly, identify the format consulted. When stable page numbers are unavailable, cite a chapter, section heading, or other stable locator.

Journal Article

Long Footnote

11. Manon Hedenborg White, “Proximal Authority: The Changing Role of Leah Hirsig in Aleister Crowley’s Thelema, 1919–1930,” Aries: Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism 21, no. 1 (2021): 72.

Short Footnote

11. Hedenborg White, “Proximal Authority,” 127.

Author-Date Citation

(Hedenborg White 2021, 127)

Bibliographic Reference

Hedenborg White, Manon. “Proximal Authority: The Changing Role of Leah Hirsig in Aleister Crowley’s Thelema, 1919–1930.” Aries: Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism 21, no. 1 (2021): 69–93.

Note

Include the issue number when it is needed to locate the article clearly, especially when each issue begins again with page 1.

Electronic Journal Article

Long Footnote

11. Hugh B. Urban, “Magia Sexualis: Sex, Secrecy, and Liberation in Modern Western Esotericism,” Journal of the American Academy of Religion 72, no. 3 (September 2004): 695, https://doi.org/10.1093/jaarel/lfh064.

Short Footnote

11. Urban, “Magia Sexualis,” 127.

Author-Date Citation

(Urban 2004, 127)

Bibliographic Reference

Urban, Hugh B. “Magia Sexualis: Sex, Secrecy, and Liberation in Modern Western Esotericism.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion 72, no. 3 (September 2004): 695–731. https://doi.org/10.1093/jaarel/lfh064.

Note

For electronic journal articles, include a DOI when one is available. If no DOI is available, include a URL or the name of the database.

Book Review

Long Footnote

11. Marco Pasi, “The Neverendingly Told Story: Recent Biographies of Aleister Crowley,” review of Perdurabo: The Life of Aleister Crowley, by Richard Kaczynski, and other works, Aries: Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism 3, no. 2 (2003): 226.

Short Footnote

11. Pasi, “Neverendingly Told Story,” 127.

Author-Date Citation

(Pasi 2003, 127)

Bibliographic Reference

Pasi, Marco. “The Neverendingly Told Story: Recent Biographies of Aleister Crowley.” Review of Perdurabo: The Life of Aleister Crowley, by Richard Kaczynski, and other works. Aries: Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism 3, no. 2 (2003): 224–45.

Note

For a titled review, cite the review title first, followed by “review of” and the title and author or editor of the work reviewed.

Unpublished Dissertation or Thesis

Long Footnote

11. Manon Hedenborg White, “The Eloquent Blood: The Goddess Babalon and the Construction of Femininities in Western Esotericism” (PhD diss., Uppsala University, 2017), 127.

Short Footnote

11. Hedenborg White, “Eloquent Blood,” 127.

Author-Date Citation

(Hedenborg White 2017, 127)

Bibliographic Reference

Hedenborg White, Manon. “The Eloquent Blood: The Goddess Babalon and the Construction of Femininities in Western Esotericism.” PhD diss., Uppsala University, 2017.

Note

Identify the work as a dissertation or thesis and include the degree-granting institution and year.

Article in an Encyclopedia or Dictionary

Long Footnote

11. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Thelema,” Encyclopaedia Britannica, last modified October 2025.

Short Footnote

11. Britannica, “Thelema.”

Author-Date Citation

(Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica 2025)

Bibliographic Reference

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Thelema.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. Last modified October 2025.

Note

For online reference works, include a publication or revision date when available. If no date is available, include an access date.

Article in a Lexicon or Theological Dictionary

Long Footnote

11. Marco Pasi, “Crowley, Aleister,” in Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism, ed. Wouter J. Hanegraaff et al. (Leiden: Brill, 2005), 281.

Short Footnote

11. Pasi, “Crowley, Aleister,” 127.

Author-Date Citation

(Pasi 2005, 127)

Bibliographic Reference

Pasi, Marco. “Crowley, Aleister.” In Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism, edited by Wouter J. Hanegraaff, Antoine Faivre, Roelof van den Broek, and Jean-Pierre Brach, 281–87. Leiden: Brill, 2005.

Note

Treat signed dictionary or lexicon entries like articles in edited volumes: cite the entry author, entry title, reference work title, editor, page range, and publication information.

Website Page

Long Footnote

11. “Thelema Texts,” Internet Sacred Text Archive, accessed May 14, 2026, https://sacred-texts.com/oto/index.htm.

Short Footnote

11. “Thelema Texts.”

Author-Date Citation

(“Thelema Texts” 2026)

Bibliographic Reference

“Thelema Texts.” Internet Sacred Text Archive. Accessed May 14, 2026. https://sacred-texts.com/oto/index.htm.

Note

A URL alone is not sufficient. Provide a descriptive title or page title, the name of the website or sponsoring organization, and a URL that leads as directly as possible to the cited material. Include an access date when no publication or revision date is available.

Article in a Magazine

Long Footnote

11. Benjamin Breen, “Wizards of the Coast,” The Paris Review, May 29, 2014.

Short Footnote

11. Breen, “Wizards of the Coast.”

Author-Date Citation

(Breen 2014)

Bibliographic Reference

Breen, Benjamin. “Wizards of the Coast.” The Paris Review, May 29, 2014.

Note

Magazine articles should include the author, article title, magazine title, and date of publication. When a magazine article is consulted online, include a URL if required by the citation system or instructor; otherwise, the same basic form may be used without the URL.

Long Footnote

11. Benjamin Breen, “Wizards of the Coast,” The Paris Review, May 29, 2014, https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2014/05/29/wizards-of-the-coast/.

Short Footnote

11. Breen, “Wizards of the Coast.”

Author-Date Citation

(Breen 2014)

Bibliographic Reference

Breen, Benjamin. “Wizards of the Coast.” The Paris Review, May 29, 2014. https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2014/05/29/wizards-of-the-coast/.