Nuit (alternatively Nu, Nut, or Nuith) is a goddess in

Thelema Thelema () is a Western esotericism, Western esoteric and occult social or spiritual philosophy and a new religious movement founded in the early 1900s by Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), an English writer, mystic, occultist, and ceremonial ma ...

, the speaker in the first chapter of ''

The Book of the Law ''Liber AL vel Legis'' (), commonly known as ''The Book of the Law'', is the central sacred text of Thelema. The book is often referred to simply as ''Liber AL'', ''Liber Legis'' or just ''AL'', though technically the latter two refer only to ...

'', the sacred text written or received in 1904 by

Aleister Crowley Aleister Crowley ( ; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, novelist, mountaineer, and painter. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pr ...

. Nuit is based on the

Ancient Egyptian Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

sky goddess Nut, who in Egyptian mythology arches over her brother/husband, Geb ( Earth god). She is usually depicted as a naked woman who is covered with stars.

In ''The Book of the Law''

In Aleister Crowley’s The Book of the Law, the central

sacred text Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...

of Thelema, Nuit is one part of a triad of deities, along with Hadit (her masculine counterpart), and Ra-Hoor-Khuit, or “the Crowned and Conquering Child”, who Thelemites believe are depicted on the Stele of Revealing. She has several titles, including " Our Lady of the Stars", and "Lady of the Starry Heaven". In ''

'' she says of herself: "I am Infinite Space, and the Infinite Stars thereof", and in other verses she is called "

Queen of Heaven Queen of Heaven () is a title given by the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodoxy, to Mary, mother of Jesus, and, to a lesser extent, in Anglicanism and Lutheranism. The title has long been a tradition, included in prayers and devotional literat ...

", and "Queen of Space". Nuit is symbolized by a sphere whose circumference is nowhere and whose center is everywhere. Hadit is the infinitely small point at the center of the sphere of Nuit.

In Thelemic theology

Manon Hedenborg-White writes that " ..Nuit and Hadit are constructed as gendered opposites in ritual and literature, and their divine functions and attributes are linked to their sex." She observes that She goes on to note the practitioners of Thelema may subvert this view through polytheism, incorporating deities such as

Kali Kali (; , ), also called Kalika, is a major goddess in Hinduism, primarily associated with time, death and destruction. Kali is also connected with transcendental knowledge and is the first of the ten Mahavidyas, a group of goddesses who p ...

from

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

as well as the Greek god Pan to represent different forms of femininity and masculinity. She also notes that one of her Thelemic informants questions the gendering of Nuit, calling it "merely a convenient metaphor". Another called the model "overly simplistic" and has devised their own more complex gender formulation. Hedenborg-White goes on to note that "studying contemporary Thelema requires sensitivity to the fact that Thelemites are not passively bound to orthodoxy in their religious practice."

In ''The Book of the Law''

In Thelemic theology

See also

References

Notes

Citations

Works cited

Further reading