Aleister Crowley

Aleister Crowley

Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), born Edward Alexander Crowley, was a British occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer who established the religion of Thelema.

Throughout his life, he cultivated an image of notoriety, embracing the title "The Wickedest Man in the World".

Crowley was a highly influential figure, whose "dark work" is observed in various aspects of culture, media, and politics, particularly in the concept of the "new aeon" and the "crown and conquering child".

Embracing the Occult

Crowley’s path into the occult began during his time at Trinity College, Cambridge.

While a member of the Magpie and Stump debating society, he argued that "genius is only a manifestation of insanity" and opposed the proposition that "black is white," though he would later embrace the "union of contradictions as this keystone to spiritual progress".

A vote by his peers, favouring the proposition that the house sympathised with Satan, reflected a common tendency in his generation to view Satan as a romantic figure rather than an evil one.

Crowley, however, distinguished himself by the lengths to which he would carry this rebellion against Christian morals.

His initial steps towards magical practice involved a fascination with heresy. He believed that "the forces of good were those which had constantly oppressed me" and sought "personal communication with the devil". In his early poetry, such as Akodama, he expressed pure blasphemy.

He eventually underwent a "death struggle with self," leading to a Gnostic realisation where he questioned which of the fighting forces (God or Satan) truly represented God. A chance recommendation led him to A.E. Waite's collection of grimoire extracts, The Book of Black Magic and Pacts.

The Golden Dawn

Crowley's formal initiation into the occult came through the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, an early 20th-century secret society.

His introduction to the Golden Dawn was almost accidental, as he met an expert in esotericism and magical ritual while mountaineering in Switzerland, who then directed him to the Order.

He quickly rose through the grades of the Golden Dawn, which drew from alchemy, astrology, Kabbalah, and the teachings of Eliphas Levi.

The Order had three "circles" or levels, with the third being reserved for those achieving "illumination of the Great White Brotherhood" or "ascended masters," whom Crowley believed were praeternatural beings or demons.

Crowley developed a significant rivalry with McGregor Mathers, a key figure in the Golden Dawn, who claimed a "living connection to the more than human secret chiefs". Crowley's goal became to establish his own connection to these entities.

Mathers's magical motto, "Demon est Deus Inversus" (the devil is the converse of God), influenced Crowley's understanding of Gnostic teachings. Crowley himself would later engage in rituals to contact these "demon beings" and receive instruction from them.

Magick and its Philosophy

Crowley championed "Magick with a K" to distinguish it from a mere conjuring trick.

He initially confessed to being drawn to the occult through fascination, but this evolved into a stronger purpose: "the great work" of becoming a spiritual being free from material constraints.

He aimed to "rehabilitate Magic," identifying it with his own career and compelling humanity to "respect, love and trust that which they scorned, hated and feared".

His work was rooted in the Hermetic principle of "as above, so below," which posits the fundamental unity of macrocosm and microcosm, reflected in the metaphor of the magical mirror.

Crowley also explored and later rejected the strict distinction between "low" (black) and "high" (white) magic, eventually aiming for a "unification of those two opposites".

Central to Crowley's philosophy was Thelema, based on the creed "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law". This concept, derived from his received text, The Book of the Law, emphasised "true will" and the Free Will to make decisions and perform actions.

Thelema aimed to usher in a "new aeon" to supplant the Christian era, bringing about the reign of the "crown and conquering child," symbolising a "guiltless, liberated humanity" that chose to "become the gods it had merely worshipped in the past".

This worldview is the New World Order religion, a blend of Gnosticism and Pentecostalism.

Sexual Magic

A primary basis for Crowley's notoriety was his practice of sexual magic, which involved the ritualistic use of psychosexual energies. This practice, known as the Aedien current, had roots in Indian Tantric and Shivite sexual practices and certain Gnostic sects.

The core belief was that "primordial spiritual unity can be reconstituted through erotic bliss and the consumption of semen and the menses," wherein "genital secretions represent the two divine modes of being, the god and the goddess".

This transformed sexuality into a "sacramental ritual". While Crowley was viewed as a libertine, his sexual practices were seen not as mere gratification but as a means to achieve gnosis, leading to an impersonality in his relationships that fostered cruelty.

The Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO), a magical order with which Crowley was associated, also incorporated these practices, using bodily fluids as "magic elixir" for casting spells.

The ritualistic aspect extended to the "law of reversion," an ancient tantric practice involving "the practicing imbibing of female urine and cooked dung".

Such practices, intentionally gross and degrading, were meant to "degrade" and psychologically bind individuals to the cult. The celebration of ugliness and disgusting things was part of this process.

The objective was to draw "stellar and/or transmundane energy by using the human organism as a condenser," effectively making individuals "condensers for these demons" during Kundalini yoga and meditation.

The Book of the Law

One of the most significant events in Crowley's magical life was the dictation of The Book of the Law. During his honeymoon in Egypt, specifically in the King's Chamber of the Great Pyramid, his wife, Rose Kelly (née Skerrett), reportedly became a medium.

She channelled a spirit, later identified as the demon Aiwass, who dictated the text to Crowley over three consecutive days in April 1904. Rose directed Crowley to the Egyptian Museum, where she identified a stele (Exhibit Number 666) depicting Horus, confirming the entity's identity.

The book contains the famous tenet "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law; Love is the law of love under will".

The concept of Horus, along with Nu and Hadit, formed an inversion of the trinity within Crowley's occult religion of the new aeon. The "winged beetle," a symbol of Horus, also became significant to Crowley during this period.

A Life of Adventure and Influence

Beyond his occult pursuits, Crowley was a serious mountaineer and a capable climber, discussed in multiple primary sources of his era.

He was among the first Westerners to attempt climbing Chogo Ri (K2), the world's second-highest peak and reputedly its most difficult to climb due to its isolation.

A disastrous expedition on K2, where he famously refused to help his fellow climbers during an avalanche, cemented his reputation as "The Wickedest Man in the World". He heard their screams but did not help, later expressing smugness at being proven right.

Intelligence Connections Crowley had significant, though often covert, connections to British intelligence throughout his life. Dr Richard Spence's research, notably in Secret Agent 666, indicates that Crowley served as an asset for the British government, particularly during World War I.

• While in New York, Crowley wrote anti-British propaganda for The Fatherland, a known German propaganda outlet. However, British consular officials informed US military intelligence that Crowley was "working in a confidential manner for the British government," implying his propaganda was designed to be so extreme as to discredit the Germans. This suggests he functioned as a provocateur.
• Crowley arrived in New York on Halloween, 31 October 1914, via the Lusitania. He presented himself as an Irish Nationalist, though he had no Irish roots, managing to ingratiate himself with German agents in New York. He successfully convinced them that a show of German ruthlessness, such as the sinking of the Lusitania, would be an effective propaganda tactic against the "childlike" Americans. British intelligence later tapped the phone line of the German propaganda cabinet meetings, which Crowley, as the only British operative present, likely facilitated.
• Crowley's utility as an asset stemmed from his connections within the early 20th-century European occult underground, a network that transcended national borders. Intelligence agencies use assets for their utility, not necessarily their moral standing. This "crossover" or "intermingling of what could be called the occult or esoteric societies and intelligence organizations" was a recurring theme in Crowley's life, "far too often to be just incidental or coincidental".
• His reputation and profession as an occultist could also serve as a cover for espionage, akin to reporters, missionaries, or explorers who have ostensible reasons to be in remote or sensitive areas. Figures like Norman Thwaites, a British intelligence operative in New York with a "long and deep interest in the occult," underscore this connection.
• Despite his erratic behaviour, Crowley held a fundamental loyalty "to essentially traditional England". He articulated this loyalty not as a belief in England's moral superiority but as the "loyalty of Bill Sykes' dog" to its master, an unshakeable bond regardless of treatment.

Literary and Cultural Impact

Crowley was a prolific writer, including works like 777 and Liber Oz. His autobiographical The Confessions of Aleister Crowley provides insights into his life, including his drug use, further explored in Diary of a Drug Fiend.

His poetry gained some early recognition, with G.K. Chesterton reportedly praising it. He cultivated relationships with prominent artists, including the sculptor Rodin, who reviewed his poetry.

Crowley has been a popular model for villains in fiction, appearing in works by Somerset Maugham (The Magician), James Branch Cabell, Christopher Isherwood, Anthony Powell, Dennis Wheatley (The Devil Rides Out), Colin Wilson, Robert Anton Wilson, and Snoo Wilson (The Beast).

His image, notably a photograph with a shaved head and piercing eyes, gained widespread recognition after his appearance on The Beatles' album cover for _Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band_ in 1967.

His influence extended to the lyrics of The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Ozzy Osbourne, The Clash, The Cure, and numerous rappers, including Kanye and Jay-Z.

David Bowie, in particular, is noted as almost "pure crowley" in his understanding and embodiment of Crowley's ideas. Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page was notably obsessed with Crowley, even purchasing Boleskine House, Crowley's former residence on the shores of Loch Ness.

Crowley's life has been compared to that of Harry Potter due to elements of his young life.

The character of Lord Blackwood in the Sherlock Holmes film series is an obvious representation of Crowley, engaging in black magic and leading a secret society akin to the OTO.

The symbol of the X and the concept of "X-Men" are also linked to Crowley's magical system, representing the "axis of the world" and the "crossroads" where God and human meet.

Controversies and Legacy

Crowley's life was marred by controversy, largely due to his self-cultivated "wicked" image, his drug addiction (heroin and cocaine for the last 25 years of his life), and his often destructive relationships.

He was accused of being a charlatan and a fake, yet even critics like Somerset Maugham acknowledged his magnetic personality and that "many of his stories were true".

His relationships with women, particularly his "Scarlet Women," were often disastrous, with some becoming alcoholics, drug addicts, or suffering mental breakdowns, though some may have already been in difficult circumstances.

Despite arguments about whether Crowley was a Satanist or a Gnostic, his own admissions clearly indicate his alignment with Satan, viewing him as a "Miltonian Byronic hero" and rejecting Christianity.

This rejection stemmed partly from a difficult childhood, though his actions were seen as a deliberate exercise of his "true will".

Crowley is considered a "cornerstone" figure in the study of conspiracy and the occult. His influence is observed in the New Age movement and the spiritual underpinnings of the United Nations.

Proponents of the New World Order, such as H.G. Wells and Julian Huxley, have advocated for a "new religious system and symbology" that could unite all world religions, a concept seen as aligning with Crowley's "new aeon".

The belief in "Secret Chiefs" or "Hidden Masters" residing in Tibet, who authorise Crowley to establish a new epoch of consciousness, connects his work to groups like the Thule Society and historical expeditions to Tibet.

Crowley's ideas are also linked to concepts of eugenics and the forced evolution of humanity into "supermen and slaves".

H.G. Wells's The Time Machine and Frank Herbert's Dune series explore similar themes of human evolution into distinct classes.

The modern push for androgyny and non-binary identities is seen as stemming from Crowley's belief in the "perfect fusion of solar and lunar energies in one organism" as represented by the alchemical androgyne, symbolised by Baphomet.

This is a Gnostic, anti-creationist idea that seeks to dissociate consciousness from the body and mutilate biology.

The "incursion of extraterrestrial influences into the human life wave" through magically generated beings, leading to "mutants," aligns with concepts seen in popular culture like the X-Men. The idea of AI producing a "superior religious text" is also connected to this worldview.