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Aleister Crowley

Was the magical name of the great magus born in 1875 as Edward Alexander Crowley. His father, a rich brewer, was also a Plymouth Brother, a strange and mysterious sect not unlike the Masons,and his son Aleister grew up to be a complete non-conformist and something of a profligate rebel as well as one of magic's most advanced thinking figures. Though many of his philosophies are highly dubious in terms of moral integrity - he was not above a certain sadistic tone in many ceremonies - he believed the way to get to "the light" was through the shadow lands of personality. He certainly explored them well. A diabolist rather than what we would term a witch, he based much of his thinking on the Egyptian model of magic. He wrote copious amounts of visionary poetry with little literary success, but his volumes on magic caused a sensation and outraged English society. He began his lifelong exploration of magic (Which he called "magick") when he was 30, and he known for his brilliant wit as well as his biting cynicism.Though he was feared, he was also admired by many literary and artistic luminaries of the day - Somerset Mougham based his novel The Magician on his exploits. He was a poet, writer, mountaineer, master chess player, distinguished lecher, master magician and, ultimately, a drug addict. Revelling in being notorious, he went as far as to claim that he was the Beast from the bible's book of Revelations. Crowley developed the great advance in Tarot with his Crowley-Thoth deck, a highly charged and highly sexual Tarot based strongly upon his specialty, Egyptology. Though not a joiner by nature, he did briefly belong to the Golden Dawn, a group of theosophists who were involved in Kabbalistic magic, based on traditional Hebrew forms of magic. (W.B. Yeats, the esteemed Irish poet, was also a member.) The membership of Crowley in the sect created incredible turmoil in the group as he was nothing if not a provocateur. The Golden Dawn claimed the path to spiritual ascent, and Crowley mocked them all, including the powerful Eliphas Levi and Waite, who developed the Rider Waite Tarot deck. Rigorously dissolute, he formed societies of lost souls willing to worship him and his will in sometimes ridiculous ceremonies; his semi-permanent sects eventually went to Italy to escape the discrimination that he inevitably attracted. In "pagan" Italy (at least according to E.M. Foster) Crowley attracted more atention than even he wanted and was ultimately deported from that country after rumours of human sacrifice on his island community reached the ears of the authorities. In his twilight years back in England he became a herion junkie, his habit costing him more than he had and he spent the last years of his life living off those who were still susceptible to the considerable Crowley charisma. He died a dissolute - though still amazing - old man at the age of 68. Though he was undoubtedly bordering on the insane and his motives were almost always egocentric, he had a tremendous ability to assert his will, and he must be remembered as the man who restored the Tarot to its rightful place in magic, and who contributed more to the ancient art than any other magician since the middle ages. For more information about the man known as "The Beast", read his The Confessions Of Aleister Crowley, published in 1971.



http://www.angelfire.com/goth/paganslounge01ccg/peo.html


does anyone here study anything about aleister crowley... does this sound about right? is there anything missing? changed? etc

Alot of Crowleys legacy is very much misconstrude. He may have been deeply into the esoterics, but he was far from being "magus." The mixing of the arts he so calmly practiced, gave him his own enlightenment in the ways of arcane sciences.

I personally think Crowley was a joke to begin with, the only reason why he was in the so called brotherhood of his, was the fact that the Masons rejected him. He was quite evil in the eyes of many many individuals. His views were offered at a cost of what many claim to have been his "immortal soul" as was given to the so called "satan" of his day.

Even though I did not respect him or his "teachings" as invalid has they may have been, the masses seemed to be manipulated into thinking he was going somewhere with his ideas. But, then again...Who the bloody hell am I to judge based on one individuals experiances in something they wanted so badly that they took part in it by any means nessessary just to get a point across.

Eh, all things these days are misconstrude in one form or another. Just depends on who the teacher or narrator is.

Crowley spawned Gardner, who spawned alexander, who spawned the major wiccan revolution and all of the inspiration to the filth which has become the standard in society.

Crowley had his down falls, but he has changed the world with his views, even if they were corrupted and fragmented, like only an armchair sorcerer can deliver.

His book of 4 was one that made me think. As he stated in his Book 4, what did Moses and God also say as Moses was writing the ten commandments. What all did their conversation detail? When Jesus was ressurected what did God& Jesus talk about before he come back to Earth? He was a man that had a coke habit. Yet his tarot deck involves so many enriched symbols. The I have such a hard time reading his deck for the smybols are so much more different then the other decks. He had also added another magi in his deck. His first produced deck was a black deck that is very rare and very expensive if one can find it. To me he was a man with a created mind. One that could go into the white and dark magic.

He was something of a self promoter but I feel the 'most evil man in the world' is overkill.
We can probably name several politicos far worse nowadays

He has influenced many contempary occult lumminaries. Truly a visionary

He was good enough for Zepplin. That makes him ok in my book! lol Seriously, not that he was the first to delve into the dark realm of magic and the occult, but he was definitely the one who brought it to the forefront.

He was cruel and evil he torchered ppl and also
summoned the devil

well I feel he is overrated LOl yet he was very egotistical and evil as a person. Could not hang with the real so did his own thing..

he was a great researcher but like many, he left out some work that is found in couple other books. use together then things work well. seems like holly bible,, when things get translated to English. important words are lost.

There is alot of Ppl who is evil and summons whatever..I dont know much about Crowley but knows of a few who follows His ways..To me LaVey was The Best and Yes I know both Sides of His story as well

these are some of the most awesome answers on VR... thank you all for posting

he was a major idol to a lot of people and still is.... even Ozzy sang about him

i don't personally think he is the most evil or even one of the top evil.... strange, convincing but not evil

Even though his life was surrounded by controversy, I find his writings inspiring. I really enjoyed the Book of the Law. In my research, Crowley based a great deal of his teachings on secretive Kemetic societies, which is why I continue to study the path.

From a personal standpoint, I believe that his works show him ultimately to be nothing more than a comedian of sorts. His views do have some valid points, I will admit, but everything has its downfall, and ultimately, his views were still highly flawed.

As for his self-proclamation of being the "Worlds Wickedest Man", spare me, please. A box of kittens is more threatening.

http://cantontruth.blogspot.com/2008/01/is-occultist-aleister-crowley-george.html

This is a interesting page to read.

He had some interesting theories, which I do agree with some.While some may not agree with him, it it wise to at least read some of his works and pratices. To enrich one's mind and increase one's knowledge base is always helpful in the future.
It is really easy for us to sit here and scoff at him ,but to read... I mean really read his theories and practice some is a whole different way of thinking all together.
Your information on him is quite nice, and you asked if there is anything you left out.

That would take me a lot more space than most folks would care to read.
It is difficult to summerize a man's whole life's work in a few paragraphs.I would suggest if anyone want's to know more,simply look on the internet.

When I read HP & the Deathly Hallows I imagined Xenophilus Lovegood as Aleister

his works were a basis of a stepping stone for todays occultist and he was self proclamed the beast the most evil man lol i think with anyone trying ot get their works and their lectures known you sometimes have to do something crazy to get noticed,i enjoy his enochian calling that he made i have seen some rare footage and indeed he is quite an interesting individual and was enlightened more thn most were in his time.
he also had done some extensive research on egypt and i believe even got married over there too.
most will state their opinions about him but one thing is for sure and that is you can't change the facts.

Aleister Crowley, rymes with holy, was a product of the late Victorian era. His vision has become flawed over the last 104 years since he wrote the "Book of the Law" essentially because it was based in an era long gone. Apart from his personality, he was a visionary and created a legacy which survives into the present day in the body of the Ordo Templi Orientis and the Gnostic Catholic Church. In a way he created a "religion" of Thelema, which evolved from the "Book of the Law" and the famous "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law, love is the Law, Love under will", both misunderstood and often mis quoted by those not familiar with its meaning. He did however fortell of the "Age of Horus", which can be seen all around us today with the rise of Witchcraft and Paganism into the culture.

I didn't do a massive search about Mr. Crowley. It seems he was just a man with views he wanted to share or manipulate people to do his wishes. I suppose I could look at it as his choice of practicing his religion, Magic! He seemed to be a womanizer, who was also addicted to heroin. He was sued, had to file bankruptcy, his life sounds, like it was long and troubled. However, I don't know much just what I looked up.

WEll, Maugham`s book doesn`t seem to me very admirative about the main charachter, if you`d ask me.

Also we can debate about his limited knowledge in sanscrit and hebrew studies.
Some of the corespondences of liber 777 shows that.
On the other hand noone could argue that he has a strange magnetism and a remarcable personaliy and a very good training in the field of Magic.

A.A. was a very interesting society and OTO too.
The interesting fact is that he is the first who combined many many religions and worked with many gods from different pantheons.
He definitely was not the first to do this but was the single of the Great Modern Mages who put the bases of a cult that still resists today:
Thelema.

I just wonder what he discovered in the African desert...

For me he remains not just a jokes and a trickster, but a fascinating personality and a Dreamer.

Mr. Crowley was indeed about Aleister Crowley


these are some very well, detailed and researched answers... I feel like i am at McDonals because I am loving it

well to me both men were alittle genius / cray borderline to say the least.. yet my question would be which of the 2 would you consider more evil or more ingenuis.

their works speak for themselves yet, I myself do not care for either man.. just a person view is all.

I don't feel that Crowley was evil nor was Lovecraft or levay but only teachers of what was from the past. They did the research that was lost and rebuilt it for today.

Aleister Crowley............

I remember the story of Baleskin House in Scotland.

He summoned over 100 demons to do his bidding and teach him things of the arcane.

Also, a housekeeper stumbled upon one of his rituals and 'mysteriously' disappeared.

He wrote an incantation on a butcher's bill. Recited it and that same week the butcher accidently severed his arm off and bled to death.

His 3rd or 2nd wife went crazy staying in that house and tried to commit suicide because the demons tormented her wherever she went and was later taken to a mental asylum for evalution and residence until she died or either commited suicide. But cause of death was unknown.

He had an orgy of over 250 virgin blond and red headed girls who just turned 16. All to him self and his advisors.

128 of those girls got pregnant by them. Only 18 of them successfully gave birth or didn't miscarry.

All of those things happened there.

But Aleister studied the works of Nicodemus. A man before his time.

Nicodemus supposedly owned a brothel of succubi, incubi, and vampiri (vampires).

Owned 42 schools for the mastery and trade of the satanic occultic.

Had over 400 wives and over 1,000 supposed children.
Who most of which were inducted into his schools.

Later on 14 of his sons and daughters. Created 14 lineages of occultic houses of PURE occultic blood. If you weren't born into one of the 14 houses. You weren't inducted. And if you were female you were either sacrificed or a concubine for your own families use.

Anton Levay Studied both Aleister and Nicodemus. Thus getting the hard headedness and propagandal charms of his mentors. And creating an army of followers including Marilyn Manson (hate marilyn sorry).

Levay waited until he had about 500 members before creating The Church of Satan.

Which is now in the care Blanch (can't remember her last name) and David (arsehole) Cherubim.

Cherubim turned the ethics of the Golden Dawn into a means of control over fear, but disbanning Levay's rules and principles. Calling them obsolete because the devil and god don't exist.

Could you tell us more about Nicodemus?

Also the cause of death of jim Morrison was unknown... and many others...
;)

But there is a good question in Ozzy`s song...
Did he really talk to the dead?

Any arguments to sustain this?
:D

a devil worshiper, some would say..

Well I hardly doubt he was the beast described in Revelations. That beast is supposedly going to spark the end of the world. I will read as much on him as I can find.

cool, keep us posted to what you find out..

Crowley was a Very wealthy man, he was a one of the original jet set.. so of course his cling on crowd (some academics) would cater to his spiel.. he was paying the tab, how many people do you think he "amused himself with" (grant it some may have deserved it) but it is well known that if one was perceived to have crossed him, it was enough for him to create crisis for them. Diary of a Drug Fiend shows us his Alter Ego.. personally I find the imagination and actual life of Jerzy Kosinski to be far more interesting.

that sounds about right i can not think of anything else to add if i do i will post it

i have never heard of this man before, but from what I have read, he sounds like a true visionary.

- Aleister Crowley had an orgy of over 250 virgin blond and red headed girls who just turned 16.

That sounds like a lot of fun "250" fuck yeah. Of course these days he would have been in prison messing with the 16 yr olds.

- Nicodemus supposedly owned a brothel of succubi, incubi, and vampiri (vampires).

Watch out everyone, if I had that power someone is getting hurt.

- Owned 42 schools for the mastery and trade of the satanic occultic.

Oh the weak little minds that need learning.

- Had over 400 wives and over 1,000 supposed children.
Who most of which were inducted into his schools.

Holy shit, a lot of child support these days.

- Which is now in the care Blanch (can't remember her last name) and David (arsehole) Cherubim.

That would be Blanche Barton and I have heard that Marilyn Manson might be taking over.

i think aleister crowley was alot more open minded than most people are now in our times,he might have been ahead in hos own time with most of the experiences he did in his youth.
he was definately a great author.

He might have changed some things..and that in itself is an accomplishment,good or bad..but to be honest,the man has never impressed me.He let things in his path corrupt and distract him,he was a failure in my eyes frankly.

I was never a really big fan of Crowley. Although when i first started my path I read alot of books regarding him and alot of his own books. But great post anyways
HHW as always.

when i first started in magick it was aleister crowley-hos works and vast thoughts which opened my eyes then,later it became mr. anton szandor lavey and his works which helped me to advance and to see things the way they really are.

Dr. Anton Szandor LaVey had much to say that was very good. I respect that man.

i think this one has served its purpose for now, if an admin chooses to re open it, fine by me. ......