A is for Aleister Crowley
An English occultist, ceremonial magician and author, who was responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema.
As a young man he became a member of the esoteric Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. He would go on to found his own occult society, the A∴A∴ and eventually rose to become a leader of Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), before founding a religious commune in Cefalù known as the Abbey of Thelema, which he led from 1920 until 1923. After abandoning the Abbey, Crowley returned to Britain, where he continued to promote Thelema until his death.
Crowley was also bisexual, a recreational drug experimenter and a social critic. His writings on sex magic paved the way for many magicians of the art after him. Crowley wrote extensively on the topic of sex magick. Some of these works were published and made available to the general public, others were secret and could only be obtained by initiates of Ordo Templi Orientis.
Despite being denounced in the popular press of the day as "the wickedest man in the world," Crowley has remained an influential figure and is widely thought of as the most influential occultist of all time.
Timeline of Crowley's Metaphysical Experiences and Activities
Articles taken from Encyclopedia Thelema
1896 - December 31: First mystical experience on a visit to Stockholm. He writes: I was awakened to the knowledge that I possessed a magical means of becoming conscious of and satisfying a part of my nature which had up to that moment concealed itself from me. It was an experience of horror and pain, combined with a certain ghostly terror, yet at the same time it was the key to the purest and holiest spiritual ecstasy that exists. At the time, I was not aware of the supreme importance of the matter. It seemed to me little more than a development of certain magical processes with which I was already familiar, it was an isolated experience, not repeated until exactly twelve months later, to the minute.
1897 - Begins reading alchemical and mystical works and books on magic.
1898 - is introduced to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. November 18: Pays 10 Shillings to be initiated into the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
1900 - Obtained 33* (33rd and last degree of Scottish Rite Freemasonry) in Mexico City.
1903 - June 11: After having moved his bed into the Temple constructed for the Abramelin Operation he was "afflicted by dreams and visions of the most appalling Abramelin devils...."
1904 - March 16: Performs the Preliminary Invocation of The Goetia in a futile attempt to amuse Rose with the sylphs. She could not see them. Instead, Rose, in a strange state of mind, began repeating, "They are waiting for you." March 20: Invocation of Horus with "startling" success. He was told that, "The Equinox of the Gods had come" and that he was to formulate a link between the solar-spiritual force of the new epoch and mankind.
1907 - Records being able to do automatic writing at will
1910 - May 9: Evocation of Bartzabel
1912 - June: Is Communicated the techniques of sex magick and the Royal Art of the 9* O.T.O.
1914 - the more specific diary of sex magical workings is started this year, entitled "Rex de Arte Regia." This record was kept until 1918.
1939 - January 2nd - has lunch with Lady Frieda Harris, the artist of his Thoth Tarot deck. January 5th recorded a late night sex magick operation
1941 - December 14: Writes a letter to Lady Frieda Harris from 14 Lassell Gardens, Maidenhead. AC is describing tarot card attributions to her- in particular the Prince cards which she was currently working on. He also discusses the Yi King and its magickal forces stating, ""It is at least not impossible that there should be intelligences greater and subtler than our minds (these should control blind forces as our minds do our muscles) ... The best prospect of human progress is to discover, and communicate with, these intelligences...it is the particular task of the magician to accomplish this."
1942 - July 2: Writes a letter to Lady Frieda Harris while she was undertaking a Great Magical Retirement and he was unhappy with recent behavior. He writes, "When you formulate an aspiration to the G[reat] W[ork] you are placed under observation; and, if chosen as a likely candidate, come automatically under discipline. Rule No 1 is that any person, thing, or idea that you allow to come before the G.: W.: is removed without anaesthetics ...... Now the whole conception of "sacrifice" is foreign to the system of Thelema. ..."
1947 - May 1: Meets Gerald Gardner for the first time
December 1: Crowley dies in Hastings at 11.00am of myocardial degeneration and chronic bronchitis.
December 5: Funeral service and cremation - The Brighton Council afterwards delivered a protest in regards to the contents of the Last Ritual: “We shall take all necessary steps to prevent such an incident occurring again”.
His Literary Work
The following list encompasses both Libri and other works, including those compiled or edited after Crowley's death by others.
777 and Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley : Including Gematria & Sepher Sephiroth. (1982).
Aha! : Being Liber CCXLII. (1996).
Aleister Crowley and the Practice of the Magical Diary. (2006).
Amrita : Essays in Magical Rejuvenation. (1990).
"The Blue Equinox" (Equinox III:1). (1992).
The Book of the Law (Technically called Liber AL vel Legis sub figura CCXX as delivered by XCIII = 418 to DCLXVI). (1997).
The Book of Lies, which is also falsely called Breaks. (1981).
The Book of Thoth : A Short Essay on the Tarot of the Egyptians (Equinox III:5). (1981).
Clouds without Water. (1909).
Collected Works of Aleister Crowley 1905-1907. (1974).
Commentaries on the Holy Books and Other Papers (Equinox IV:1). (1996).
The Confessions of Aleister Crowley : An Autohagiography. (1979).
Crowley on Christ. (1974).
Diary of a Drug Fiend. (1970).
Eight Lectures on Yoga (Equinox III:4). (1985).
Enochian World of Aleister Crowley : Enochian Sex Magick. (1991).
The Equinox (I:1-10). (2006).
The Equinox (III:10). (2001).
The Equinox of the Gods (Equinox III:3). (1992).
Gems from the Equinox. (1982).
The General Principles of Astrology (Liber DXXXVI). (2002).
The Goetia : The Lesser Key of Solomon the King. (1995).
The Heart of the Master. (1973).
The Holy Books of Thelema (Equinox III:9). (1983).
Khing Kang King : The Classic of Purity, Being Liber XXI. (1980).
Konx Om Pax : Essays in Light. (1990).
The Law is for All : The Authorized Popular Commentary of Liber AL vel Legis sub figura CCXX, The Book of the Law. (1996).
Liber Aleph vel CXI : The Book of Wisdom or Folly (Equinox III:6). (1991).
Little Essays Toward Truth. (1991).
The Magical Diaries of Aleister Crowley : Tunisia 1923. (1996).
The Magical Record of the Beast 666: The Diaries of Aleister Crowley, 1914-1920. (1972).
Magick : Liber ABA, Book Four, Parts I-IV. (1997).
Magick Without Tears. (1982).
Moonchild. (1972).
The Qabalah of Aleister Crowley : Three Texts. (1973).
The Revival of Magick and Other Essays. (1998).
Rites of Eleusis: As Performed at Caxton Hall. (1990).
The Scrutinies of Simon Iff. (1987).
Shih Yi: A critical and mnemonic paraphrase of the Yi King by Ko Yuen (Equinox III:8). (1971).
The Stratagem and other Stories. (1929)
Tannhäuser : A Story of All Time. (1974).
The Tao Teh King : A New Translation (Equinox III:8). (1976).
The Vision & the Voice : With Commentary and Other Papers (Equinox IV:II). (1998).
The World’s Tragedy. (1985).
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