Aleister Crowley (1875–1947)
Author of The Book of Thoth: A Short Essay on the Tarot of the Egyptians
About the Author
Aleister Crowley was born Edward Alexander Crowley in Leamington Spa, England on October 12, 1875. His parents belonged to the Plymouth Brethren, a strict fundamentalist Christian sect, so he was raised with a thorough knowledge of the Bible. He attended Trinity College at Cambridge University, but show more left before completing his degree. He became a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, an occult society which taught magic, qabalah, alchemy, tarot, and astrology, in 1898, but the group disbanded in 1900. In 1903, he married Rose Kelly, who began entering trance states and sending him messages from Horus, an Egyptian god. These messages formed the first three chapters of The Book of the Law, which introduced Crowley's main concept of Thelema. He founded his own occult society. He was a prolific writer, who published works on a wide variety of topics. His works include The Book of Thoth, The Vision and the Voice, 777 and Other Qabalistic Writings, The Book of Lies, Little Essays Toward Truth, and The Confessions of Aleister Crowley. He also wrote fiction including plays, novels, and poems. His fictional works include Moonchild, Diary of a Drug Fiend, The Stratagem and Other Stories, White Stains, Clouds without Water, and Hymn to Pan. Three of his compositions, The Quest, The Neophyte, and The Rose and the Cross were included in the 1917 collection The Oxford Book of English Mystical Verse. He died on December 1, 1947 at the age of 72. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Aleister Crowley
The Law Is For All: The Authorized Popular Commentary of Liber Al Vel Legis Sub Figura CCXX, the Book of the Law (1975) 328 copies
The Vision & the Voice With Commentary and Other Papers: The Collected Diaries of Aleister Crowley, 1909-1914 E.V.… (1998) 205 copies
Commentaries on the Holy Books and Other Papers: The Equinox (Equinox, Vol 4, No 1) (1996) 177 copies
The Works of Aleister Crowley: With Portraits (Collected Works of Aleister Crowley) (1974) 89 copies
The Works of Aleister Crowley: With Portraits (Collected Works of Aleister Crowley) VOLUME 2 (1974) 86 copies
The Works of Aleister Crowley: With Portraits (Collected Works of Aleister Crowley) Vol. Three (1853) 78 copies
The Three Magical Books of Solomon: The Greater and Lesser Keys & The Testament of Solomon (2017) 65 copies
The Writings of Aleister Crowley: The Book of Lies, The Book of the Law, Magick and Cocaine (2018) 24 copies
A Symbolic Representation of the Universe: Derived by Doctor John Dee Through the Scrying of Sir Edward Kelly (2001) 10 copies
The Writings of Aleister Crowley 2 (Annotated): White Stains, The Psychology of Hashish and The Blue Equinox (2019) 8 copies
The Aleister Crowley Collection (Annotated): The Book of the Law, The Book of Lies and Diary of a Drug Fiend (2014) 7 copies
Hasheesh: The Herb Dangerous; High Writings of Aleister Crowley and Other Celebrated Haschischins of the Early… (1974) 7 copies
Hymn to Pan 7 copies
Moon-Wane and Other Poems 7 copies
Rituale Corvorum : Containing the Common Ceremonial and Codified Conduct of Cultic Crowleyanity (2022) 5 copies
Heart of the Master 5 copies
The Equinox Volume III Numbers 3-4 5 copies
The High History of the Good Sir Palamedes and of His Following of the Questing Beast (1910) 4 copies
The Drug 4 copies
The Rites of Eleusis (Box Set) 4 copies
Confessions, in 2 Bdn., Bd.1 4 copies
The soldier and the hunchback: !and? 4 copies
The Holy books of the A.'.A.'. : including the vision & the voice; with cross-references and a critical apparatus (2021) 4 copies
Duty 4 copies
Liber NU : Sub Figura XI 3 copies
Liber Liberi vel Lapidis Lazuli 3 copies
Jack the Ripper 3 copies
Aleister Crowley Collection Vol. 2 - White Stains, The Soldier and the Hunchback! And? and Cocaine (Illustrated) (2014) 3 copies
Thelemic Magick Unexpurgated / Commented - Part 1 (Being The Oriflamme, Volume VI Number 5) (1987) 3 copies
O.T.O. System Outline 2 copies
The Invocation of Hoor — Author — 2 copies
John St. John 2 copies
Book 4: Part II 2 copies
Original Wax Recordings 2 copies
An O.T.O. Study Guide 2 copies
Black Magic (Purple Vinyl) 2 copies
The Rite of Sol 2 copies
The Spirit of Solitude 2 copies
The Writings of Aleister Crowley Volume 3 - Konx Om Pax, Essays on Intoxication, and Diary of a Drug Fiend (2021) 2 copies
Sir Palamedes 2 copies
The Rite of Mars 2 copies
The Greek Qabalah (photocopy) 2 copies
The Dangers of Mysticism + Liber HHH 2 copies
Oracles 2 copies
The Ship : A Mystery Play 2 copies
LIBER HAD Sub Figura DLV 2 copies
Leerboek voor Praktische Magie 2 copies
The Rite of Jupiter 2 copies
The Milkman Letters, A Correspondence between Aleister Crowley & Michael Phillip Rae 1945-1946 (1994) 2 copies
Liber Oz: The Book of Strength 2 copies
Liber HHH 2 copies
Across the Gulf 2 copies
Aleister Crowley Pamphlets 1 copy
The Opium Smoker 1 copy
Rites of public celebration 1 copy
Eleusinian Rites 1 copy
The A.'.A.'. 1 copy
Early Poetic Works 1 copy
- poems - 1 copy
Three Great Hoaxes of the War: Blessed Are Those Who Have Not Seen& Yet Have Believed. (1993) 1 copy
Knox Om Pax Essays in Light 1 copy
Liber CI 1 copy
The Yi Jing of Fu Xi, King Wen and the Duke of Zhou, Commented by Aleister Crowley, Paraphrased from the James Legge… — Author — 1 copy
Mr. Todd A Morality 1 copy
Liber LXX 1 copy
O livro de thoth 1 copy
Doctor Bob and The Tango 1 copy
Ali Sloper 1 copy
The Rite of Venus 1 copy
The Aleister Crowley Collection: 5-Book Paperback Boxed Set (Arcturus Classic Collections) (2023) 1 copy
Liber VII (Liberi Vel Lapidis Lazvli) and Liber IX (Liber e Vel Exercitiorum): Two Short Works by Aleister Crowley… (2016) 1 copy
Official Rituals and Instructions of Thelema (Technical Writings of Aleister Crowley in Class D) 1 copy
Thoth Tarot Gold Edition 1 copy
The book of the law (technically called Liber al vel legis sub figura CCXX as delivered by XCIII = 418 to DCLXVI): An… (1981) 1 copy
Tabulae Corvorum: Containing the Complete Curriculum and Cabalistic Compendia for Crowleyan Catechesis (Promulgationes… (2024) 1 copy
Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot Standard: Weltweit einheitliche Neuausgabe der Crowley Tarot-Karten 1 copy
The Rite of Luna 1 copy
Liber trigrammaton : sub figura XXVII, being the book of the trigrams of the Mutations of the Tao with the Yin and the… (1909) 1 copy
The Germer Letters 1 copy
The Great Drug Delusion 1 copy
The Evil Beast 1 copy
Dédicace 1 copy
Slugs on Strawberries 1 copy
The Golden Dawn, 1 copy
The Artistic Temperament 1 copy
Blasphemy 1 copy
The Progradior's Progress 1 copy
Simon Iff Abroad — Author — 1 copy
Aleister Crowley Collection: Clouds Without Water, Crowley On Christ, Why Jesus Wept (Volume 3) (2014) 1 copy
Poems from the Equinox 1 copy
Liber Samekh And Liber DCCC 1 copy
The Nature of The Beast 1 copy
England, Stand Fast! 1 copy
Enochian Keys 1 copy
Simon Iff: The Big Game 1 copy
The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King: Lemegeton - Clavicula Salomonis Regis: Luciferian Edition (2014) 1 copy
Liber AL vel Legis with Commentary by the Master Therion: The Book of the Law with Aleister Crowley’s Old (1912),… (2020) 1 copy
Dreams 1 copy
Liber III vel Jugorum 1 copy
Leben und Werk des TIERES 1 copy
Liber CL DE LEGE LIBELLUM 1 copy
Crowley on drugs : essays, diaries & poetry concerning drugs, making, mysticism & consciousness (2001) 1 copy
How to Make Your Own McOTO 1 copy
Liber X - Liber Porta Lucis 1 copy
CCXXVIII 1 copy
Associated Works
The Weiser Book of Horror and the Occult: Hidden Magic, Occult Truths, and the Stories That Started It All (2014) — Contributor — 37 copies
Amor Divina — Author — 9 copies
American Aphrodite: A Quarterly for the Fancy-Free (Volume 1, Number 1) (1951) — Contributor — 3 copies
American Aphrodite: a Quarterly For The Fancy-Free (Volume 4, Number 14) (1954) — Contributor — 2 copies
The Uncertain Element: An Anthology of Fantastic Conceptions — Contributor — 1 copy
The Reviewer, Volume III, Numbers 1-12 (April 1922-July 1923) — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Crowley, Edward Alexander
- Other names
- The Master Therion
Perdurabo
Baphomet
The Great Beast
To Mega Therion, Τὸ Μεγα Θηρίον
Carr, H. D. (show all 17)
Quiller Jr., A.
Innocent, Lemuel S.
Crowley, Robinson C.
A.C.
O.H.
St.John, John
F.
A Mourner Clad in Green
Khan, Khaled
Shivaji, Mahatma Guru Sri Paramahamsa
Haddo, Oliver - Birthdate
- 1875-10-12
- Date of death
- 1947-12-01
- Burial location
- Hampton, New Jersey, USA (cremated, ashes scattered)
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- UK
- Country (for map)
- England, UK
- Birthplace
- Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, UK
- Place of death
- Hastings, East Sussex, UK
- Places of residence
- London, England, UK
New York, New York, USA
Cefalu, Italy
Paris, France
Netherwood, Hastings, England, UK
Boleskine, Foyors, Scotland, UK (show all 7)
Leamington, Warwickshire, England, UK - Education
- University of Cambridge (Trinity, English Literature)
Ebor School, Cambridge - Occupations
- poet
artist
writer
journalist
author
mountain climber (show all 9)
occultist
editor (of the International)
Great Beast - Relationships
- Summers, Montague (friend)
Gardner, Gerald B. (friend)
Marlow, Louis (friend)
Hamilton, Gerald (flatmate)
Neuburg, Victor B. (friend) - Organizations
- Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Ordo Templi Orientis
A∴A∴
Plymouth Brethren - Awards and honors
- 33rd Degree, Scottish Rite (irregular)
11th Degree, Ordo Templi Orientis
10=1, AA
Outer Head of the Order of the Ordo Templi Orientis (1924-1947)
Magus of the AA whose word is Thelema
Prophet of the Law (show all 7)
Grand Elect Mysophilote - Short biography
- Born Alexander Edward Crowley
Members
Reviews
Lists
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 428
- Also by
- 29
- Members
- 17,314
- Popularity
- #1,279
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 106
- ISBNs
- 720
- Languages
- 20
- Favorited
- 66
But yeah, “Lies” is like spiritual psychology—spiritual philosophy…. This is more like special interfaith, (I was a cool Christian who read “interfaith” books when I was just trying to drain the shit out of the Christian house so that I could live there, and now, with some strange conservatism, I call the books that I relate to the most as “interfaith”, as some kind of “I am the universe” objectivity, although I’ve reformed it by dividing interfaith into two groups, general and special), occultist religion. A lot of Aleister’s stuff is more philosophical than religious, and he’s never really one for authority, and this is much more philosophical than Wicca, for example…. But it does seem like this is a sort of religion. (He also called it a religion, but I always have to decide things for myself, lol.) It is a very abstract religion, with more the philosophy/theology thing, without too much mythology, except as a metaphor or illustration, not as a story, right—but if authority is maybe not quite the right word, it is certainly a case of revelation, and perhaps if he’s not “revealing” that you have to follow his way, that’s it, (the way that Paul did when he was in jail, lol), he is I suppose “revealing” his own authority over his own life, and how you can do likewise, if that makes sense…. Unlike say, “Magick in Theory and Practice”, which sounds kinda, conversational, almost…. Although that’s not why I stopped reading temporarily; it was more—I mean, in the long run, there’s no separation, just like there’s no separation between indigenous mythology and paleface mythology and science, in the end; there’s no separation, in the end, between philosophy and magick, spiritual philosophy, and ritual…. But having read kinda a lot of the Wayne Dyer/Carlos Castaneda type, over the years, since even before the goosecap years with the first of those two, I was worried that my ship wasn’t quite balanced, so to speak….
(shrugs) But yeah: that’s all just to multiply words—in the end, just, ~Yes, it’s not “How To Live A Normal Life: The Liturgical Church and the Christian Walk Today”, you know.
Because, just…. No, right. Just, no. Yes to LIFE, no to…. All that, basically.
…. Little Child Horus want you be his friend.
We have to help the children, you know. We have to start telling them the right way to go. The children live inside us; we should help them….
…. It is a very high magic: and it is delight.
(shrugs) And you know: sometimes stylistically I don’t know about it; ‘magick’ with a ‘k’ lol; and I shall appreciate it better when I brush up on the Egyptian myths and on numerology: Aleister’s friend could have saved me some time and written like a little poem about each special number, right….
But it is quite beautiful poetry. Some of the poets in the ‘standard canon’ are alright, including some of the ‘best’, but just BBC announcer voice/factory school homework can make short work of it, you know…. A lot of the Bible is poetry, too; “if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you”, Jesus, (I won’t give the next line, lol: too perfect~~~) isn’t a line from the Bible, but maybe it should be, right…. Resentment can make quick work of a Christian of any description, until even the honest critic is left wondering what else was behind it all…. Was there a good god before there was a bad one?
But yeah: this book is pretty much exactly what poetry should be, you know. Maybe it’s ~poetry~ that’s ’high magic’s aid’, you know. Angels know that those old poets were wizards, not cunning-men from the villages, right?….
But yeah, the greatest thing is not to see division: not between all the this and all the that: and not even between, ~the people who saw no division first and those who saw it second, or between those of the first way and those of the second…. Between the Wizard and the Fool, basically.
…. It is true that there is much danger in the “pit called Because”. Mentation, philosophy, can be very debilitating—very disempowering. “And then the philosopher sat down to discover whether he existed, and whether anything at all existed.” Even Epictetus the philosopher cautioned people about that sort of philosophy, you know.
And then the journalists sit and come to tell why the bad things fly like bats unhindered over the face of the whole earth, and why the good things only are illusory, and why ten years ago or whenever, there were good things, but they have flown to fairy-land which does not exist…. And if you try, almost to reason with them, or to show them the flower of the Goddess, they close their eyes and shout loudly: ‘Because Because Because!!!’
Such is their own path, but it is not well to be like them….
And it is true that to esteem death and suffering is simply to do poorly, you know: and most of what is called compassion is merely to esteem suffering, and to value its cultivation. Sometimes the true strength, the true help, is to give your friend a sudden shake, to help dispense with the cultivation of suffering, you know—and not the voluminous words of a Dickens, praised by his contemporaries for showing people the way of pity, you know…. Poetry is stylized rather than technical, but I think a lot of pity is almost to praise someone for suffering, because you think their suffering brings out something good in you—namely suffering, you know….
But yeah, another point: Buddhists and Christian contemplatives, Thomas Keating the monk and all those people, say that the greatest thing is silence, and value it over the divine words that float up from silence. I value the practice of silence less than I once did, but it is easy to overestimate the difference between words and silence, really. For before there can be divine words, there must be silence. And well have they said, that you cannot force the deep silence or the divine words, you can only experience what comes up for you: what the gods within present to you, as a gift.
Perhaps they have neglected to say that sometimes at least you ought to be indeed enjoying what comes up, however.
…. Yup, the introduction said that the third chapter wasn’t going to make sense: and it didn’t. Bible promise made by the prophets in the Old Testament, Bible promise fulfilled by JESUS in the New Testament. 👌
lol.
Aside from the whole aspect of you know: (softly) if you try to convert me one more time, I’m gonna tell you what I think of you, boy, (raises voice) And, I’m Going To Tell You What I Think Of Your Mother!
👹😮💨
Although, yeah: words like “war” can mean a lot of things, right. There’s a “war on drugs”. My Trump-y father talked to me about a Christian movie called “War Room” once, you know. But supposedly, we as a society do not gun down unbelievers or irresponsible teenagers, right. That’s for people you like. Malcolm X talked about “self-defense”, but he never actually gave any orders for gunning down whitey, right. He was such a violent epithet, though. Whereas if, I don’t know, Guns and Glory 7 comes out, then Henry Standardissue isn’t REALLY talking about gunning people down right…. Or at least, he wouldn’t be if it were: Guns and Glory 7: Guns of the Confederacy, right…. Or at least, if there were a big NASCAR character who listens to country music and MAYBE, Talks About owning a Confederate flag, right: talk about how he feels emasculated by the civil rights movement, how he’s oppressed now by the….
And, you know: that’s not to promise Aleister anything. I’m not a Thelemite really, and maybe if I read a book about the Mysterious Chapter, it would seem like a dud, right.
But yeah: there’s a passage of the Bible, I forget which one exactly, where Jesus promises the Little Englanders that the sword will never depart from the witches and the trolls and the opponents of the British Empire, and the Jesus Christ Mission of Democracy & Progress, right…. Until Mr. Green can rest and be serene, roses in every room!
And Richard Dawkins would be all, Fuck the witches and the trolls, sure: fuck everybody: fuck the LOSERS, bro: until the Ghost of Chemists Future and the Spirit of “Pride and Prejudice” unite to bring smugness to all the English people, and all the children—except for the ones that I don’t fucking like because they’re losers, right. Bro, I’m telling you: non-atheists are LOSERS, bro! They’re weird! “But at least some of them aren’t going to HELL, in the Circle of the non-British non-humbug non-collaborators with the Little England Project for Decency and Empire!”
And yet, I would never imply that those people don’t view me with the utmost respect and that they don’t carefully guard my rights from any “marginal” types in society that would dissent from our broad societal consensus of kindness, respect, and mutually acknowledged self-worth, right.
Hmm. Well, okay.
Revision: And yet, in public, I would never imply that….… (more)