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[[File:Aleister Crowley.jpg|350px|thumb|Aleister Crowley]] | [[File:Aleister Crowley.jpg|350px|thumb|Aleister Crowley]] | ||
'''Aleister Crowley''', born '''Edward Alexander Crowley''' (12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English [[occultist]], [[magician]], poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of [[Thelema]], identifying himself as the [[prophet]] entrusted with guiding humanity into the Æon of Horus in the early 20th century. | '''Aleister Crowley''', born '''Edward Alexander Crowley''' (12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English [[occultist]], [[magician]], poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of [[Thelema]], identifying himself as the [[prophet]] entrusted with guiding humanity into the Æon of [[Horus]] in the early 20th century. | ||
A prolific writer, he published widely over the course of his life. | A prolific writer, he published widely over the course of his life. | ||
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===The Golden Dawn: 1898–99=== | ===The Golden Dawn: 1898–99=== | ||
[[File:Aleister Crowley-Golden Dawn.jpg|300px|thumb|Aleister Crowley in Golden Dawn attire]] | [[File:Aleister Crowley-Golden Dawn.jpg|300px|thumb|Aleister Crowley in Golden Dawn attire]] | ||
In August 1898, Crowley was in Zermatt, Switzerland, where he met the chemist Julian L. Baker, and the two began discussing their common interest in [[alchemy]]. Back in London, Baker introduced Crowley to George Cecil Jones, Baker's brother-in-law and a fellow member of the occult society known as the [[Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn]], which had been founded in 1888. Crowley was initiated into the Outer Order of the Golden Dawn on 18 November 1898 by the group's leader, [[Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers]]. The ceremony took place in the Golden Dawn's Isis-Urania Temple held at London's Mark Masons Hall, where Crowley took the magical motto and name ''Frater Perdurabo'', which he interpreted as "I shall endure to the end". | In August 1898, Crowley was in Zermatt, Switzerland, where he met the chemist Julian L. Baker, and the two began discussing their common interest in [[alchemy]]. Back in London, Baker introduced Crowley to George Cecil Jones, Baker's brother-in-law and a fellow member of the occult society known as the [[Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn]], which had been founded in 1888. Crowley was initiated into the Outer Order of the Golden Dawn on 18 November 1898 by the group's leader, [[Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers]]. The ceremony took place in the Golden Dawn's [[Isis]]-Urania Temple held at London's Mark Masons Hall, where Crowley took the magical motto and name ''Frater Perdurabo'', which he interpreted as "I shall endure to the end". | ||
Crowley moved into his own luxury flat at 67–69 Chancery Lane and soon invited a senior Golden Dawn member, Allan Bennett, to live with him as his personal magical tutor. Bennett taught Crowley more about [[ritual magic|ceremonial magic]] and the ritual use of drugs, and together they performed the rituals of the ''[[Ars Goetia]]'', until Bennett left for South Asia to study Buddhism. In November 1899, Crowley purchased [[Boleskine House]] in Foyers on the shore of Loch Ness in Scotland. He developed a love of Scottish culture, describing himself as the "Laird of Boleskine", and took to wearing traditional highland dress, even during visits to London. He continued writing poetry, publishing ''Jezebel and Other Tragic Poems'', ''Tales of Archais'', ''Songs of the Spirit'', ''Appeal to the American Republic'', and ''Jephthah'' in 1898–99; most gained mixed reviews from literary critics, although ''Jephthah'' was considered a particular critical success. | Crowley moved into his own luxury flat at 67–69 Chancery Lane and soon invited a senior Golden Dawn member, Allan Bennett, to live with him as his personal magical tutor. Bennett taught Crowley more about [[ritual magic|ceremonial magic]] and the ritual use of drugs, and together they performed the rituals of the ''[[Ars Goetia]]'', until Bennett left for South Asia to study Buddhism. In November 1899, Crowley purchased [[Boleskine House]] in Foyers on the shore of Loch Ness in Scotland. He developed a love of Scottish culture, describing himself as the "Laird of Boleskine", and took to wearing traditional highland dress, even during visits to London. He continued writing poetry, publishing ''Jezebel and Other Tragic Poems'', ''Tales of Archais'', ''Songs of the Spirit'', ''Appeal to the American Republic'', and ''Jephthah'' in 1898–99; most gained mixed reviews from literary critics, although ''Jephthah'' was considered a particular critical success. | ||
Crowley soon progressed through the lower grades of the Golden Dawn, and was ready to enter the group's inner Second Order. He was unpopular in the group; his bisexuality and libertine lifestyle had gained him a bad reputation, and he had developed feuds with some of the members, including W. B. Yeats. When the Golden Dawn's London lodge refused to initiate Crowley into the Second Order, he visited Mathers in Paris, who personally admitted him into the Adeptus Minor Grade. A schism had developed between Mathers and the London members of the Golden Dawn, who were unhappy with his autocratic rule. Acting under Mathers' orders, Crowley—with the help of his mistress and fellow initiate Elaine Simpson—attempted to seize the Vault of the Adepts, a temple space at 36 Blythe Road in West Kensington, from the London lodge members. When the case was taken to court, the judge ruled in favour of the London lodge, as they had paid for the space's rent, leaving both Crowley and Mathers isolated from the group. | Crowley soon progressed through the lower grades of the Golden Dawn, and was ready to enter the group's inner Second Order. He was unpopular in the group; his bisexuality and libertine lifestyle had gained him a bad reputation, and he had developed feuds with some of the members, including [[W.B. Yeats]]. When the Golden Dawn's London lodge refused to initiate Crowley into the Second Order, he visited Mathers in Paris, who personally admitted him into the Adeptus Minor Grade. A schism had developed between Mathers and the London members of the Golden Dawn, who were unhappy with his autocratic rule. Acting under Mathers' orders, Crowley—with the help of his mistress and fellow initiate Elaine Simpson—attempted to seize the Vault of the Adepts, a temple space at 36 Blythe Road in West Kensington, from the London lodge members. When the case was taken to court, the judge ruled in favour of the London lodge, as they had paid for the space's rent, leaving both Crowley and Mathers isolated from the group. | ||
===Mexico, India, Paris, and marriage: 1900–1903=== | ===Mexico, India, Paris, and marriage: 1900–1903=== | ||
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===Egypt and ''The Book of the Law'': 1904=== | ===Egypt and ''The Book of the Law'': 1904=== | ||
[[File:Stelae of Ankh-af-na-khonsu.jpg|350px|thumb|The Stelae of Ankh-af-na-khonsu]] | |||
In February 1904, Crowley and Rose arrived in Cairo. Claiming to be a prince and princess, they rented an apartment in which Crowley set up a temple room and began invoking ancient [[Egyptian religion|Egyptian deities]], while studying Islamic mysticism and Arabic. According to Crowley's later account, Rose regularly became delirious and informed him "they are waiting for you." On 18 March, she explained that "they" were the god [[Horus]], and on 20 March proclaimed that "the Equinox of the Gods has come". She led him to a nearby museum, where she showed him a seventh-century BCE mortuary stele known as the [[Stele of Ankh-ef-en-Khonsu]]; Crowley thought it important that the exhibit's number was [[666]], the Number of the Beast in [[Christianity|Christian]] belief, and in later years termed the artefact the "Stele of Revealing." | In February 1904, Crowley and Rose arrived in Cairo. Claiming to be a prince and princess, they rented an apartment in which Crowley set up a temple room and began invoking ancient [[Egyptian religion|Egyptian deities]], while studying Islamic mysticism and Arabic. According to Crowley's later account, Rose regularly became delirious and informed him "they are waiting for you." On 18 March, she explained that "they" were the god [[Horus]], and on 20 March proclaimed that "the Equinox of the Gods has come". She led him to a nearby museum, where she showed him a seventh-century BCE mortuary stele known as the [[Stele of Ankh-ef-en-Khonsu]]; Crowley thought it important that the exhibit's number was [[666]], the Number of the Beast in [[Christianity|Christian]] belief, and in later years termed the artefact the "Stele of Revealing." | ||
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===Ordo Templi Orientis and the Paris Working: 1912–1914=== | ===Ordo Templi Orientis and the Paris Working: 1912–1914=== | ||
In early 1912, Crowley published ''[[The Book of Lies]]'', a work of mysticism that biographer Lawrence Sutin described as "his greatest success in merging his talents as poet, scholar, and magus". The German occultist | In early 1912, Crowley published ''[[The Book of Lies]]'', a work of mysticism that biographer Lawrence Sutin described as "his greatest success in merging his talents as poet, scholar, and magus". The German occultist Theodor Reuss later accused him of publishing some of the secrets of his own occult order, the [[Ordo Templi Orientis]] (O.T.O.), within The Book. Crowley convinced Reuss that the similarities were coincidental, and the two became friends. Reuss appointed Crowley as head of the O.T.O's British branch, the Mysteria Mystica Maxima (MMM), and at a ceremony in Berlin Crowley adopted the magical name of Baphomet and was proclaimed "X° Supreme Rex and Sovereign Grand Master General of Ireland, Iona, and all the Britons". With Reuss' permission, Crowley set about advertising the MMM and re-writing many O.T.O. rituals, which were then based largely on Freemasonry; his incorporation of Thelemite elements proved controversial in the group. Fascinated by the O.T.O's emphasis on sex magic, Crowley devised a magical working based on anal sex and incorporated it into the syllabus for those O.T.O. members who had been initiated into the eleventh degree. | ||
In March 1913, Crowley acted as producer for The Ragged Ragtime Girls, a group of female violinists led by Waddell, as they performed at London's Old Tivoli theatre. They subsequently performed in Moscow for six weeks, where Crowley had a sadomasochistic relationship with the Hungarian Anny Ringler. In Moscow, Crowley continued to write plays and poetry, including "Hymn to Pan", and the [[Gnosticism|Gnostic Mass]], a Thelemic ritual that became a key part of O.T.O. liturgy. Churton suggested that Crowley had travelled to Moscow on the orders of British intelligence to spy on revolutionary elements in the city. In January 1914, Crowley and Neuburg settled into an apartment in Paris, where the former was involved in the controversy surrounding Jacob Epstein's new monument to Oscar Wilde. Together Crowley and Neuburg performed the six-week "Paris Working", a period of intense ritual involving strong drug use in which they invoked the gods [[Mercury]] and [[Jupiter]]. As part of the ritual, the couple performed acts of sex magic together, at times being joined by journalist Walter Duranty. Inspired by the results of the Working, Crowley wrote ''Liber Agapé'', a treatise on [[sex magic]]. Following the Paris Working, Neuburg began to distance himself from Crowley, resulting in an argument in which Crowley cursed him. | In March 1913, Crowley acted as producer for The Ragged Ragtime Girls, a group of female violinists led by Waddell, as they performed at London's Old Tivoli theatre. They subsequently performed in Moscow for six weeks, where Crowley had a sadomasochistic relationship with the Hungarian Anny Ringler. In Moscow, Crowley continued to write plays and poetry, including "Hymn to Pan", and the [[Gnosticism|Gnostic Mass]], a Thelemic ritual that became a key part of O.T.O. liturgy. Churton suggested that Crowley had travelled to Moscow on the orders of British intelligence to spy on revolutionary elements in the city. In January 1914, Crowley and Neuburg settled into an apartment in Paris, where the former was involved in the controversy surrounding Jacob Epstein's new monument to Oscar Wilde. Together Crowley and Neuburg performed the six-week "Paris Working", a period of intense ritual involving strong drug use in which they invoked the gods [[Mercury]] and [[Jupiter]]. As part of the ritual, the couple performed acts of sex magic together, at times being joined by journalist Walter Duranty. Inspired by the results of the Working, Crowley wrote ''Liber Agapé'', a treatise on [[sex magic]]. Following the Paris Working, Neuburg began to distance himself from Crowley, resulting in an argument in which Crowley cursed him. | ||
===United States: 1914–1919=== | ===United States: 1914–1919=== | ||
[[File:Esopus Island.jpg|350px|thumb|Esopus Island, where Crowley went into magical retreat in the United States]] | |||
By 1914, Crowley was living a hand-to-mouth existence, relying largely on donations from A∴A∴ members and dues payments made to O.T.O. In May, he transferred ownership of [[Boleskine House]] to the MMM for financial reasons, and in July he went mountaineering in the Swiss Alps. During this time the First World War broke out. After recuperating from a bout of phlebitis, Crowley set sail for the United States aboard the RMS ''Lusitania'' in October 1914. Arriving in New York City, he moved into a hotel and began earning money writing for the American edition of Vanity Fair and undertaking freelance work for the famed [[astrology|astrologer]] [[Evangeline Adams]]. In the city, he continued experimenting with sex magic, through the use of masturbation, female prostitutes, and male clients of a Turkish bathhouse; all of these encounters were documented in his diaries. | By 1914, Crowley was living a hand-to-mouth existence, relying largely on donations from A∴A∴ members and dues payments made to O.T.O. In May, he transferred ownership of [[Boleskine House]] to the MMM for financial reasons, and in July he went mountaineering in the Swiss Alps. During this time the First World War broke out. After recuperating from a bout of phlebitis, Crowley set sail for the United States aboard the RMS ''Lusitania'' in October 1914. Arriving in New York City, he moved into a hotel and began earning money writing for the American edition of Vanity Fair and undertaking freelance work for the famed [[astrology|astrologer]] [[Evangeline Adams]]. In the city, he continued experimenting with sex magic, through the use of masturbation, female prostitutes, and male clients of a Turkish bathhouse; all of these encounters were documented in his diaries. | ||
Crowley entered into a relationship with | Crowley entered into a relationship with Jeanne Robert Foster, with whom he toured the West Coast. In Vancouver, headquarters of the North American O.T.O., he met with Charles Stansfeld Jones and Wilfred Talbot Smith to discuss the propagation of [[Thelema]] on the continent. In Detroit he experimented with [[peyote]] at Parke-Davis, then visited Seattle, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Los Angeles, San Diego, Tijuana, and the Grand Canyon, before returning to New York. There he befriended Ananda Coomaraswamy and his wife Alice Richardson; Crowley and Richardson performed [[sex magic]] in April 1916, following which she became pregnant and then miscarried. Later that year he took a "magical retirement" to a cabin by Lake Pasquaney owned by Evangeline Adams. There, he made heavy use of drugs and undertook a ritual after which he proclaimed himself "Master Therion." | ||
In December, he moved to New Orleans, his favourite US city, before spending February 1917 with evangelical Christian relatives in Titusville, Florida. Returning to New York City, he moved in with artist and A∴A∴ member Leon Engers Kennedy in May, learning of his mother's death. After the collapse of The Fatherland, Crowley continued his association with Viereck, who appointed him contributing editor of arts journal The International. Crowley used it to promote Thelema, but it soon ceased publication. He then moved to the studio apartment of Roddie Minor, who became his partner and [[Scarlet Woman]]. Through their rituals, which Crowley called "The Amalantrah Workings", he believed that they were contacted by a preternatural entity named Lam. The relationship soon ended. | In December, he moved to New Orleans, his favourite US city, before spending February 1917 with evangelical Christian relatives in Titusville, Florida. Returning to New York City, he moved in with artist and A∴A∴ member Leon Engers Kennedy in May, learning of his mother's death. After the collapse of The Fatherland, Crowley continued his association with Viereck, who appointed him contributing editor of arts journal The International. Crowley used it to promote Thelema, but it soon ceased publication. He then moved to the studio apartment of Roddie Minor, who became his partner and [[Scarlet Woman]]. Through their rituals, which Crowley called "The Amalantrah Workings", he believed that they were contacted by a preternatural entity named Lam. The relationship soon ended. | ||
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==Abbey of Thelema: 1920–1923== | ==Abbey of Thelema: 1920–1923== | ||
[[File:Abbey of Thelema1.jpg| | [[File:Abbey of Thelema1.jpg|400px|thumb|The Abbey of Thelema in 2017]] | ||
Now destitute and back in London, Crowley came under attack from the tabloid ''John Bull'', which labelled him traitorous "scum" for his work with the German war effort; several friends aware of his intelligence work urged him to sue, but he decided not to. When he was suffering from asthma, a doctor prescribed him heroin, to which he soon became addicted. In January 1920, he moved to Paris, renting a house in Fontainebleau with Leah Hirsig; they were soon joined in a ''ménage à trois'' by Ninette Shumway, and also (in living arrangement) by Leah's newborn daughter Anne "Poupée" Leah. Crowley had ideas of forming a community of Thelemites, which he called the [[Abbey of Thelema]] after the Abbaye de Thélème in François Rabelais' satire Gargantua and Pantagruel. After consulting the [[I Ching]], he chose Cefalù (on Sicily, Italy) as a location, and after arriving there, began renting the old Villa Santa Barbara as his Abbey on 2 April. | Now destitute and back in London, Crowley came under attack from the tabloid ''John Bull'', which labelled him traitorous "scum" for his work with the German war effort; several friends aware of his intelligence work urged him to sue, but he decided not to. When he was suffering from asthma, a doctor prescribed him heroin, to which he soon became addicted. In January 1920, he moved to Paris, renting a house in Fontainebleau with Leah Hirsig; they were soon joined in a ''ménage à trois'' by Ninette Shumway, and also (in living arrangement) by Leah's newborn daughter Anne "Poupée" Leah. Crowley had ideas of forming a community of Thelemites, which he called the [[Abbey of Thelema]] after the Abbaye de Thélème in François Rabelais' satire Gargantua and Pantagruel. After consulting the [[I Ching]], he chose Cefalù (on Sicily, Italy) as a location, and after arriving there, began renting the old Villa Santa Barbara as his Abbey on 2 April. | ||
Moving to the commune with Hirsig, Shumway, and their children Hansi, Howard, and Poupée, Crowley described the scenario as "perfectly happy ... my idea of heaven." They wore robes, and performed rituals to the sun god [[Ra]] at set times during the day, also occasionally performing the Gnostic Mass; the rest of the day they were left to follow their own interests. Undertaking widespread correspondences, Crowley continued to paint, wrote a commentary on The Book of the Law, and revised the third part of Book 4. He offered a libertine education for the children, allowing them to play all day and witness acts of sex magic. He occasionally travelled to Palermo to visit rent boys and buy supplies, including drugs; his heroin addiction came to dominate his life, and | Moving to the commune with Hirsig, Shumway, and their children Hansi, Howard, and Poupée, Crowley described the scenario as "perfectly happy ... my idea of heaven." They wore robes, and performed rituals to the sun god [[Ra]] at set times during the day, also occasionally performing the Gnostic Mass; the rest of the day they were left to follow their own interests. Undertaking widespread correspondences, Crowley continued to paint, wrote a commentary on The Book of the Law, and revised the third part of Book 4. He offered a libertine education for the children, allowing them to play all day and witness acts of sex magic. He occasionally travelled to Palermo to visit rent boys and buy supplies, including drugs; his heroin addiction came to dominate his life, and cocaine began to erode his nasal cavity. There was no cleaning rota, and wild dogs and cats wandered throughout the building, which soon became unsanitary. Poupée died in October 1920, and Ninette gave birth to a daughter, Astarte Lulu Panthea, soon afterwards. | ||
New followers continued to arrive at the Abbey to be taught by Crowley. Among them was film star Jane Wolfe, who arrived in July 1920, where she was initiated into the A∴A∴ and became Crowley's secretary. Another was Cecil Frederick Russell, who often argued with Crowley, disliking the same-sex sexual magic that he was required to perform, and left after a year. More conducive was the Australian Thelemite Frank Bennett, who also spent several months at the Abbey. In February 1922, Crowley returned to Paris for a retreat in an unsuccessful attempt to kick his heroin addiction. He then went to London in search of money, where he published articles in ''The English Review'' criticising the Dangerous Drugs Act 1920 and wrote a novel, ''Diary of a Drug Fiend'', completed in July. On publication, it received mixed reviews; he was lambasted by the ''Sunday Express'', which called for its burning and used its influence to prevent further reprints. | New followers continued to arrive at the Abbey to be taught by Crowley. Among them was film star Jane Wolfe, who arrived in July 1920, where she was initiated into the A∴A∴ and became Crowley's secretary. Another was Cecil Frederick Russell, who often argued with Crowley, disliking the same-sex sexual magic that he was required to perform, and left after a year. More conducive was the Australian Thelemite Frank Bennett, who also spent several months at the Abbey. In February 1922, Crowley returned to Paris for a retreat in an unsuccessful attempt to kick his heroin addiction. He then went to London in search of money, where he published articles in ''The English Review'' criticising the Dangerous Drugs Act 1920 and wrote a novel, ''Diary of a Drug Fiend'', completed in July. On publication, it received mixed reviews; he was lambasted by the ''Sunday Express'', which called for its burning and used its influence to prevent further reprints. | ||
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==Later life== | ==Later life== | ||
===Berlin and London: 1930–1938=== | ===Berlin and London: 1930–1938=== | ||
[[File:1932 Lawsuit.png|400px|thumb|1932 newspaper article concerning Crowley's lawsuit against Lena Hamnet]] | |||
In August 1931, he took Bertha Busch as his new lover; they had a violent relationship, and often physically assaulted one another. He continued to have affairs with both men and women while living in Berlin, and met with famous people like Aldous Huxley and Alfred Adler. After befriending him, in January 1932 he took the communist Gerald Hamilton as a lodger, through whom he was introduced to many figures within the Berlin far left; it is possible that he was operating as a spy for British intelligence at this time, monitoring the communist movement. | In August 1931, he took Bertha Busch as his new lover; they had a violent relationship, and often physically assaulted one another. He continued to have affairs with both men and women while living in Berlin, and met with famous people like Aldous Huxley and Alfred Adler. After befriending him, in January 1932 he took the communist Gerald Hamilton as a lodger, through whom he was introduced to many figures within the Berlin far left; it is possible that he was operating as a spy for British intelligence at this time, monitoring the communist movement. | ||
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==Legacy and influence== | ==Legacy and influence== | ||
Crowley has remained an influential figure, both amongst [[occultist]]s and in popular culture, particularly that of Britain, but also of other parts of the world. In 2002, a BBC poll placed Crowley seventy-third in a list of the 100 Greatest Britons. Richard Cavendish has written of him that "In native talent, penetrating intelligence and determination, Aleister Crowley was the best-equipped magician to emerge since the seventeenth century." The scholar of esotericism Egil Asprem described him as "one of the most well-known figures in modern occultism" | [[File:Thoth Tarot Deck.jpg|400px|thumb|Crowley's Thoth Tarot deck on display in a museum]] | ||
Crowley has remained an influential figure, both amongst [[occultist]]s and in popular culture, particularly that of Britain, but also of other parts of the world. In 2002, a BBC poll placed Crowley seventy-third in a list of the 100 Greatest Britons. Richard Cavendish has written of him that "In native talent, penetrating intelligence and determination, Aleister Crowley was the best-equipped magician to emerge since the seventeenth century." The scholar of esotericism Egil Asprem described him as "one of the most well-known figures in modern occultism." | |||
[[Thelema]] continued to develop and spread following Crowley's death. In 1969, the O.T.O. was reactivated in California under the leadership of Grady Louis McMurtry; in 1985 its right to the title was unsuccessfully challenged in court by a rival group, the Society Ordo Templi Orientis, led by Brazilian Thelemite Marcelo Ramos Motta. Another American Thelemite is the filmmaker Kenneth Anger, who had been influenced by Crowley's writings from a young age. In the United Kingdom, Kenneth Grant propagated a tradition known as Typhonian Thelema through his organisation, the Typhonian O.T.O., later renamed the Typhonian Order. Also in Britain, an occultist known as Amado Crowley claimed to be Crowley's son; this has been refuted by academic investigation. Amado argued that Thelema was a false religion created by Crowley to hide his true esoteric teachings, which Amado claimed to be propagating. | [[Thelema]] continued to develop and spread following Crowley's death. In 1969, the O.T.O. was reactivated in California under the leadership of Grady Louis McMurtry; in 1985 its right to the title was unsuccessfully challenged in court by a rival group, the Society Ordo Templi Orientis, led by Brazilian Thelemite Marcelo Ramos Motta. Another American Thelemite is the filmmaker Kenneth Anger, who had been influenced by Crowley's writings from a young age. In the United Kingdom, Kenneth Grant propagated a tradition known as Typhonian Thelema through his organisation, the Typhonian O.T.O., later renamed the Typhonian Order. Also in Britain, an occultist known as Amado Crowley claimed to be Crowley's son; this has been refuted by academic investigation. Amado argued that Thelema was a false religion created by Crowley to hide his true esoteric teachings, which Amado claimed to be propagating. | ||
Several Western esoteric traditions other than Thelema were also influenced by Crowley, with Djurdjevic observing that "Crowley's influence on twentieth-century and contemporary esotericism has been enormous". [[Gerald Gardner]], founder of [[Gardnerian Wicca]], made use of much of Crowley's published material when composing the Gardnerian ritual liturgy. [[L. Ron Hubbard]], the American founder of [[Scientology]], was involved in Thelema in the early 1940s (with Jack Parsons), and it has been argued that Crowley's ideas influenced some of Hubbard's work. The scholars of religion Asbjørn Dyrendel, James R. Lewis, and Jesper Petersen noted that despite the fact that Crowley was not a [[LaVeyan Satanism|Satanist]], he "in many ways embodies the pre-Satanist esoteric discourse on [[Satan]] and Satanism through his lifestyle and his philosophy", with his "image and ought" becoming an "important influence" on the later development of religious Satanism. For instance, two prominent figures in religious Satanism, [[Anton LaVey]] and Michael Aquino, were influenced by Crowley's work. | Several Western esoteric traditions other than Thelema were also influenced by Crowley, with Djurdjevic observing that "Crowley's influence on twentieth-century and contemporary esotericism has been enormous". [[Gerald Gardner]], founder of [[Gardnerian Wicca]], made use of much of Crowley's published material when composing the Gardnerian ritual liturgy. [[L. Ron Hubbard]], the American founder of [[Scientology]], was involved in Thelema in the early 1940s (with Jack Parsons), and it has been argued that Crowley's ideas influenced some of Hubbard's work. The scholars of religion Asbjørn Dyrendel, James R. Lewis, and Jesper Petersen noted that despite the fact that Crowley was not a [[LaVeyan Satanism|Satanist]], he "in many ways embodies the pre-Satanist esoteric discourse on [[Satan]] and Satanism through his lifestyle and his philosophy", with his "image and ought" becoming an "important influence" on the later development of religious Satanism. For instance, two prominent figures in religious Satanism, [[Anton LaVey]] and Michael Aquino, were influenced by Crowley's work. | ||
His [[Thoth Tarot]] is widely regarded as one of the greatest [[Tarot]] decks ever created. The accompanying ''[[Book of Thoth]]'' explores the esoteric mysteries of the Tarot. | |||
Crowley also had a wider influence in British popular culture. | Crowley also had a wider influence in British popular culture. | ||
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* He was included as one of the figures on the cover art of The Beatles' album ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ''(1967). | * He was included as one of the figures on the cover art of The Beatles' album ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ''(1967). | ||
* Ozzy Osbourne and his lyricist Bob Daisley wrote a song titled "Mr. Crowley" (1980). | * Ozzy Osbourne and his lyricist Bob Daisley wrote a song titled "Mr. Crowley" (1980). | ||
* His image was included as [[The World]] card in the [[Magicians, Martyrs, and Madmen Tarot]] (2023). | |||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||