Difference between revisions of "Aleister Crowley"

Revision as of 21:37, 10 December 2006

Freeze frame of the picture of Aleister Crowley that hangs on Bree's wall.

Introduction

Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) (last name rhymes with "holy") was a figure in late 19th and early 20th century occultism. Bree has a picture of him on the wall of her bedroom (above her bookcase, to the left of her door), leading many to assume that her religion is affiliated in some way with Thelema.

Crowley grew up in a strict Plymouth Brethren family where his mother sometimes referred to him as the "Beast of Revelations". After his father's death, he became disillusioned with his religious upbringing and began to explore alternative religions. This eventually led him to discover magick and The Golden Dawn.

Crowley and Arthur Edward Waite (1857-1942) were associates in the early days of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, but became rivals after the destruction of the Golden Dawn. After leaving to found rival organizations (Crowley the A.: A.: (Argenteum Astrum) and Waite the Fellowship of the Rosy Cross), the men mocked each other in published works.

Crowley's life largely consisted of exploring the far reaches of the once great British Empire, studying various forms of Vajrayana Buddhism, theosophy, occultism, ceremonial magick, and ancient ritual. He incorporated these into his own comprehensive methodology in an extensive body of literature consisting of poetry, prose, essays, and syncretized occultism.

Dubbed the "Wickedest Man in the World" by the British yellow press, Crowley is perhaps best known for his seemingly contradictory but esoterically linked instructions called the Law of Thelema: "Do what thou Wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, love under Will". Sometimes taken erroneously to mean do what you want, he published several statements explaining the meaning of the Law and how it does not equate to that. He is also associated with the number 93, since qabalistically love and will both enumerate to 93, thus it is shorthand for the Law of Thelema.

In 1920 he and a small group of followers moved to Cefalu, in Sicily, where they attempted to establish a Thelemic monastery called "The Abbey of Thelema". In his Confessions, he wrote of life in this first Thelemic monastery.

Aleister Crowley has had an influence on Rock and Roll music although none of this music is used in the music of the lonelygirl15 production. There are many connections between Jimmy Page of the rock band Led Zeppelin and Aleister Crowley.

In the video Aleister Crowley, Daniel reads a story from an unspecified Arizona newspaper that associates Crowley with an abduction in 1943. However, Crowley never lived in Arizona nor owned a house there, so the reference was complete fiction.

Crowley's birthday is October 12, which was the date of the fake ceremony that Lucy used to trick Daniel. The occasion is casually celebrated by modern Thelemites under the title of Crowleymas, typically with curry, wine and lots of mirth.

Aleister Crowley and Bree

The reason that Aleister Crowley has attracted so much attention is that Bree has a picture of him as part of what some describe as a "shrine" in her bedroom.

This screenshot from the A Change In My Life video clearly shows the "shrine" in the context of Bree's bedroom. (The image has been digitally enhanced to show the area with the "shrine " more clearly). Bree has never referred to Crowley directly but she has make several references to her religion

Ordo Templi Orientis

The Ordo Templi Orientis was founded by German freemason and mystic Carl Kellner. It was continued after his death by Theodor Reuss, who initiated Aleister Crowley and made him its head in Great Britain. Crowley made the OTO the first organization to accept the Law of Thelema, which is expressed as "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law."

After Reuss's death, Aleister Crowley took over the Ordo Templi Orientis as Outer Head of the Order (OHO). He served in that capacity until his death. However, after his death, there was some dispute over who Crowley had named to become his successor. These matters were taken up in court and Hymaneus Alpha (Grady McMurtry) was decided to be the true OHO. The others who thought they should have been named were not satisfied with the rulings so went on to establish their own factions of the OTO even though they are prevented from calling themselves the OTO in the United States where the rulings were decided. However, these factions still contest the legitimacy of the OTO's succession from Crowley.

Magick

Thelemapedia.org describes Magick as " any act designed to cause intentional change. This term is often spelled with a terminal "k" to differentiate it from other practices, such as "stage magic"". It also states that "Aleister Crowley saw magick as the essential method for a person to reach true understanding of the self and to act according to one's True Will" Many people believe that Bree's ritual will involved a ficticious ceremony drawn in part at least from one of Crowleys real ceremonies.

People Crowley knew

Among the influential contemporary religious leaders that Crowley knew are Israel Regardie Jack Parsons, and Allan Bennett. Crowley knew of L. Ron Hubbard, but there is no evidence they knew each other personally; only through Parsons.

Speculation on a Moonchild

Based on the Crowley book Moonchild some people have speculated that Bree may have been impregnated at the ceremony.

Outside links

• Aleister Crowley (Wikipedia Article)
• OTO page on Aleister Crowley
• The Confessions of Aleister Crowley
• Many of Crowley's writings
• The Aleister Crowley Society