Aleister Crowley
Contents
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 Crowly directly but she has make several references to her religion
The Book of the Law
In April of 1904, Crowley received the Book of the Law, what would one day become the central text of a new religion, Thelema. At first, he rejected the Book of the Law since he was a Buddhist and he saw the work as clashing with Buddhism. However, as time went by, he began to see the wisdom in the book.
The reception of the Book of the Law marked a turning point in Crowley's life. Over the years, he became more geared towards spreading the Law of Thelema to the world. In it, there are spiritual, social, and ethical considerations for the new Aeon.
The Book of the Law states that each person should decide the meaning of the verses for him or herself based upon the commentary of the Prophet. This was presumably stated so that Thelema would never become dogmatized like other religions with "official" meanings to the verses. The verses seldom mean what they appear to mean at face value and the individual is expected to research and extrapolate the meaning for himself.
In "The Book of the Law" Crowley was given a recipe for the Cakes of Light and one of the possible ingredients is the blood of a child. This is often misunderstood to mean the sacrifice of a living child or the bloodletting of one, however, it is a phrase used to indicate sexual fluids which would be considered a potential child.
Cake of Light
According to Wikipedia, Cake of Light is the name of the eucharistic host found within Thelema, the mystical system founded by Aleister Crowley in the early 20th century. It contains meal, honey, and oil for the base ingredients, and is usually cooked in the shape of a small, flat wafer. It appears by name in two important Thelemic rituals: the Gnostic Mass and the Mass of the Phoenix. However, Crowley thought it was important for magicians to perform a eucharistic ritual of some kind (presumably the Mass of the Phoenix) daily (from Magick, Book 4, ch. 20):
Aleister Crowley and Buddhism
Aleister Crowley was a Buddhist when he received the Book of the Law and hence a lot of his beliefs draw on that influence. This is discussed by a YouTuber called tannhaus in A Thelemite Speaks Episode 6.
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.
Aleister Crowley and Baphomet
According to Wikipedia: 'The Baphomet of Lévi was to become an important figure within the cosmology of Thelema, the mystical system established by Aleister Crowley in the early 20th century.'
Geneology
Evidence points to the possibility that Aleister Crowley was the true father of Barbara Bush, the former First Lady and mother to George W. Bush who was a member of a secret organization called Skull and Bones at Yale University.
Outside links
- Aleister Crowley (Wikipedia Article)
- OTO page on Aleister Crowley. OTO is initiatory society continuing his work.
- Aleister Crowley Article at Sourceryforge,the Esoteric-Occult Wiki
- Aleister Crowley The Greatest Magician of the 20th Century?
- Aleister Crowley and the "Sirians"
- Aleisster Crowley and 1943
- Crowley
- Gerald del Campo “On the Use of Blood in Ritual” 1986
- Gerald Gardner
- Fact Sheet on Aleister Crowley
- Aleister Crowley (1875-1947)
- Aleister Crowley
- Aleister Crowley Satanic Verses {1875-1947}
- The Confessions of Aleister Crowley
- Crowley Fact Sheet
