Aleister (Alexander Edward) Crowley
was born on the 12th of October 1875 in Leamington Spa, England, into a
family of Plymouth Brethren, a strict Christian sect. During his 72 years on
this Earth, he managed to indelibly imprint himself on the Western Magickal
Tradition, indeed, to many he was the Western Magickal Tradition.
Poet, Author, Magickian, Yogi, Philosopher, Mountain Climber, Drug User and
Satyr, Crowley's output was prolific, and his life hedonistic. His legacy
still attracts many new converts, and he commands considerable loyalty even
from beyond the grave.
The following Organisations and Religions were affected or entertained by
Crowley:
The Golden Dawn
Crowley joined the Golden Dawn in 1898; this was his first introduction to
organised and ritual magick. Although his entry preceded the demise of the
first phase of the G.'.D.'.'s existence, his progress was swift, he entered
the second order within a year of initiation. Siding with Samuel Liddell
Mathers, the erstwhile leader of the G.'.D.'., they soon fell out, and
Crowley exited.
Freemasonry
Crowley had several encounters with
Freemasonry in different guises, and used it as a source of valuable
ceremonial in his works. His interaction with the OTO also relates to
Masonry in several ways.
Fringe Masonry in England. This essay by a masonic researcher deals with the
surge in interest in "reviving" obscure side degrees during the latter part
of the 19th century. It is valuable as an overview of the masonic milieu
surrounding the genesis
of the Golden Dawn, and attitudes to the occult value of masonic tradition.
The Hermetic Order of the
Golden Dawn
As soon as one takes an interest in the Western Magickal Tradition, it is
inevitable that they will almost immediately come across references to the
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. This esoteric order has aroused so much
speculation, deliberation and analysis that it has been elevated to the
status of a super-society. The reasons behind this are not clear. It may be
that since it was the starting or finishing point to the careers of so many
reknowned occultists that it takes on some of their personal glory. Whatever
the reason, the Golden Dawn is firmly etched on the surface of our Magickal
Tradition, and as such, I wish to present a brief discourse on it's nature,
history and significance in perspective.
It is not my aim to present a detailed analysis, since there have been many
erudite books on the subject, by far more qualified people than me. The
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was an esoteric society that dealt in
ritual magic, the Qabalah, and other mystical matters. Its origins have been
the subject of much debate, although there is a general view that it was the
product of one man, William Wynn Westcott. This in itself is not completely
accurate, since the two authorities that I hold in the highest regard both
have suggested a slightly more complex ætiology. Dr. Westcott, a London
Coroner, was a prominent Freemason. He was the Supreme Magus (ruler) of a
Masonic side degree, the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (SRIA), whose
purpose was the study of philosophic and esoteric matters. Not content with
this order, which did not practice anything that could be truly called
magic, he set about inventing a new order. However, due to the very nature
of occult orders, for it to be of note, it needed a defined, authentic
origin. Westcott achieved this authentication by 'translating' some cipher
manuscripts 'discovered' by a priest (who happened to be a mason) in a
second-hand bookshop. These, he claimed, were fragments of magical rituals,
with an address in Germany representing an order of Rosicrucian adepts.
In 1887, with the co-operation of two other men, Dr. Woodman and Samuel
Liddell Mathers, Westcott founded the first Temple of the Golden Dawn, by
right of a charter 'granted' by the head of the German order. This they
named the Isis-Urania Temple, and it was to meet at Mark Mason's Hall, then
in Great Queen Street, London.
The Golden Dawn possessed a hierarchical structure, in keeping with many
other occult bodies, including the Freemasons and the Rosicrucian societies.
It was divided into 11 grades or degrees, which represented successively
increased learning and ability in magical matters. It's codes for these
grades were based upon an esoteric figure known as the Tree of Life, which
was part of the Hebrew body of Mysticism known as the Qabalah (From QBLH p;
received tradition). The hierarchy was divided up into 3 orders which each
represented a certain class. The lowest order was named the Golden Dawn, and
comprised those students who had learnt basic magickal doctrines, and had
passed exams on these. The second order was titled the Red Rose and Golden
Cross, and it was here that the members practised magickal acts. The third
and final order was known as the Silver Star, and was composed of those
adepts who had crossed the Abyss, and themselves become masters of the
magickal arts.
Around 1891, the head of the German order 'died', and there was no further
contact, following a brusque reply which stated that if they wished to learn
more, then they had the means to obtain it. This implied that they should
obtain direct contact with the 'Secret Chiefs', a tenebrous group of
individuals who were immortal and masters of all. These Secret Chiefs were
thought to inhabit the unpopulated areas of Tibet, or actually be ethereal
spirits, with no physical form. At any rate, The leaders of the Golden Dawn
needed to establish a link with these lofty souls. In 1891, in Paris,
Mathers, the third leader of the GD claimed to have made contact with the
Secret Chiefs (the story is rather apocryphal, with Mathers stating that he
met a man in the Bois de Boulogne, who overwhelmed him so with his powers,
that blood poured from Mather's nose. Cynics would say that he had got into
a fight!). He stated that they had granted him sole authority to rule the
order, and he wrested control from Westcott, who resigned in 1897. Meanwhile,
the other leader, Dr. Woodman had died. Mathers was now the supreme ruler of
the GD.
As for the actual body of the work of the Golden Dawn, this is very well
documented. The original 5 grades in the lowest order were primarily
academic, in that each grade had a certain number of skills to perfect, and
knowledge to acquire. For example, they needed to achieve mastery of the
astral plane through meditation and certain forms of Yogic exercises. The
knowledge required was primarily Qabalistic, although other forms of occult
doctrine were touched upon: the Tarot, Enochian magic and ceremonial magic,
to name a few.
The major body of work in the second order was that of achieving
conversation with one's Holy Guardian Angel. The individual HGA is a
celestial intelligence (some say a Secret Chief) with whom each person is
theoretically capable of reaching through meditation. This contact was
beneficial as it allowed the adept to reach his true potential, and so
ascend to, and cross the Abyss, to become a true Master. This was considered
the Great Work of the Order as a whole, and it is interesting to read the
differing accounts of adepts who claimed to have achieved it.
In the early part of the 20th century, Mathers was living in Paris. Removed
geographically from the Golden Dawn in England, dissent arose. The adepts of
the second order started to rebel against his authority over them, demanding
proof of his compact with the Secret Chiefs. There was nothing left except
to send his protégé Aleister Crowley to wrest control of their London
Headquarters. This in itself is a long story, but the outcome was that the
original Golden Dawn crumbled into twilight, and Mathers lost control
forever. In these latter years the leadership was passed around between
several adepts, before the order disappeared. Since this time, many
subsequent Golden Dawn's have been formed, all claiming that since they use
the original rituals they are justified in using the name. However, the
truth is that all of these, to a greater or lesser extent, are pale
substitutes for the original.
As regards the original issue of the ætiology of this order, the theory has
been thus: The formulation of the Golden Dawn was not in the hands of just
Wynn Westcott, but also in those of a certain Kenneth MacKenzie. A complete
biography of Westcott has never been written, but a rough character analysis
is that he was a rather schizoid type who possessed a rather mediocre
intellect, and in himself was not capable of generating the cipher
manuscripts, nor the complex Golden Dawn rituals. All the evidence points to
MacKenzie as the genius behind the creation of the GD. MacKenzie died in the
1870's so the suggestion is that the GD was a long time in the making, and
following MacKenzie's death, Westcott carried on their work to it's
conclusion.
Samuel Liddell Mathers is a character fascinating to study, since his
persona is similar to that of Aleister Crowley in several key areas. Both
these men were social climbers, and both claimed to be nobility. There is an
amusing story of the Laird of Boleskine and the Comte de Glenstræ meeting,
both in ceremonial Highland dress, although neither of them had a drop of
Scots blood in them. Mathers was a powerful man in comparison to the other
dilettante members of the Golden Dawn, and this secured his position as
leader, although his paranoia of being challenged led to his eventual
downfall. One can only guess what would have happened to the Dawn if Crowley
had taken control. Matt D.A. Fletcher
Sponsored Links and Publicity
In 1898, when 23, Crowley read a
book by Eckartshausen entitled The Cloud upon the Sanctuary. This was to
have a great affect upon the young man, as it spoke of a Secret Sanctuary of
Spirits, an inner sanctum which held all the secrets pertaining to God and
to Nature. Thrilled by this idea, he set about to Þnd such a hidden order,
which offered him what he had so long desired, knowledge of the mysteries,
which would enable him to be truly superior to all.
Envisage the situation of the young Crowley - early years dominated by a
harsh, uncompromising religion, which permitted eternal life only to those
it saw worthy, who had conformed to the rules laid down. This, however, was
a new perspective - enlightenment could be obtained through study and
knowledge (a doctrine known as gnosis), and not through worship and
obedience to Holy Law. This must have greatly appealed to Crowley, as he did
not need to conform to the system that he had grown to hate, he need only
search and be taught.
Crowley started his search in earnest. Later that year, in Zermatt, he
encountered one Julian Baker, and explained what he sought. This Baker, a
student of the occult, was to introduce him to a member of the Golden Dawn.
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was an esoteric society that dealt in
ritual magic, the Qabalah, and other mystical matters. Its origins have been
the subject of much debate, although there is a consensus view that it was
the product of one man, William Wynn Westcott. It will here be necessary to
explain a little of the history of this order, and explain how it was
organised, so we can see how Crowley interacted with it.
Dr. Westcott, a London Coroner, was a prominent Freemason. He was deeply
involved in a Masonic side degree, the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (the
SRIA), whose purpose was the study of philosophic and esoteric matters (the
Qabalah and hermetica). Not content with this order, which did not practice
anything that could be truly called magic, existing mainly as a discussion
group, he set about inventing a new order. However, due to the very nature
of occult orders, for it to be of note, it needed a deÞned, authentic origin.
He achieved this by 'translating' some cipher manuscripts 'discovered' by a
masonic priest in a bookshop. These, he claimed, were fragments of magical
rituals, with an address in Germany representing an order of Rosicrucian
adepts.
As regards the issue of the ætiology of this order, the theory expounded to
me has been thus: The formulation of the Golden Dawn was not in the hands of
just Wynn Westcott, but also in those of a certain Kenneth MacKenzie. A
complete biography of Westcott has never been written, but the character
analysis presented is that he was a rather schizoid type who possessed a
rather mediocre intellect, and in himself was not capable of generating the
cipher manuscripts, nor the complex Golden Dawn rituals. All the evidence
points to MacKenzie as the genius behind the creation of the GD. MacKenzie
died in the 1870's so the suggestion is that the GD was a long time in the
making, and following MacKenzie's death, Westcott carried on their work to
it's conclusion. (stuff about MacKenzie)
In 1887, with the co-operation of two other men, Dr. Woodman and Samuel
Liddell Mathers, Westcott founded the Þrst Temple of the Golden Dawn, by
right of a charter 'granted' by the head of the German order. This they
named the Isis-Urania Temple, and it was to meet at Mark Mason's Hall, then
in Great Queen Street, London.
The Golden Dawn possessed a hierarchical structure, in keeping with many
other occult bodies, including the Freemasons and the Rosicrucian societies.
It was divided into 11 grades or degrees, which represented successively
increased learning and ability in magical matters. It's codes for these
grades were based upon an esoteric Þgure known as the Tree of Life, which
was part of the Hebrew body of Mysticism known as the Qabalah (From QBLH p;
received tradition). The hierarchy was divided up into 3 orders which each
represented a certain class. The lowest order was named the Golden Dawn, and
comprised those students who had learnt magical doctrines, and had passed
exams on these. The second order was titled the Red Rose and Golden Cross,
and it was here that the members practised magical acts. The third and Þnal
order was known as the Silver Star, and was composed of those adepts who had
crossed the Abyss, and themselves become masters of the magical arts. (ToL
Þg. with GD grades)
As for the actual body of the work of the Golden Dawn, this is very well
documented. The original 5 grades in the lowest order were primarily
academic, in that each grade had a certain number of skills to perfect, and
knowledge to acquire. For example, they needed to achieve mastery of the
astral plane through meditation and certain forms of Yogic exercises. The
knowledge required was primarily Qabalistic, although other forms of occult
doctrine were touched upon: the Tarot, Enochian magic and ceremonial magic,
to name a few.
The major body of work in the second order was that of achieving
conversation with one's Holy Guardian Angel. The individual HGA is a
celestial intelligence (some say a Secret Chief) with whom each person is
theoretically capable of reaching through meditation. This contact was
beneÞcial as it allowed the adept to reach his true potential, and so ascend
to, and cross the Abyss, to become a true Master. This was considered the
Great Work of the Order as a whole, and it is interesting to read the
differing accounts of adepts who claimed to have achieved it.
Around 1891, the head of the German order died, and there was no further
contact, following a brusque reply which stated that if they wished to learn
more, then they had the means to obtain it. This implied that they should
obtain direct contact with the 'Secret Chiefs', a tenebrous group of
individuals who were immortal and masters of all. These Secret Chiefs were
thought to inhabit the unpopulated areas of Tibet, or actually be ethereal
spirits, with no physical form. At any rate, The leaders of the Golden Dawn
needed to establish a link with these lofty souls.
In 1891, in the Bois de Boulogne of Paris, Mathers, the third leader of the
GD claimed to made contact with the Secret Chiefs. He stated that they had
granted him sole authority to rule the order, and he wrested control from
Westcott, who resigned in 1897. Meanwhile, the other leader, Dr. Woodman had
died. Mathers was now the supreme ruler of the GD. At this time the Golden
Dawn was a surprising heterogeneous organisation, given that it had been
formed by 3 freemasons. Although a proportion of the membership had been
derived from the members of the SRIA, who had been enticed by Westcott,
there were also many women, and a number of individuals with whom
conventional freemasonry would have had no truck with. Prominent members
included Arthur Edward Waite and W.B. Yeats, the poet.
We now return to Crowley who had been introduced to Mathers through the
agency of a George Cecil Jones, a friend of Baker's, who also happened to be
a member of the Golden Dawn. Crowley accepted Mather's invitation to join,
and in November 1898, was initiated as a Neophyte 0° = 0° in the outer order
of the Golden Dawn. He took the motto Perdurabo 'I will endure to the end',
and was hence known as Frater Perdurabo.
One month later, he became a Zelator, and in the two following months he
gained the next two grades. After a statutory period of latency he then
achieved the rank of Philosiphus, and stood on the brink of the second order.
This was amazing progress, in 6 months he had scaled the ranks of the outer
order, and was soon to be a practising magician in the eyes of the Golden
Dawn. It would have pleased him immensely, this was his type of order. He
could gain new accolades at the drop of a pin, and be recognised as an adept,
albeit by a select few.
In 1900, Mathers was living in Paris. Removed geographically from the Golden
Dawn in England, dissent arose. The adepts of the second order started to
rebel against his authority over them, demanding proof of his compact with
the Secret Chiefs. On the 16th of February of that year, Mathers, fearing
that he would be ousted from his seat of power at the head of the G.D. wrote
a letter to his representative, Mrs. Emery (Who was also the Instructor of
Rituals in the order), and informed her of the truth behind the formulation
of the G.D. :
"...For this forces me to tell you plainly (and, understand me well, I can
prove to the hilt every word which I say here and more, and were I
confronted with S.A. {Sapere Aude - Westcott} I should say the same) though
for the sake of the order, and for the circumstance that it would mean so
deadly a blow to S.A.'s reputation, I entreat you to keep this secret from
the Order, for the present, at least, though you are at perfect liberty to
show him (Westcott) this if you think Þt, after mature consideration. He has
never been at any time either in personal or written communication with the
Secret Chiefs of the Order, he having either himself forged, or procured to
be forged the professed correspondence between him and them, and my tongue
having been tied all these years by a previous Oath of Secrecy to him,
demanded by him, from me, before showing me what he had either done or
caused to be done or both..."
A short while earlier, on the 13th of January, Crowley having been refused
the initiation into the second order, to the grade of 5°=6°, by those
running the second order in Mather's absence, he travelled to Paris, to
demand that Mathers perform the initiation himself. Mathers agreed, with the
premise that Crowley should swear an oath of undying allegiance to him, and
that Crowley would recognise him as head of the order.
So it was that Crowley became an Adeptus Minor of the Order of the Rosæ Rubæ
et Auræ Crucis. On his return to London, Crowley applied to the headquarters
of the second order for the copies of the degree rituals that were rightly
now available to him. However, he was refused these, and was not recognised
as an Adeptus Minor, since the initiation had been performed by Mathers.
(the secretary at this time was a Miss. Cracknell, whom Crowley describes
typically as "...an ancient sapphic crack, waiting to be Þlled..."). In
anger Crowley returned to Paris, to tell Mathers what had occurred. Whether
his anger was due primarily to their non-recognition of his new grade, or
the overt insubordination against Mathers, we do not know. In the
Confessions, Crowley states "...that the London body was in open revolt
against the Chief...", and makes no mention of his feelings on the matter
p; so he would have it that it was the lack of loyalty that had piqued him.
Matt D.A. Fletcher
Of The Evil One
Of Horus follows this Aeon,
And sung is the paean
To Gods forgotten this day,
Images formed in potter's clay.
Thelema is the Word of the Law,
93 the justification of it's claw,
Liber Al vel Legis, Love without Flaw,
Uttered from his Satanic maw.
Crowley, Lusting mental abberation,
Raising himself to the top elevation
Neophyte, Zelator, Philosiphus,
Adeptus, Magister Templi, Magus.
Frater Perdurabo known to some,
Intending a larger part to play.
Ordo Templis Orientis You led,
Perverse dreams within your head.
Dubbing Yourself the Great Beast,
Attending Satan's untimely feast,
Thinking Yourself the latter day Levi,
Never realising, You too must die.
Ipsissimus, Love under Will,
Living Baphomet for Your only thrill,
Sanity long driven out,
Abyssal Power? The final Doubt.
Requiring Subordinates For Your Domination,
Gullible Fools For Your Invocation,
Submissives For Your Abomination,
Mater Tenebrarum For Your Fornication.
In You their torture making,
Preceding thy Thanatos, for the taking.
MDAF
A CROWLEY TIMELINE
1875 Born at Leamington Spa, Warwickshire on 12 October. Parents members of
The Plymouth Brethren, a fanatical Christian sect.
1887 His father, Edward Crowley, dies.
1895 Matriculation at Trinity College, Cambridge.
1896 First mystical experience on a visit to Stockholm. He writes;"I was
awakened tothe knowledge that I posessed 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".
1898 His first published poem, Aceldama. Meets Gerald Kelly. Leaves
Cambridge. Writes White Stains. Meets George Cecil Jones and is initiated
into the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
1899 Meets Allan Bennet of the mentioned Order, and becomes his chela. Meets
Mathers, the Chief of the Order.
Buys Boleskine House on the Shores of Loch Ness in Scotland. Performs
Abra-Melin Operation.
1900 Conflicts and schisms in the Order. Mathers initiates Crowley into
Adeptship in Paris.
1900 He leaves for Mexico.
1901 In Mexico, he writes Tannhauser and Alice: An Adultery, becomes a 33*
Mason,continues scrying experiments, tries Enochian magic, devises a Ritual
of Self- Initiation, and claim the grade of Adeptus Major.
1902 Leaves for Ceylon and practises Yoga under Allan Bennet, who had become
a Buddhist
Monk. Dhyana.
1901-2 Wanderings in India
1902 Visits Bennet in Burma. Leaves for Paris. In Paris meets Sommerset
Maugham who mocks him in the character of Oliver Haddo in one of his
earliest novels, The Magician. Collaborates with Auguste Rodin, and produces
Rodin in Rime.
1903 Returns to Boleskine. Completes Snowdrops from a Curate's Garden.
Establishes his publishing house the Society for the Propagation of
Religious Truth. Marries Rose Kelly, the sister of Gerald Kelly.
1903-4 Honeymoon travels to Paris, Naples, Cairo and India; return to Cairo.
Completes The Sword of Song, The Argonauts, The Book of the Goetia of
Solomon the King.
1904 8-10 April: The Book of the Law dictated to Crowley.
1905-7 The Collected Works of Aleister Crowley published.
Completes Oracles and Orpheus.
1906 Travels through Southern China. Completes Gargoyles. Augoeides
Invocations. Attains Nirvikalpa Samadhi and completes Abra-Melin Operation.
Writes 777. Acknowledged a Master by George Cecil Jones.
1907 Reception of The Holy Books commences. Completes Konx Om Pax. A.'.A.'.
founded. Meets and becomes friend with Captain J.F.C. Fuller Visits Marocco.
1908 Walks across Spain and Marocco with Vicor Neuburg, the poet. Performs 'John
St. John' Operation in Paris.
1909-13 Publishes the first ten numbers of The Equinox.
1909 The A.'.A.'. opened to new members. Divorces Rose Kelly. The Vision and
the Voice received in Sahara with Neuburg.
Crowley accepts the grade of Master of the Temple.
1910 Meets Leila Waddell The Rites of Eleusis performed at Caxton Hall.
1911 Jones, Fuller and others break with Crowley. Another visit to Sahara
with Neuburg. Meets Mary d'Este Sturges.
Abuldiz Working.
1912 Book Four published as result of that Working. Theodor Reuss initiates
Crowley into the Ordo Templi Orientis, and appoints him head of the British
Branch, the M.M.M.
1913 Visit to Moscow with the 'Ragged Rag-Time Girls'. Writes The Gnostic
Mass there. The Book of Lies published.
1914 The Paris Working with Neuburg. Depaurture for the United States.
1915 Work on Astrology with Evangeline Adams. Work with Charles Stansfield
Jones ,Frater Achad,in Vancouver.
Claims the Grade of Magus, Prophet of the New Aeon.
1916 Magical Retirement in New Hampshire.
1917 Becomes editor of The International. Takes up painting.
1918 Liber Aleph completed. Amalantrah Working with Roddie Minor. Magical
Retirement on Oesopus Island.
Publishes his version of Tao Teh King. Meets Leah Hirsig.
1919 The Blue Equinox, III,1,published. Return to England with Leah.
1920 Abbey of Thelema founded in Cefalu, Sicily. Visits from Jane Wolfe,
Frank Bennet, C.F. Russel, Raoul Loveday and his wife Betty May.
1921 Claims the Supreme Grade of Ipsissimus.
1922 Publication of Diary of a Drug Fiend. New campaign of newspaper
assaults on Crowley.
1923 Crowley expelled from Sicily by Mussolini. Crowley leaves for Tunis and
completes The Confessions.
1924 'The Supreme Ordeal' of the Ipsissimus Grade in Paris.
1925 Invited by Heinrich Tränker to Thuringen in Germany to become
International Head of the OTO.
1926-28 Travels in France, Germany and North Africa.
1928. Israel Regardie joins Crowley and becomes his secretary.
1929 Crowley expelled from France. Magick in Theory and Practise published.
Crowley marries Maria de Miramar in Germany.
1930 First two volumes of The Confessions published.
1930-36 Is visited and supported financially by Karl Germer who to succeed
Crowley as OHO of the O.T.O.
1930-4 Wanderings in Germany and Portugal.
1932 Crowley and Regardie part company.
1934 Crowley loses libel suit against Nina Hamnett over the book
1935 Crowley made bankrupt.
1936-8 Visits to Germany. Meets Aldous Huxley.
1937 Publication of The Equinox of the Gods.
1938 Eight Lectures on Yoga.
1940-5 Is visited by Grady Louis MacMurtry on a regular basis. McMurtry is
later to succeed Germer as OHO of the O.T.O.
1944 Publication of The Book of Thoth with Torot Cards designed by Lady
Frieda Harris.
1945 Crowley retires to 'Netherwood', Hastings and works on Magick without
Tears.
1947 Completes 'Olla', his third anthology of poetry.
Crowley dies on the 1 December.
Crowley is cremated in Brighton. Among the persons present were Gilbert
Bayley, who knew Mudd and frater Achad,Sorores Tzaba and Ilyarun, Gerald
Yorke, Kenneth Grant and his old friend Louis Wilkinson who read 'Hymn To
Pan', the 'Collects and Anthems' from 'The Gnostic Mass' and selected
passages from The Book of the Law.
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 occuring
again".
How To Summon Ye Dæmon Aleister Crowley To Visible Appearance
(A Rite For Father's Day)
From an ancient Græco-Egyptian manuscript in the Egyptian National Museum
Ye Banishing
Banish by showing a picture of Aleister Crowley to the eight directions,
saying "Get Off My Cloud" at each spacemark, and each time give theMiddle
Finger Salute to the direction. Or ye may wear a Crowley Mask during the
banishing. This will scare away any non-Thelemic entities and entice Crowley
to the Circle.
Ye Place Of Working
In the middle of the circle should be a Crucifix, lots of beer (Crowley
hated beer) and a copy of an A.E. Waite book (Crowley liked Waite about as
much as beer). This will keep Crowley from invading the circle in his true
form.
Ye Preliminary Insultation
The celebrants sit in the circle and consume beer, marijuana and other
intoxicants, all the while profaning the demon Crowley, reviling him at
every turn. Every couple of minutes a different celebrant should break into
the conversation and say, "I wish Crowley was here to hear you say that."
Getting stoned inside the circle where he can't reach you and insulting his
Name will draw Crowley to the circle, itching to manifest and rip you into
confetti.
Ye First Insultation
The appointed Priest reads each sentence aloud, and the Celebrants repeat it
after him.
"I invocate and conjure thee, o ye blasphemous toad Aleister Crowley! Long
have ye taunted us from beyond the grave, meddling with the brains of acid
messiahs and politicians, smirking at us from behind your silly Egyptian hat!
I command you to appear before us now, if you're the great magician they say
you are! Being armed with the power of beer and cigarettes I command it!!!"
(pause for a minute)
"O worm-eaten necromancer,
hear me. A sadistic game you have played with your disciples long enough.
You lure the curious down halls of Aleister Crowley statues and Crowley
altars at every turn, only to lead the travellers to a mirror at the end of
the path, and they realize their god was themselves all the time. BUT BY
THAT TIME THEY'VE BOUGHT ALL YOUR BOOKS. Thou art a slick advertiser selling
bottled air." "I invoke you by your names: To Mega Therion! Perdurabo!
Baphomet! The Beast 666! Fo-Hi! Count Alexander Svareff! Chiao Khan! Alys!
etc. Come thou forthwith, without delay, from any and all parts of the world
thou
mayest be, and make rational answers unto all things that we shall demand of
thee, for thou art conjured up by the name of the living and true god Xerox!"
Ye Second Insultation
If the obstinate Beast refuses to show himself, repeat ye second insultation:
"By the power of the slave god Jehovah, I command you to appear!" "By twenty
generations of Plymouth Brethren, I constrain you to appear!" "By Leah
Hirsig's bedpan, I lure you to appear!" "With seven vestal virgins, I entice
you to appear!" "With seven lines of fine Peruvian cocaine, I tempt you to
appear!"
"With seven young, gay, Arabian boys I seduce you to appear!" "By a gram of
China white heroin, I dare you to appear!"
"Just to see if I have all that shit, I DEFY YOU TO APPEAR!"
Ye Grand Insultation
Another joint is passed around while the Celebrants wait for a sign of
Crowley's appearance. His manifestation can take many forms, and each adept
should comment on anything he/she should hear or see that might be Crowley,
from insects to rocks to vegetation. While the joint is smoked, each of
these possible signs is discussed and either discarded or seized and put in
the middle of the circle. These objects touched by Crowley are HOO-HAHs and
should be kept by the celebrants as Power Objects.
If Crowley still does not appear in physical form, a final and most powerful
CRITICIZATION and INSULTATION is uttered by the Priest: "Come on, man,
this is embarassing. We do the ritual and you promise it will work and you
don't show up. That's just like you, you lime-sucking baldpate of an English
windbag! We come out here, dress in fine apparel and take strange drugs and
all that shit, and all we get out of it is sitting here in fine apparel
stoned on strange drugs."
"Come on, you lecherous old fart! You can tantalize us with a little visible
appearance, can't you? Just show us a leg and part of a helmet like Buer
showed you, huh? That is, if you got the balls. COME ON, CROWLEY, SHOW US
THAT BEAST OF A WANGER YOU BRAG ABOUT..."
As soon as this is said, Crowley will manifest on the outside of the Circle,
if not in bodily form then as a breeze or something more tenuous, but
everything that moves outside the circle has been touched by him. Each
celebrant who hasn't found a Crowley Hoo-Hah yet should go out of the Circle
and find one. They are piled in the middle of the Circle.
These Crowley Hoo-Hahs can be used for any and all types of Thelemic Magick.
They're almost as good as Crowley Knucklebones and Crowley Toes.
Ye Banishing
A reverse banishing should be performed. Face the inside of the circle,
point Crowley's picture or mask to the center of the circle, and at each of
the eight points, say "Under my thumb" while you grind your thumb into your
outstretched palm.
Ye Warning
The O.D. takes no responsibility for the consequences of performing this
rite. Crowley's manifestation is sometimes violent: once a whole group of
adepts was found buggered to death. Be forewarned.
Collegium ad Inner Sanctum This year Kung Fus Shun, Grand OHOOD
Aleister Crowley:
Halloween in Cairo
Halloween in Cairo sounds scary to me. Should I dress up as the Sphinx, King
Tut, or Indiana Jones? I don’t know why I let my boss Sage talk me into
going to Egypt to learn about Halloween -- I mean, it just doesn’t make
sense. He gave me the address of a Prince Chioa Khan, so that I might
discuss the principles of the Spooky Festival. What in the world would a
Prince in Cairo know about an American-English holiday? I intended to find
out!
I came upon the house that I was to visit, and by the looks of it, I was
going to be in for a real treat (which is better than a trick, as you will
find out!) There was a rotting pigeon hanging from a talisman, and burnt
pentagrams on either side of the door. I cautiously knocked on the door
while cursing Sage for the trouble he gets me into. The door was opened by a
beautiful young damsel, who said she was Princess Khan. She said, “Come in,
the Great Khan awaits you.” I started to wonder if this was the Great
Ghengis Khan.
There he was, sitting inside a circle of burning candles, removing his
turban with a diamond aigrette, to reveal a big bald head. I said, “Howdy! I
always thought you had long hair and a big beard, but you’re bald, and you
don’t even look Chinese!” He replied, “Sit down ,stupid, and enjoy the
incense.” I sat down in front of the glowing flames and sniffed the pleasant
air. He explained that he was expecting a visit from his Holy Guardian Angel,
‘Aiwass’. He went on to say that ‘Aiwass’ was a messenger from the Forces
ruling Earth at this present time. I said, “Chill out Chief, I came to find
out about Halloween, not to listen to Genghis Khan talk about his
hallucinations.” He said, “I’m not that Khan -- I’m Aleister Crowley; Chioa
Khan is just my Egyptian name!” I swallowed a hard lump and remembered that
this was the self-proclaimed reincarnation of the Devil. He was notorious
for sacrifices, torture, Black Magic, and was the founder of the Silver Star
occult. He saw the fear in my face and said as he laughed, “Relax, I’m not
going to sacrifice anybody today!”
I felt a slight sense of relief, although this was not desired company. I
asked to know more about who this visitor ‘Aiwass’ was, and what his visit
meant. He said that for years he had not been in touch with the ‘Mahatmas’
(secret Chiefs who rule the evil demons and spirits) and now he had been in
contact with one. He went on to tell me that Aiwass had dictated the ‘Book
of Law’, which became his philosophy of life. He said the heart of his magic
was derived from this book. I asked him what brought him down this road of
Satan worship. He replied “ My pious mother started calling me The Beast
when I was a child; she thought I came out of the depths of the sea with
horns on my head, blaspheming God.” I said “My Mom called me a little devil
too, but I never sacrificed anybody!”
Crowley asked me what I believed in, and what I preached about. A question
like that is easy to answer. I said, “I preach the relaxation of man through
the indulgence of fine cigars!” He smiled and quoted from his book of law,
“Be strong, O Man! Lust, enjoy all things of sense and rapture: fear not
that any God shall deny thee for this.” I couldn’t agree more (as long as it
was somewhat legal). If that was his philosophy on life, what made his
reputation so bad.
I asked him why he was known as such an evil person. Crowley explained he
had done some things that were blown out of proportion. He told me about the
time he led a group of comrades to Kanchejunga (a Persian mountain) in 1910
and abandoned them, being the only one to return. He explained that being a
survivor does not make one evil. I thought about that movie ‘ALIVE!’ and
wondered how he made it out of the frozen Persian mountains. I asked him
about human sacrifice. He told me that he had only sacrificed a living frog,
and that all the stories about human sacrifice were greatly exaggerated. He
said, “My sacrifices are of the flesh -- I indulge in acts of sexual magic:
the ritual of maithuna.” (sexual union) I said, “You should have a cigar,
you seem to be getting a little worked up!” I handed him a hand-rolled
beauty that he marveled at for a moment; I’m sure he was thinking of the
sizeable holes he could burn in someone’s body. As he enjoyed the cigar I
asked what he meant by ‘maithuna’. He said, “The mind, breath and semen are
held still.” I didn’t understand what he meant, but that was all I needed to
hear on that subject.
I told him that Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin now lives in his famous "Abbey" (Crowley’s
home in England, where he supposedly committed crimes against morality). He
told me that Jimmy was cursed and would be forever remembered as a ‘weirdo’
(speak for yourself!). I said, “I know where Jimmy Page got his money to buy
your castle,... but where did you come up with that kind of dough?” He
explained to me that his father was the brewer for ‘Crowley’s Ale’, and that
his Dad had left him a small fortune. I asked if he had any of those cold
ales in the house. He told me he was fresh out. I didn’t believe him --
after all, he wrote the “Book of Lies”.
He asked for another cigar and said, while lighting it, “Let the Adept be
armed with his Magical Rood and provided with his Mystic Rose”. I said,
“Hey, I think I understand the philosophy of your words.”... which meant I
was in big trouble. I told him about my adventures to seek knowledge about
the pleasures of life, and that everyone I came across agreed: nothing is
more relaxing than smoking a fine hand-rolled cigar! He told me he
understood.
He asked if I would leave before his guest arrived. I wanted to leave his
forsaken flat, but I couldn’t... not just yet. I had not gotten the answer
to what Halloween meant. I asked The Beast for a reply. Crowley said that
Halloween was celebrated just to make fun of the evil spirits; so that
throughout the rest of the year, we wouldn’t live in fear of what we live
with every day.
I said good night to Mr. Crowley before the sun went down. He said, “Good
tidings, and don’t ever stop pursuing ‘maithuna’!” I said, “Or a good cigar!”
(I think I’ll stick to cigars) I gave him some cigars to enjoy with his
buddy Aiwass, and he gave me a rotten candle with a pentagram on it. I don’t
know if Aleister Crowley was an atheist, satanic, evil, the Devil himself,
or just misunderstood. Although I will say that his Dad’s beer was good
stuff, and that he knew the answer for Halloween. I now realized why Sage
sent me to see Crowley: to face the fear of ignorance -- something we live
with every day.
What can you expect from a guy “who behaved as if the World was an
exhaltation of his own being, choking with guilt from having set himself up
in God’s place.”
Aleister Crowley & Freemasonry
In continuing with the analysis of Crowley's 'magickal achievements', it
will be useful to study his association with the most widespread of all the
'mystical' orders, that of Freemasonry.
Freemasonry is not a single entity, but a heterogenous group of allied 'degrees'
and 'rites'. The basic form of Freemasonry, to which all regular masons must
belong, is that of 'the Craft' or 'Blue Lodge' Freemasonry. This is a
fraternal order in which there are 3 successive degrees or steps, the Þnal
entitling the newly raised candidate to call himself 'Master Mason'.
There are, however, a multitude of side, or additional degrees (previously
erroneously termed 'higher') which purport to contain further mysteries,
relate to other historical occurrences, or teach further on certain points
within the rituals of the Craft. Only Master Masons of the Craft are
permitted to join these extra degrees, and even then there are further
qualiÞcations that may be necessary. These further degrees often have grand
names, such as the Knight's Templar, the Ancient & Accepted (Scottish) Rite,
the Royal Order of Scotland, and so on. The suggestion that Crowley, with
his sense of grandeur, and titular lusts, was attracted by the grand titles
of these accolades must be at least considered.
Crowley claimed in his 'Confessions...' that in 1904 he had been raised (taken
the 3rd degree) in the Craft at the Anglo-Saxon Lodge No. 343 in Paris. This
was a lodge primarily for ex-patriots, and those who were unable to afÞliate
with Freemasonry in England due to the United Grand Lodge of England's high
standards (whether it was a 'bucket-shop' lodge, one which would confer the
three degrees in the space of one weekend, bypassing the UGLE's requisite 4
weeks between degrees, remains to be proven).
At this time the Anglo-Saxon Lodge was governed by the French Grand Orient.
This irregular governing body was not recognised by the British Grand Lodge,
and hence it's members not recognised as Masons. Crowley claimed that he had
been proposed by a Past Provincial Grand Chaplain from Oxfordshire (who
should have known better than to attend an irregular Lodge). However, there
is no documentary evidence that he actually did so, and he was certainly
never initiated in England. He attempted to gain admission to Lodge meetings
in London, but was refused entry, on the grounds that he belonged to a
spurious Lodge unrecognised by the UGLE.
In 1914 Crowley wrote to the UGLE demanding the right to attend and join
British Lodges, based on his French initiation. The response was a deÞnite
refusal, due to the irregularity of the French Lodge. The correspondence has
been lost over the years at the UGLE, with the Þnger being squarely pointed
at the chaos during WWII, but the fact remains that the nature of this
interchange was recorded elsewhere, and the event survives.
The reasons for this attempt are unclear. It could be due to the fact that
at this time Crowley was experiencing a lull in his magickal activities p;
the Equinox was entering it's 'silent' phase, being the period of silence
that he had imposed on the A.'.A.'. that occurred in cycles of Þve years. It
could however be possible that Crowley was trying to legitimise his
activities in the magickal circles in which he travelled - at this period in
history Freemasonry was very honourable, having the active support of the
monarchy (up to this period, many reigning monarchs had been the heads of
the movement). Thus, to give the impression that he had bona Þde credentials,
recognition by the governing body in this country would have done much to
elevate his status, and ensure that he gained more disciples who had a
favourable view of the UGLE, and thus took their recognition of his status
as a regular mason hand in hand with the view that they approved of his 'fringe'
activities.
It is unlikely that Crowley would have ever wished to take a regular place
in the Craft since some of his criteria for magickal orders included a very
high degree of complexity, and grand sounding titles, both of which Craft
masonry does not possess (although some of the titles for ofÞces of
responsibility are grand). It would seem likely that this would only have
been a doorway for Crowley to join with the side degrees, to add to his
credentials, as well as gain a great deal of rituals which he could use for
his own purposes. At the time the ritualistic material in printed form was
hard to come by, and so often the only way to obtain this was through
joining the orders.
To further this point, regular activity in the Craft takes a considerable
input of time, as to achieve ofÞce within the lodge it is necessary to
memorise large chunks of ceremonial, which, unless he was very dedicated,
would not have appealed to him. In addition, it is not inexpensive to be
active in many masonic degrees, and this would not have been in their favour,
since Crowley was loath to part with any money (or at least any of his
money).
An area which does however consolidate the view that Crowley did not
consider Craft Freemasonry to be worthy of anything more than a source for 'readyp;made'
ritual is the matter of the Holy Royal Arch. This is an additional degree,
the only one recognised by the UGLE, and is seen as the completion of the
Master Mason's degree. If Crowley seriously considered that 'low-grade'
freemasonry (here used to describe the parts not seen as 'high' i.e. the
A&AR, A&PR, and other lofty degrees) was beneÞcial in a psychop;spiritual
mode, then this degree would have been an essential, as it dismisses the
secrets of the 3 basic degrees, and reveals a hidden, higher truth. This has
been widely proclaimed by the UGLE, which states that the Royal Arch is an
essential component of a Master Mason's degree. Crowley's total orthodox
ignorance of this degree lends power to the argument that his interest in
freemasonry was more towards accolade rather than enlightenment. In fact,
the only mention of the Royal Arch that I have ever come across by Crowley
is in Liber II of the OTO (Eq.III No.1), where it is mentioned that the 'secrets'
of the RA are extant in the knowledge of the OTO (itself formulated by
freemasons). Further information reveals that Crowley may well have had
access to the ritual of the Royal Arch in the OTO. The Royal Arch story
forms part of one of the degrees of the OTO, and thus Crowley in his
capacity as a leader of the OTO would have had access to the ritual. However,
Crowley never took any initiations in the OTO, being recognised at a high
level due to his other masonic credentials, although irregular in the eyes
of the governing bodies of masonry. Thus he would never have received this
degree in an initiatory sense, which reduces it's impact and revelation.
In 1900, Crowley claimed in his Confessions... to have been initiated as a
33° mason in the Antient and Accepted Rite of Masonry (A&AR). This appears
to have been in Mexico, through a tenebrous Supreme Council. In South
America at this time there was a great deal of eclectic masonic activity,
with the rise and fall of orders and governing bodies in days, so there is
little documentary evidence for this. The problem with this claim is due to
the dates. A pre-requisite for entry to this side degree is that one must
Þrst be a Master Mason. Now, at this time Crowley had not even undergone his
initiation in the irregular Anglo-Saxon Lodge, so there is a disparity p;
either Crowley had taken the three Craft degrees prior to this; had been
granted the 33° without the necessary prerequisites; or had invented the
whole affair.
The story of this event is conÞned to the Confessions, and Crowley claims
that he received initiation as a result of helping an individual with
another mystical order known as LIL. Little more is known about this episode
beyond what was written in the Confessions.
Crowley did however have at least one other contact with Freemasonry, in the
form of John Yarker (1833 p; 1913).
In 1872 Yarker, a prominent masonic researcher and member of the Quatuor
Coronati Lodge, No. 2076, had constituted a masonic order called the Ancient
& Primitive Rite, through the formation of a Grand Council of Rites and
installed himself as Grand Master.
The Ancient and Primitive Rite was an amalgam of three different masonic
rites: the Ancient and Accepted, with 33 degrees, the Oriental Rite of
Memphis with 96 degrees, and the Rite of Mizraim with 90 degrees. The A&PR
uder Yarker was slighly simplieÞed in that all 219 degrees had been
condensed down into a more workable 33, given that there were many
duplication in them. Memphis and Mizraim had been worked in Europe since the
turn of the 18th century, and at this time these high degree rites were very
popular.
This was not recognised by 'regular' masonic bodies, and he continued it
without their blessing. As a result of this he was expelled from the Supreme
Council, governing body of the 'ofÞcial' A&AR, but remained in Craft
Freemasonry. The purpose of this order was, as he put it, "to give every
Master Mason the chance of acquiring the high masonic initiation, at a
reasonable cost". This has been disputed on the ground that Yarker was
highly interested in the 'higher degrees' around the European continent at
this time, and took a serious interest in the A&PR.
In 1909 Crowley entered into correspondence with John Yarker. The result of
this was that Yarker bestowed the degrees of 33°90°95° upon Crowley by post.
It has been alluded to that Yarker 'sold' the degrees to any who would pay
for recognition under his Grand Council, which has been termed a 'degreep;mill',
churning out accolades. This has not been conclusively proved. The text of
Crowley's patent for the 33° survives, and is here reproduced:
T. T. G. O. T. S. A. O. T. U.
DEUS MEUMQUE JUS SPES MEA IN DEO EST
( Great Seal )
SUPREME GRAND COUNCIL
OF THE ILLUSTRIOUS PRINCE OF THE ROYAL SECRET
POST PUISSANT SOVEREIGN GRAND INSPECTORS
GENERAL
of the
33rd AND LAST DEGREE ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED RITE OF
MASONRY
H.R.D.M. R.M.S.H.
SITTING IN THE VALLEY OF MANCHESTER
From the East of the SUPREME GRAND COUNCIL of the
SOVEREIGN GRAND INSPECTORS GENERAL of the 33rd and
last degree of the Ancient and Accepted Rite of Freemasonry in and for
Great Britain and Ireland under G.L. near the D.B. corresponding to 53',
25" N. Latitude 2', 3" West Meridian of Greenwich.
To all Illustrious, Ineffable and Sublime Freemasons of every degree
Around and [unclear] over the surface of the Globe, Greetings:
KNOW YE - That the undersigned Sovereign Grand Inspectors General do
hereby certify and proclaim, our Illustrious Brother ALEISTER CROWLEY of *London*,
to be an Excellent Master Mason, Secret Master, Royal Master, intimate
Secretary, Provost and Judge, Intendant of the Building, Elect of Nine,
Elect of Fifteen, Sublime Knight Elected, Grand Master Architect, Ancient
Master of the Royal Arch, Grand Elect Perfect and Sublime Mason, Knight of
the Temple, Prince of Jerusalem, Knight of the East and West, Knight Rose
Croix of Heredom, Grand Pontiff, Master ad Vitam, Patriarch Noachite, Prince
of Libanus, Chief
of the Tabernacle, Prince of the Tabernacle, Knight of the Brazen Serpent,
Prince of Mercy, Commander of the Temple, Knight of the Sun, Knight of Saint
Andrew, Grand Elect Knight Kadosh, Grand Inspector Inquisitor Commander,
Prince of the Royal Secret, Most Puissant Sovereign Grand Inspector General
of the 33rd and Last Degree.
WE ALSO COMMAND: All the Knights, Princes and Sublime Masons under our
Jurisdiction and we pray all other MASONS over the Surface Of The Globe, to
Welcome and Honor Him as a SOVEREIGN GRAND INSPECTOR GENERAL, and to give
credit to these LETTERS PATENT, we have caused to be signed in the margin by
our said Illustrious Bro. ALEISTER CROWLEY, that they admit no other than
himself.
Signed and Delivered by us SOVEREIGN GRAND INSPECTORS GENERAL of The 33rd
and Last Degree with the Seal of our said SUPREME COUNCIL affixed in the
Valley of Manchester this 29th day of the 11th month A.M. 5071 corresponding
to the 29th November, A.D. 1910.
RATIFIED AND CONFIRMED
{*} John Yarker 33~
M.^.P.^.S.^.Gr.^.of Gt. Britain & Ireland
Yarker was nearing the end of his life, and it has been supposed that he
needed someone to carry on the work of the A&P Rite after his death.
Although the issue of 'degrees for cash' has been raised, all the evidence
points to the fact that Yarker's interests in masonry were, on the whole,
genuine, and that of the A&P Rite was of major signiÞcance and import to him.
Thus, we can surmise that he was genuinely looking for someone with the
necessary qualiÞcations, and interest in the Rite, to continue it following
his demise.
Yarker died on the 20th of March, 1913, and this was reported both in the
Oriþamme, the ofÞcial organ of the OTO under Theodor Reuss, as well as by
Crowley in the Equinox.
At Crowley's studio at 76 Fulham Road, London, on the 30th of June, 1913, a
meeting was held by the Sovereign Sanctuary of the A&PR. This was to decide
the future of the A&PR following Yarker's death. Those present were Crowley,
Theodor Reuss, Henry Meyer, Leon Engers Kennedy, and William Quilliam. Henry
Meyer was duly elected to the position of Sovereign Grand Master General of
the A&PR for Great Britain and Ireland, to take Yarker's place. At this
time, Crowley was reported to be the Patriarch Grand Administrator General,
and elevated in the rite of Memphis from the 95° to the 96°.
Following Crowley's obituary to Yarker in the Equinox, he further reports
himself to be 97° in the rite of Memphis... there is no documentary evidence
to suggest that this had been in any way bestowed upon him by anyone of any
authority.
Finally, in this vein, there is an incident reported by John Symonds in his
Þnal biography of Crowley, the King of the Shadow Realm. He states that in
1914, Crowley left the United Kingdom for the USA, bearing with him a
charter proclaiming him to be a Honorary Magus of the SRIA. Crowley was not,
and never was a member of the SRIA, this having been proved by total
omission of his name from the Golden Book, a register of all members of the
SRIA. In addition, the title of Honorary Magus can only be bestowed by the
Supreme Magus of the SRIA (the ruler of the society), and Crowley was not at
this time in friendly contact with anyone in the SRIA. The leaders of the
SRIA were well aware of Crowley's existence and activities, and took a very
dim view of them. However, the patent was presented to him by an American
body, who erroneously called themselves the SRIA, and who had no official
charter.
W. Wynn Westcott held the position of Supreme Magus at this time, but was
never on friendly terms with Crowley and would not have given his help to
Crowley in this respect. Although S.L. Mathers was a member of the SRIA (he
had been initiated into the Craft in the Hengist lodge, and had continued
for a few years, but had dropped out of regular masonry, to pursue a 'higher'
course of mystical attainment), at this time he was in battle with Crowley
over the matter of published GD rituals in the Equinox, and would not have
assisted Crowley in procuring, or producing this certiÞcate. Further
evidence reveals that honorary membership of the SRIA is indeed a great
honour, and F. Hockley, a scholarly mason and expert on crystallomancy was
given only an honorary IV° for lectures given to the society. Crowley, who
had no contact with the order, would never have been honoured with the
highest degree the society could bestow.
The following quotes are taken from the Confessions p.700 et seq. regarding
Crowley's motives behind the use of his masonic knowledge in the revision of
the OTO rituals.
``What is Freemasonry? I collated the rituals and their secrets, much as I
had done the religions of the world, with their magical and mystical bases.
As in that case, I decided to neglect what it too often actually was. ...I
proposed to define freemasonry as a system of communicating truth -
religious, philosophical, magical and mystical; and indicating the proper
means of developing human faculty by means of a peculiar language whose
alphabet is the symbolism of ritual. Universal brotherhood and the great
moral principles, independent of personal, racial, climatic and other
prejudices, naturally formed a background which would assure individual
security and social stability for each and all.
"The question then arose, 'What truths should be communicated and by what
means promulgated?' My first object was to eliminate from the hundreds of
rituals at my disposal all exoteric elements. Many degrees contain
statements (usually inaccurate) of matters well known to modern schoolboys,
through they may have been important when the rituals were written. ... I
saw no point in overloading the system with superfluous information.
"Another essential point was to reduce the unwieldly mass of material to a
compact and coherent system. I thought that everything worth preserving
could and should be presented in not more than a dozen ceremonies, and that
it should be brought well within the capacity of any officer to learn by
heart his part during the leisure time at his disposal, in a month at most."
From the quotes above, we may get the impression that Crowley considered
freemasonry to be a particularly useful philosophical system to him, but
this can be countered with the argument that very little of it was used by
him, and the material present in the OTO rituals was there before him. His
statement of taking the material and condensing it is false insofar as this
had already been done for him by Kellner, Germer et al. His actual usage of
the precepts and ideals of the Craft were negligible.
To summarise the importance of Crowley's contact with Freemasonry as a whole,
we must consider several points. The Þrst is that he felt that this mystical
trend or approach was of beneÞt to his spiritual and psychological
development. This does not seem to stand up, given that he never took an
active rôle in any of the orders, and did not progress as is the norm to the
Master's Chair, and through then to the further degrees and rites, as a
cohesive process. However, this could be argued against on the grounds that
Crowley was a highly erratic individual, who had no truck with
conventionality, and considered himself above everyone, and above mundane
rules for the masses. His progress and unorthodox manner of receiving the
degrees in Freemasonry could have been perfectly acceptable to him, in the
grand scheme. Perhaps he felt that he did not need to follow the usual line
of progress since he was capable of assimilating the valuable points of
Freemasonry in his own right. Certainly he never took the orders teachings
to heart on the subject of it's grand principles, Brotherly Love, Charity
and Truth. Never particularly warm, he did not display any especially
positive behaviour towards masons he met, this often being paradoxically
negative. His charitable acts were practically nil, and the concept of
Crowley being a martyr to the truth is almost laughable. The quote above
regarding Universal Brotherhood, although a lofty aim, was one ideal that
Crowley never took to heart, nor actively used.
The second point is that he felt the need to be a part of masonry in order
to vindicate himself, and elevate himself in the eyes of his critics and
acolytes. As previously mentioned, at this time the Freemasonry was an
honourable and acceptable pursuit for a gentleman, and he could well have
believed that this facet of his mystical activities would legitimise his
more controversial activities. This is a debatable point, since Crowley
rarely took notice of what other people thought about him, and would not
have been likely to follow this course simply to justify himself to his
critics. If the case for increasing his status is considered, in that his
activities in this might have delivered more orthodox followers to his
cause, we see a disparity, since his extremely irregular progress would have
done more harm than good, as regular masons would have viewed his
irregularity with disquiet and apprehension. Thus, here it can be seen that
this argument does not stand up to analysis, except possibly if Crowley had
a disordered view of how the public would view his afÞliation, and himself
believed that his irregularity would cause no problems. This Þnal argument
is not likely, since Crowley rarely considered the perceptions of others to
his activities, and this whole concept is unlikely to have played much on
his mind.
Thirdly, we should consider the view that Freemasonry and it's appendent
rites gave Crowley a great deal of ritualistic material and ready-made
ceremonial for use in orders of his own conception. The above quotes would
have it that this was a major reason. Although the A.'.A.'. did use Golden
Dawn and Masonic ritual to some degree, it was only to the amount of about
10 - 15%, with new material being formulated by Crowley along qabalistic
lines. As to his revisions of the OTO rituals following his inauguration as
head of the order in the United Kingdom, reliable evidence from sources
within that order suggest that very little of the revisions was based along
masonic lines. The OTO rituals were already based to an extent on masonic
themes, the lower degrees having been taken from the Rites of Memphis and
Mizraim, and the revisions tended to introduce qabalistic aspects to the
ceremonies. His use of masonic knowledge was negligible for the large part,
and so we can only consider that he might have desired masonic initiation in
this respect for it's future potential, which he never used in later life.
The Þnal point is to do with his desire to gain recognisable accolades,
either for his own ego's beneÞt, or to fool the gullible into thinking that
he was a master in all spheres. This is a hard argument to attack, since
there is no conclusive proof either way. The pro-Crowley group would argue
vehemently against this, as he did not use many of the titles for masonic
degrees regularly, only as tag-lines in the Equinox and in correspondence,
and they would say that other reasons were the motivation behind his masonic
activities. On the other hand, Crowley did use accolades widely, although
maybe not masonic ones to a large extent, as covered elsewhere in this
thesis, and so one could still argue that the beneÞts of gaining a new set
of titles would have been of some use to him when dealing with those
individuals that had knowledge of Freemasonry.
Therefore, one can only deduce that Crowley's possible motives in this
respect are probably a compound of these several points, and no one held
precedence as the major reason for his interest in the sphere of Freemasonry.
