Aleister Crowley: Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox person

| name = Aleister Crowley

| image = Aleister Crowley, thinker.jpg

| alt = 1925 photograph of Aleister Crowley

| caption = Crowley in 1925

| birth_name = Edward Alexander Crowley

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1875|10|12}}

| birth_place = [[Leamington Spa]], [[Warwickshire]], England

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1947|12|1|1875|10|12}}

| death_place = [[Hastings]], [[Sussex]], England

| resting_place= Ashes buried in [[Hampton, New Jersey]]

| resting_place = Ashes buried in [[Hampton, New Jersey]]

| occupation = {{Hlist | [[Occult]]ist | poet | novelist | [[mountaineer]] }}

| signature = Signature of Aleister Crowley.svg

| signature_alt= Aleister Crowley's signature

| signature_alt = Aleister Crowley's signature

| spouse = {{plainlist|

* {{marriage|[[Rose Edith Kelly]]|1903|1909|end=div}}

* {{marriage|Maria Teresa Sanchez|1929}}

}}

| children = 5

| children = 5, including [[Randall Gair Doherty]]

| education = {{plainlist|

* [[Malvern College]]

* [[Tonbridge School]]

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* [[Trinity College, Cambridge]]

}}

| module =

}}

'''Aleister Crowley''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|l|ɪ|s|t|ər|_|ˈ|k|r|oʊ|l|i~~}} {{respell|AL|ist|ər|_|KROH|lee~~}}; born '''Edward Alexander Crowley'''; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English [[occult]]ist, [[ceremonial magic]]ian, poet, novelist, [[mountaineer]], and painter. He ~~founded the religion of [[Thelema]], identifying himself~~ as the [[prophet]] entrusted with guiding humanity into the [[Aeon of Horus|Æon of Horus]] in the early 20th century. A prolific writer, he published widely over the course of his life.

'''Aleister Crowley''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|l|ɪ|s|t|ər|_|ˈ|k|r|oʊ|l|i}}; born '''Edward Alexander Crowley'''; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English [[occult]]ist, [[ceremonial magic]]ian, poet, novelist, [[mountaineer]], and painter. He identified as the [[prophet]] entrusted with guiding humanity into the [[Aeon of Horus|Æon of Horus]] in the early 20th century, founding the religion of [[Thelema]]. A prolific writer, he published widely over the course of his life.

Born to a wealthy family in [[Royal Leamington Spa]], Warwickshire, Crowley rejected his parents' [[fundamentalist Christian]] [[Plymouth Brethren]] faith to pursue an interest in [[Western esotericism]]. He was educated at [[Trinity College, Cambridge|Trinity College]] at the [[University of Cambridge]], where he focused his attention upon mountaineering and poetry, resulting in several publications. Some biographers allege that here he was recruited into a [[British intelligence agency]], further suggesting that he remained a spy throughout his life. In 1898, he joined the esoteric [[Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn]], where he was trained in ceremonial magic by [[Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers]] and [[Charles Henry Allan Bennett|Allan Bennett]]. He went mountaineering in Mexico with [[Oscar Eckenstein]], before studying [[Hindu]] and [[Buddhist]] practices in India. In 1904, he married [[Rose Edith Kelly]], and they honeymooned in [[Cairo]], Egypt, where Crowley wrote down ''[[The Book of the Law]]''—a sacred text that serves as the basis for Thelema, which he said had been dictated to him by a supernatural entity named [[Aiwass]]. ''The Book'' announced the start of the Æon of Horus, and declared that its followers should "Do what thou wilt"~~, and~~ seek to align themselves with their [[True Will]] via the practice of ceremonial magic.

Born to a wealthy family in [[Royal Leamington Spa]], Warwickshire, Crowley rejected his parents' [[fundamentalist Christian]] [[Plymouth Brethren]] faith to pursue an interest in [[Western esotericism]]. He was educated at [[Trinity College, Cambridge|Trinity College]] at the [[University of Cambridge]], where he focused his attention upon mountaineering and poetry, resulting in several publications. Some biographers allege that here he was recruited into a [[British intelligence agency]], further suggesting that he remained a spy throughout his life. In 1898, he joined the esoteric [[Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn]], where he was trained in ceremonial magic by [[Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers]] and [[Charles Henry Allan Bennett|Allan Bennett]]. He went mountaineering in Mexico with [[Oscar Eckenstein]], before studying [[Hindu]] and [[Buddhist]] practices in India. In 1904, he married [[Rose Edith Kelly]], and they honeymooned in [[Cairo]], Egypt, where Crowley wrote down ''[[The Book of the Law]]''—a sacred text that serves as the basis for Thelema, which he said had been dictated to him by a supernatural entity named [[Aiwass]]. ''The Book'' announced the start of the Æon of Horus and declared that its followers should "Do what thou wilt": seek to align themselves with their [[True Will]] via the practice of ceremonial magic.

After the unsuccessful [[1905 Kanchenjunga expedition]], and a visit to India and China, Crowley returned to Britain, where he attracted attention as a prolific author of poetry, novels, and occult literature. In 1907, he and [[George Cecil Jones]] co-founded an esoteric order—the [[A∴A∴]], through which they propagated Thelema. After spending time in Algeria, in 1912 he was initiated into another esoteric ~~order—the~~ German-based [[Ordo Templi Orientis]] (O.T.O.)~~, in which~~ he rose to become the leader of its British branch, which he reformulated in accordance with ~~his Thelemite beliefs~~. Through O.T.O., Thelemite groups were established in Britain, Australia, and North America. Crowley spent the [[First World War]] in the United States, where he took up painting, and campaigned for the German war effort against Britain. His biographers later revealed that he had infiltrated the pro-German movement to assist the British intelligence services. In 1920, he established the [[Abbey of Thelema]]—a religious commune in [[Cefalù]], Sicily, where he lived with various followers. His [[libertine]] lifestyle led to denunciations in the British press, and the Italian government evicted him in 1923. He divided the following two decades between France, Germany, and England, and continued to promote Thelema until his death.

After the unsuccessful [[1905 Kanchenjunga expedition]] and a visit to India and China, Crowley returned to Britain, where he attracted attention as a prolific author of poetry, novels, and occult literature. In 1907, he and [[George Cecil Jones]] co-founded an esoteric order—the [[A∴A∴]], through which they propagated Thelema. After spending time in Algeria, in 1912 he was initiated into another esoteric order, the German-based [[Ordo Templi Orientis]] (O.T.O.); he rose to become the leader of its British branch, which he reformulated in accordance with Thelema. Through O.T.O., Thelemite groups were established in Britain, Australia, and North America. Crowley spent the [[First World War]] in the United States, where he took up painting, and campaigned for the German war effort against Britain. His biographers later revealed that he had infiltrated the pro-German movement to assist the British intelligence services. In 1920, he established the [[Abbey of Thelema]], a religious commune in [[Cefalù]], Sicily, where he lived with various followers. His [[libertine]] lifestyle led to denunciations in the British press, and the Italian government evicted him in 1923. He divided the following two decades between France, Germany, and England, and continued to promote Thelema until his death.

Crowley gained widespread notoriety during his lifetime, being a [[recreational drug use|drug user]], a [[bisexual]], and an individualist [[social critic]]. Crowley has remained a highly influential figure over western esotericism and the [[counterculture of the 1960s]], and he continues to be considered a prophet in Thelema. He is the subject of various biographies and academic studies.

Crowley gained widespread notoriety during his lifetime, being a [[recreational drug use|drug user]], a [[bisexual]], and an individualist social critic. Crowley has remained a highly influential figure over western esotericism and the [[counterculture of the 1960s]], and he continues to be considered a prophet in Thelema. He is the subject of various biographies and academic studies.

==Early life==

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[[File:Aleister Crowley birthplace.jpg|thumb|alt=2017 photograph of Crowley's birthplace|Aleister Crowley was born Edward Alexander Crowley at 30 Clarendon Square in Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, on 12 October 1875.]]

Crowley was born Edward Alexander Crowley at 30 Clarendon Square in [[Royal Leamington Spa]], Warwickshire, on 12 October 1875.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=4–5|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=15|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=14}} His father, Edward Crowley (1829–1887), was trained as an engineer, but his share in a lucrative family brewing business, Crowley's Alton Ales, allowed him to retire before his son was born.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=2–3|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=31–23|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=4–8|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=14–15}} His mother, Emily Bertha Bishop (1848–1917), came from a Devonshire-Somerset family and had a strained relationship with her son; she described him as "the Beast", a name that he revelled in.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=3|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=18–21|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=13–16|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=17–21}} The couple had been married at London's [[Kensington and Chelsea Register Office|Kensington Registry Office]] in November 1874,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=3|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2pp=13–14|3a1=Churton|3y=2011|3p=17}} and were evangelical Christians. Crowley's father was born a [[Quaker]], but converted to the [[Exclusive Brethren]], a faction of a [[Christian fundamentalist]] group known as the [[Plymouth Brethren]]; Emily likewise converted upon marriage. Crowley's father was particularly devout, spending his time as a travelling preacher for the sect and reading a chapter from the Bible to his wife and son after breakfast every day.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=3–4, 6, 9–10|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=17–23|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=11–12, 16}} Following the death of their baby daughter in 1880, in 1881 the Crowleys moved to [[Redhill, Surrey~~|Redhill~~]]~~, Surrey~~.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=6–7|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2p=16|3a1=Churton|3y=2011|3p=24}} At the age of 8, Crowley was sent to H. T. Habershon's evangelical Christian boarding school in [[Hastings]], and then to Ebor preparatory school in [[Cambridge]], run by the Reverend Henry d'Arcy Champney, whom Crowley considered a sadist.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=12–14|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=25–29|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=17–18|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=24}}

Crowley was born Edward Alexander Crowley at 30 Clarendon Square in [[Royal Leamington Spa]], [[Warwickshire]], England, on 12 October 1875.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=4–5|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=15|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=14}} His father, Edward Crowley (1829–1887), was trained as an engineer, but his share in a lucrative family brewing business, Crowley's Alton Ales, allowed him to retire before his son was born.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=2–3|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=31–23|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=4–8|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=14–15}} His mother, Emily Bertha Bishop (1848–1917), came from a Devonshire-Somerset family and had a strained relationship with her son; she described him as "the Beast", a name that he revelled in.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=3|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=18–21|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=13–16|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=17–21}} The couple had been married at London's [[Kensington and Chelsea Register Office|Kensington Registry Office]] in November 1874,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=3|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2pp=13–14|3a1=Churton|3y=2011|3p=17}} and were evangelical Christians. Crowley's father was born a [[Quaker]], but converted to the [[Exclusive Brethren]], a faction of a [[Christian fundamentalist]] group known as the [[Plymouth Brethren]]; Emily likewise converted upon marriage. Crowley's father was particularly devout, spending his time as a travelling preacher for the sect and reading a chapter from the Bible to his wife and son after breakfast every day.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=3–4, 6, 9–10|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=17–23|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=11–12, 16}} Following the death of their baby daughter in 1880, in 1881 the Crowleys moved to [[Redhill, Surrey]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=6–7|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2p=16|3a1=Churton|3y=2011|3p=24}} At the age of 8, Crowley was sent to H. T. Habershon's evangelical Christian boarding school in [[Hastings]], and then to Ebor preparatory school in [[Cambridge]], run by the Reverend Henry d'Arcy Champney, whom Crowley considered a sadist.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=12–14|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=25–29|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=17–18|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=24}}

In March 1887, when Crowley was eleven years old, his father died of [[tongue cancer]]. Crowley described this as a turning point in his life,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=15|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=24–25|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=19|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=24–25}} and he always maintained an admiration of his father, describing him as "my hero and my friend".{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=10|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=21}} Inheriting a third of his father's wealth, he began misbehaving at school and was harshly punished by Champney; Crowley's family removed him from the school when he developed [[albuminuria]].{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1pp=27–30|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2pp=19, 21–22}} He then attended [[Malvern College]] and [[Tonbridge School]], both of which he despised and left after a few terms.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=32–39|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=32–33|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=27|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=26–27}} He became increasingly sceptical of Christianity, pointing out [[Internal consistency of the Bible|Biblical inconsistencies]] to his religious teachers,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=15–16|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=25–26|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=23}} and went against the Christian morality of his upbringing by smoking, masturbating, and having sex with prostitutes from whom he contracted [[gonorrhea]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=26–27|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=33|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=24, 27|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=26}} Sent to live with a Brethren tutor in [[Eastbourne]], he undertook chemistry courses at [[Eastbourne College]]. Crowley developed interests in [[chess]], poetry, and [[mountain climbing]], and in 1894 climbed [[Beachy Head]] before visiting the [[Alps]] and joining the [[Scottish Mountaineering Club]]. The following year he returned to the [[Bernese Alps]], climbing the [[Eiger]], [[Trift Glacier|Trift]], [[Jungfrau]], [[Mönch]], and [[Wetterhorn]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=39–43|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=30–32, 34|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=27–30|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=26–27}}

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Crowley had his first significant [[religious experience|mystical experience]] while on holiday in Stockholm in December 1896.{{sfnm|1a1=Symonds|1y=1997|1p=14|2a1=Booth|2y=2000|2pp=56–57|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=36|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=29}} Several biographers, including [[Lawrence Sutin]], [[Richard Kaczynski]], and [[Tobias Churton]], believed that this was the result of Crowley's first same-sex sexual experience, which enabled him to recognize his [[bisexuality]].{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1p=38|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2p=36|3a1=Churton|3y=2011|3p=29}} At Cambridge, Crowley maintained a vigorous sex life with women—largely with female prostitutes, from one of whom he caught [[syphilis]]—but eventually he took part in same-sex activities, despite [[Offences Against the Person Act 1861#Unnatural offences|their illegality]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=59–62|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=43|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=27–28}} In October 1897, Crowley met [[Herbert Charles Pollitt]], president of the [[Footlights|Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club]], and the two entered into a relationship. They broke apart because Pollitt did not share Crowley's increasing interest in Western esotericism, a break-up that Crowley regretted for many years.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=64–65|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=41–47|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=37–40, 45|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=33–24}}

In 1897, Crowley travelled to [[Saint Petersburg]] in Russia, later saying that he was trying to learn Russian as he was considering a future diplomatic career there.{{sfnm|1a1=Spence|1y=2008|1pp=19–20|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=37|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=35|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=30–31}} In October 1897, a brief illness triggered considerations of mortality and "the futility of all human endeavour", and ~~Crowley~~ abandoned all thoughts of a diplomatic career in favour of pursuing an interest in the occult.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=57–58|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=37–39|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=36}}

In 1897, Crowley travelled to [[Saint Petersburg]], Russia, later saying that he was trying to learn Russian, because he was considering a future diplomatic career there.{{sfnm|1a1=Spence|1y=2008|1pp=19–20|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=37|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=35|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=30–31}} In October 1897, a brief illness triggered considerations of mortality and "the futility of all human endeavour", and he abandoned all thoughts of a diplomatic career in favour of pursuing an interest in the occult.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=57–58|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=37–39|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=36}}

In March 1898, he obtained [[A. E. Waite]]'s ''[[The Book of Ceremonial Magic|The Book of Black Magic and of Pacts]]'', and ~~then~~ [[Karl von Eckartshausen]]'s ''[[The Cloud ~~Upon~~ the Sanctuary]]'', furthering his occult interests.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=58–59|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=41|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=40–42}} That same year, [[Leonard Smithers]], a publisher who Crowley met through Pollitt, published 100 copies of Crowley's poem ''Aceldama: A Place to Bury Strangers In'', but it was not a particular success.{{Sfnm|1a1=Symonds|1y=1997|1pp=14–15|2a1=Booth|2y=2000|2pp=72–73|3a1=Sutin|3y=2000|3pp=44–45|4a1=Kaczynski|4y=2010|4pp=46–47}} That same year, Crowley published a string of other poems, including ''[[White Stains]]'', a [[Decadent movement|Decadent]] collection of erotic poetry that was printed abroad lest its publication be prohibited by the British authorities.{{sfnm|1a1=Symonds|1y=1997|1p=15|2a1=Booth|2y=2000|2pp=74–75|3a1=Sutin|3y=2000|3pp=44–45|4a1=Kaczynski|4y=2010|4pp=48–50}} In July 1898, he left Cambridge, ~~not having taken any degree at all~~ despite a "[[First-class honours|first class]]" showing in his 1897 exams and consistent "second class honours" results before that.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=78–79|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=35–36}}

In March 1898, he obtained [[A. E. Waite]]'s ''[[The Book of Ceremonial Magic|The Book of Black Magic and of Pacts]]'' and [[Karl von Eckartshausen]]'s ''[[The Cloud upon the Sanctuary]]'', furthering his occult interests.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=58–59|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=41|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=40–42}} That same year, [[Leonard Smithers]], a publisher who Crowley met through Pollitt, published 100 copies of Crowley's poem ''Aceldama: A Place to Bury Strangers In'', but it was not a particular success.{{Sfnm|1a1=Symonds|1y=1997|1pp=14–15|2a1=Booth|2y=2000|2pp=72–73|3a1=Sutin|3y=2000|3pp=44–45|4a1=Kaczynski|4y=2010|4pp=46–47}} That same year, Crowley published a string of other poems, including ''[[White Stains]]'', a [[Decadent movement|Decadent]] collection of erotic poetry that was printed abroad lest its publication be prohibited by the British authorities.{{sfnm|1a1=Symonds|1y=1997|1p=15|2a1=Booth|2y=2000|2pp=74–75|3a1=Sutin|3y=2000|3pp=44–45|4a1=Kaczynski|4y=2010|4pp=48–50}} In July 1898, he left Cambridge without a degree, despite a "[[First-class honours|first class]]" showing in his 1897 exams and consistent "second class honours" results before that.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=78–79|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=35–36}}

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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]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=81–82|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=52–53|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=52–53}} 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 was founded in 1888.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=82–85|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=53–54|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=54–55}} 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 "Brother I shall endure to the end".{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=85, 93–94|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=54–55|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=60–61|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=35}}

Crowley moved into his own luxury flat at 67–69 [[Chancery Lane]] and soon invited a senior Golden Dawn member, [[Charles Henry Allan Bennett|Allan Bennett]], to live with him as his personal magical tutor. Bennett taught Crowley more about ceremonial magic and the ritual use of drugs, and together they performed the rituals of the ''[[Goetia]]'',{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=98–103|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=64–66|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=54–55, 62–64, 67–68|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=49}} until Bennett left for South Asia to study [[Buddhism]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=103–05|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=70–71|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=70–71|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=55}} In November 1899, Crowley purchased [[Boleskine House]] in [[Foyers, Highland|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.{{sfnm|1a1=Symonds|1y=1997|1p=29|2a1=Booth|2y=2000|2pp=107–11|3a1=Sutin|3y=2000|3pp=72–73|4a1=Kaczynski|4y=2010|4pp=68–69|5a1=Churton|5y=2011|5p=52}} 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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=114–15|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=44–45|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=61, 66, 70}}

Crowley moved into his own luxury flat at 67–69 [[Chancery Lane]] and soon invited a senior Golden Dawn member, [[Charles Henry Allan Bennett|Allan Bennett]], to live with him as his personal magical tutor. Bennett taught Crowley more about ceremonial magic and the ritual use of drugs, and together they performed the rituals of the ''[[Goetia]]'',{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=98–103|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=64–66|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=54–55, 62–64, 67–68|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=49}} until Bennett left for South Asia to study [[Buddhism]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=103–05|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=70–71|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=70–71|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=55}} In November 1899, Crowley purchased [[Boleskine House]] in [[Foyers, Highland|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.{{sfnm|1a1=Symonds|1y=1997|1p=29|2a1=Booth|2y=2000|2pp=107–11|3a1=Sutin|3y=2000|3pp=72–73|4a1=Kaczynski|4y=2010|4pp=68–69|5a1=Churton|5y=2011|5p=52}} 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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=114–15|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=44–45|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=61, 66, 70}}

Crowley soon progressed through the lower grades of the Golden Dawn, and was ready to enter the group's inner Second Order.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=115–16|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=71–72|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=64}} He was unpopular in the group; his bisexuality and [[libertine]] lifestyle gained him a bad reputation, and he developed feuds with some of the members, including [[W. B. Yeats]].{{sfnm|1a1=Symonds|1y=1997|1p=37|2a1=Booth|2y=2000|2pp=115–16|3a1=Sutin|3y=2000|3pp=67–69|4a1=Kaczynski|4y=2010|4pp=64–67}} 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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=116|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=73–75|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=70–73|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=53–54}} A schism had developed between Mathers and the London members of the Golden Dawn, who were unhappy with his autocratic rule.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=118|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=73–75|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=74–75|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=57}} 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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=118–23|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=76–79|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=75–80|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=58–60}}

===Mexico, India, Paris, and marriage: 1900–1903===

In 1900, Crowley travelled to Mexico via the United States, settling in [[Mexico City]] and starting a relationship with a local woman. Developing a love of the country, he continued experimenting with ceremonial magic, working with [[John Dee]]'s [[Enochian]] invocations. He later said he had been initiated into [[Freemasonry]] while there, and he wrote a play based on [[Richard Wagner]]'s ''[[Tannhäuser (opera)|Tannhäuser]]'' as well as a series of poems, published as ''Oracles'' (1905). Eckenstein joined him later in 1900, and together they climbed several mountains, including [[Iztaccihuatl]], [[Popocatépetl|Popocatepetl]], and [[Volcán de Colima|Colima]], the latter of which they had to abandon owing to a volcanic eruption.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=127–37|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=80–86|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=83–90|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=64–70}} Leaving Mexico, Crowley headed to San Francisco before sailing for Hawaii aboard the ''Nippon Maru''. On the ship, he had a brief affair with a married woman named Mary Alice Rogers; saying he fell in love with her, he wrote a series of poems about the romance, published as ''Alice: An Adultery'' (1903).{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=137–39|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=86–90|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=90–93|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=71–75}}

In 1900, Crowley travelled to Mexico via the United States, settling in [[Mexico City]] and starting a relationship with a local woman. Developing a love of the country, he continued experimenting with ceremonial magic, working with [[John Dee]]'s [[Enochian]] invocations. He later said he had been initiated into [[Freemasonry]] while there, and he wrote a play based on [[Richard Wagner]]'s opera ''[[Tannhäuser (opera)|Tannhäuser]]'' as well as a series of poems published as ''Oracles'' (1905). Eckenstein joined him later in 1900, and together they climbed several mountains, including [[Iztaccihuatl]], [[Popocatépetl|Popocatepetl]], and [[Volcán de Colima|Colima]], the latter of which they had to abandon owing to a volcanic eruption.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=127–37|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=80–86|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=83–90|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=64–70}} Leaving Mexico, Crowley headed to San Francisco before sailing for Hawaii aboard the ''Nippon Maru''. On the ship, he had a brief affair with a married woman named Mary Alice Rogers; saying he fell in love with her, he wrote a series of poems about the romance, published as ''Alice: An Adultery'' (1903).{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=137–39|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=86–90|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=90–93|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=71–75}}

[[File:Aleister Crowley 1902 K2.jpg|thumbnail|alt=Crowley bathing in a spring during the K2 Expedition, 1902|Crowley during the K2 Expedition, 1902]]

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===Egypt and ''The Book of the Law'': 1904===

{{Quote box|width=25em|align=right|quote=Had! The manifestation of [[Nuit]]. The unveiling of the company of heaven. Every man and every woman is a star. Every number is infinite; there is no difference. Help me, o warrior lord of Thebes, in my unveiling before the Children of men!|source=The opening lines of ''The Book of the Law''}}

{{Quote box

| width = 25em

| align = right

| quote = Had! The manifestation of [[Nuit]]. The unveiling of the company of heaven. Every man and every woman is a star. Every number is infinite; there is no difference. Help me, o warrior lord of Thebes, in my unveiling before the Children of men!

| source = The opening lines of ''The Book of the Law''

}}

In February 1904, Crowley and Rose arrived in [[Cairo]]. Pretending to be a prince and princess, they rented an apartment in which Crowley set up a temple room and began invoking ancient Egyptian deities, while studying [[Islamic mysticism]] and [[Arabic]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=181–82|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=118–20|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=124|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=94}} 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|Number of the Beast]] in Christian belief, and in later years termed the artefact the "Stele of Revealing".{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=182–83|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=120–22|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=124–26|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=96–98}}

According to Crowley's later statements, on 8 April he heard a disembodied voice identifying itself as that of [[Aiwass]], the messenger of Horus, or [[Heru-ra-ha|Hoor-Paar-Kraat]]. Crowley said that he wrote down everything the voice told him over the course of the next three days, and titled it ''Liber AL vel Legis'' or ''[[The Book of the Law]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=184–88|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=122–25|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=127–29}} The book proclaimed that humanity was entering a new [[Aeon (Thelema)|Aeon]], and that Crowley would serve as its [[prophet]]. It stated that a supreme moral law was to be introduced in this Aeon, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law," and that people should learn to live in tune with their Will. This book, and the philosophy that it espoused, became the cornerstone of ~~Crowley's religion,~~ [[Thelema]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=184–88|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=125–33}} Crowley said that at the time he was unsure what to do with ''The Book of the Law''. Often resenting it, he said that he ignored the instructions which the text commanded him to perform, which included taking the Stele of Revealing from the museum, fortifying his own island, and translating the book into all the world's languages. According to his account, he instead sent typescripts of the work to several occultists he knew, putting the manuscript away and ignoring it.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=188|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=139|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=129}}

According to Crowley's later statements, on 8 April he heard a disembodied voice identifying itself as that of [[Aiwass]], the messenger of Horus, or [[Heru-ra-ha|Hoor-Paar-Kraat]]. Crowley said that he wrote down everything the voice told him over the course of the next three days, and titled it ''Liber AL vel Legis'' or ''[[The Book of the Law]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=184–88|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=122–25|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=127–29}} The book proclaimed that humanity was entering a new [[Aeon (Thelema)|Aeon]], and that Crowley would serve as its [[prophet]]. It stated that a supreme moral law was to be introduced in this Aeon, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law," and that people should learn to live in tune with their Will. This book, and the philosophy that it espoused, became the cornerstone of [[Thelema]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=184–88|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=125–33}} Crowley said that at the time he was unsure what to do with ''The Book of the Law''. Often resenting it, he said that he ignored the instructions which the text commanded him to perform, which included taking the Stele of Revealing from the museum, fortifying his own island, and translating the book into all the world's languages. According to his account, he instead sent typescripts of the work to several occultists he knew, putting the manuscript away and ignoring it.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=188|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=139|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=129}}

===Kanchenjunga and China: 1905–1906===

Returning to Boleskine, Crowley came to believe that Mathers was using magic against him, and the relationship between the two broke down.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=189, 194–95|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=140–41|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=130|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=108}} On 28 July 1905, Rose gave birth to Crowley's first child, a daughter named Lilith, and Crowley wrote the pornographic ''[[Snowdrops from a Curate's Garden]]'' to entertain his recuperating wife.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=195–96|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=142|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=132|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=108}} He also founded a publishing company through which to publish his poetry, naming it the Society for the Propagation of Religious Truth in parody of the [[Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge]]. Among its first publications were Crowley's ''Collected Works'', edited by Ivor Back, an old friend of Crowley's who was both a practicing surgeon and an enthusiast of literature.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=190|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=142|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=131–33}} His poetry often received strong reviews (either positive or negative), but never sold well. In an attempt to gain more publicity, he issued a reward of £100 for the best essay on his work. The winner of this was [[J. F. C. Fuller]], a British Army officer and military historian, whose essay, ''The Star in the West'' (1907), heralded Crowley's poetry as some of the greatest ever written.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=241–42|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=177–79|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=136–37, 139, 168–69}}

Returning to Boleskine, Crowley came to believe that Mathers was using magic against him, and the relationship between the two broke down.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=189, 194–95|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=140–41|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=130|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=108}} On 28 July 1905, Rose gave birth to Crowley's first child, a daughter named Lilith, and Crowley wrote the pornographic ''[[Snowdrops from a Curate's Garden]]'' to entertain his recuperating wife.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=195–96|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=142|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=132|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=108}} He also founded a publishing company through which to publish his poetry, naming it the Society for the Propagation of Religious Truth in parody of the [[Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge]]. Among its first publications were Crowley's ''Collected Works'', edited by Ivor Back, an old friend of Crowley's who was both a practicing surgeon and an enthusiast of literature.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=190|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=142|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=131–33}} His poetry often received strong reviews (either positive or negative), but never sold well. In an attempt to gain more publicity, he issued a reward of £100 for the best essay on his work. The winner of this was [[J. F. C. Fuller]], a British Army officer and military historian, whose essay, "The Star in the West" (1907), heralded Crowley's poetry as some of the greatest ever written.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=241–42|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=177–79|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=136–37, 139, 168–69}}

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Crowley decided to climb [[Kangchenjunga|Kanchenjunga]] in the Himalayas of Nepal, widely recognised as the world's most treacherous mountain. The collaboration between [[Jules Jacot-Guillarmod|Jacot-Guillarmod]], Charles Adolphe Reymond, Alexis Pache, and Alcesti C. Rigo de Righi, [[1905 Kanchenjunga expedition|the expedition]] was marred by much argument between Crowley and the others, who thought that he was reckless. They eventually mutinied against Crowley's control, with the other climbers heading back down the mountain as nightfall approached despite Crowley's warnings that it was too dangerous. Subsequently, Pache and several porters were killed in an accident, something for which Crowley was widely blamed by the mountaineering community.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=201–15|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=149–58|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=138–49|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=111–12}}

Spending time in [[Hariharpur, India|Moharbhanj]], where he took part in [[big-game hunting]] and wrote the homoerotic work ''The Scented Garden'', Crowley met up with Rose and Lilith in [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] before being forced to leave India after non-lethally shooting two men who tried to mug him.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=217–19|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=158–62|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=151–52}} Briefly visiting Bennett in Burma, Crowley and his family decided to tour Southern China, hiring porters and a nanny for the purpose.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=221|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=162–63|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=114}} Crowley smoked opium throughout the journey, which took the family from [[Tengchong|Tengyueh]] through to Yungchang, [[Dali City|Tali]], [[Kunming|Yunnanfu]], and then [[Hanoi]]. On the way, he spent much time on spiritual and magical work, reciting the "Bornless Ritual", an invocation to his [[Holy Guardian Angel]], on a daily basis.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=221–32|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=164–69|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=153–54|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=115–18}}

Spending time in [[Hariharpur, India|Moharbhanj]], where he took part in [[big-game hunting]] and wrote the homoerotic work ''The Scented Garden'', Crowley met up with Rose and Lilith in [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] before being forced to leave India after non-lethally shooting two men who tried to mug him.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=217–19|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=158–62|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=151–52}} Briefly visiting Bennett in Burma, Crowley and his family decided to tour Southern China, hiring porters and a nanny for the purpose.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=221|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=162–63|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=114}} Crowley smoked opium throughout the journey, which took the family from [[Tengchong|Tengyueh]] through to [[Baoshan, Yunnan|Yungchang]], [[Dali City|Tali]], [[Kunming|Yunnanfu]], and then [[Hanoi]]. On the way, he spent much time on spiritual and magical work, reciting the "Bornless Ritual", an invocation to his [[Holy Guardian Angel]], on a daily basis.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=221–32|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=164–69|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=153–54|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=115–18}}

While Rose and Lilith returned to Europe, Crowley headed to Shanghai to meet old friend Elaine Simpson, who was fascinated by ''The Book of the Law''; together they performed rituals in an attempt to contact Aiwass. Crowley then sailed to Japan and Canada, before continuing to New York City, where he unsuccessfully solicited support for a second expedition up Kanchenjunga.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=232–35|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=169–71|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=155–56|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=118–21}} Upon arrival in Britain, Crowley learned that his daughter Lilith had died of [[Typhoid fever|typhoid]] in [[Yangon|Rangoon]], something he later blamed on Rose's increasing alcoholism. Under emotional distress, his health began to suffer, and he underwent a series of surgical operations.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=235–36, 239|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=171–72|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=159–60|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=121}} He began short-lived romances with actress Vera "Lola" Neville (née Snepp){{sfn|Kaczynski|2010|p=160}} and author [[Ada Leverson]],{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=246|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=179|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=159–60, 173–74}} while Rose gave birth to Crowley's second daughter, Lola Zaza, in ~~February 1907~~.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=236–37|2a1=~~Sutin~~|2y=~~2000~~|~~2pp~~=~~172–73~~|~~3a1~~=Kaczynski|3y=2010|~~3pp~~=159–60|~~4a1~~=~~Churton~~|4y=~~2011~~|4p=~~125~~}}

While Rose and Lilith returned to Europe, Crowley headed to Shanghai to meet old friend Elaine Simpson, who was fascinated by ''The Book of the Law''; together they performed rituals in an attempt to contact Aiwass. Crowley then sailed to Japan and Canada, before continuing to New York City, where he unsuccessfully solicited support for a second expedition up Kanchenjunga.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=232–35|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=169–71|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=155–56|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=118–21}} Upon arrival in Britain, Crowley learned that his daughter Lilith had died of [[Typhoid fever|typhoid]] in [[Yangon|Rangoon]], something he later blamed on Rose's increasing alcoholism. Under emotional distress, his health began to suffer, and he underwent a series of surgical operations.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=235–36, 239|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=171–72|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=159–60|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=121}} He began short-lived romances with actress Vera "Lola" Neville (née Snepp){{sfn|Kaczynski|2010|p=160}} and author [[Ada Leverson]],{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=246|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=179|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=159–60, 173–74}} while Rose gave birth to Crowley's second daughter. Lola Zaza was born in 1906: either in late summer{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1pp=172–73}} or in September{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=159–60}} or in the following winter.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=236–37|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2p=125}} The child contracted bronchitis and almost died.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=159–60|2a1=Booth|2y=2000|2pp=236–37|3a1=Sutin|3y=2000|3pp=172–73}}

===The A∴A∴ and The Holy Books of Thelema: 1907–1909===

With his old mentor George Cecil Jones, Crowley continued performing [[The Book of Abramelin|the Abramelin rituals]] at the Ashdown Park Hotel in [[Coulsdon]], Surrey. Crowley believed that in doing so he attained ''[[samadhi]]'', or union with Godhead, thereby marking a turning point in his life.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=239–40|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=173–74|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=157–60}} Making heavy use of [[hashish]] during these rituals, he wrote an essay on "The Psychology of Hashish" (1909) in which he championed the drug as an aid to mysticism.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=240–41|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=173, 175–76|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=179|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=128}} He also said he had been contacted once again by Aiwass in late October and November 1907, adding that Aiwass dictated two further texts to him, "Liber VII" and "Liber Cordis Cincti Serpente", both of which were later classified in the corpus of [[The Holy Books of Thelema]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=251–52|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=181|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=172}} Crowley wrote down more Thelemic Holy Books during the last two months of the year, including "Liber LXVI", "Liber Arcanorum", "Liber Porta Lucis, Sub Figura X", "Liber Tau", "[[Liber Trigrammaton]]" and "Liber DCCCXIII vel Ararita", which he again said he had received from a preternatural source.{{sfn|Kaczynski|2010|pp=173–75}} Crowley stated that in June 1909, when the manuscript of ''The Book of the Law'' was rediscovered at Boleskine, he developed the opinion that Thelema represented [[Objectivity (philosophy)|objective truth]].{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1pp=195–96|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2pp=189–90|3a1=Churton|3y=2011|3pp=147–48}}

With his old mentor George Cecil Jones, Crowley continued performing [[The Book of Abramelin|the Abramelin rituals]] at the Ashdown Park Hotel in [[Coulsdon]], Surrey. Crowley believed that in doing so he attained ''[[samadhi]]'', or union with the Godhead, thereby marking a turning point in his life.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=239–40|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=173–74|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=157–60}} Making heavy use of [[hashish]] during these rituals, he wrote an essay on "The Psychology of Hashish" (1909) in which he championed the drug as an aid to mysticism.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=240–41|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=173, 175–76|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=179|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=128}} He also said he had been contacted once again by Aiwass in late October and November 1907, adding that Aiwass dictated two further texts to him, "Liber VII" and "Liber Cordis Cincti Serpente", both of which were later classified in the corpus of [[The Holy Books of Thelema]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=251–52|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=181|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=172}} Crowley wrote down more Thelemic Holy Books during the last two months of the year, including "Liber LXVI", "Liber Arcanorum", "Liber Porta Lucis, Sub Figura X", "Liber Tau", "[[Liber Trigrammaton]]" and "Liber DCCCXIII vel Ararita", which he again said he had received from a preternatural source.{{sfn|Kaczynski|2010|pp=173–75}} Crowley stated that in June 1909, when the manuscript of ''The Book of the Law'' was rediscovered at Boleskine, he developed the opinion that Thelema represented [[Objectivity (philosophy)|objective truth]].{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1pp=195–96|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2pp=189–90|3a1=Churton|3y=2011|3pp=147–48}}

Crowley's inheritance was running out.{{sfn|Booth|2000|p=243}} Trying to earn money, he was hired by George Montagu Bennett, the [[Earl of Tankerville]], to help protect him from [[witchcraft]]; recognising Bennett's paranoia as being based in his cocaine addiction, Crowley took him on holiday to France and Morocco to recuperate.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=249–51|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=180|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=129–36}} In 1907, he also began taking in paying students, whom he instructed in occult and magical practice.{{Sfn|Booth|2000|p=252}} [[Victor Neuburg (poet)|Victor Neuburg]], whom Crowley met in February 1907, became his sexual partner and closest disciple; in 1908 the pair toured northern Spain before heading to [[Tangier]], Morocco.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=255–62|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=184–87|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=179–80|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=129–30, 142–43}} The following year Neuburg stayed at Boleskine, where he and Crowley engaged in [[sadomasochism]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=267–68|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=196–98|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=146–47}} Crowley continued to write prolifically, producing such works of poetry as ''Ambergris'', ''Clouds Without Water'', and ''Konx Om Pax'',{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=244–45|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=179, 181|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=176, 191–92|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=131}} as well as his first attempt at an autobiography, ''The World's Tragedy''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=246–47|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=182–83|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=231|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=141}} Recognizing the popularity of short horror stories, Crowley wrote his own, some of which were published,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=254–55|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2p=172}} and he also published several articles in ''[[Vanity Fair (British magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'', a magazine edited by his friend [[Frank Harris]].{{sfn|Kaczynski|2010|p=178}} He also wrote ''[[777 and Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley|Liber 777]]'', a book of magical and [[Hermetic Qabalah|Qabalistic]] [[Correspondence (theology)|correspondences]] that borrowed from Mathers and Bennett.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=247–48|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=175|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=183|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=128}}

{{Quote box|width=25em|align=right|quote=Into my loneliness comes— The sound of a flute in dim groves that haunt the uttermost hills. Even from the brave river they reach to the edge of the wilderness. And I behold Pan.|source=The opening lines of Liber VII (1907), the first of the Holy Books of Thelema to be revealed to Crowley after ''The Book of the Law''.{{sfn|Crowley|1983|p=32}}}}

{{Quote box

| width = 25em

| align = right

| quote = Into my loneliness comes— The sound of a flute in dim groves that haunt the uttermost hills. Even from the brave river they reach to the edge of the wilderness. And I behold Pan.

| source = The opening lines of Liber VII (1907), the first of the Holy Books of Thelema to be revealed to Crowley after ''The Book of the Law''.{{sfn|Crowley|1983|p=32}}

}}

In November 1907, Crowley and Jones decided to found an occult order to act as a successor to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, being aided in doing so by Fuller. The result was the [[A∴A∴]]. The group's headquarters and temple were situated at 124 Victoria Street in central London, and their rites borrowed much from those of the Golden Dawn, but with an added Thelemic basis.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=263–64|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=172–73|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=146}} Its earliest members included solicitor Richard Noel Warren, artist [[Austin Osman Spare]], Horace Sheridan-Bickers, author [[George Raffalovich]], Francis Henry Everard Joseph Feilding, engineer Herbert Edward Inman, Kenneth Ward, and [[Charles Stansfeld Jones]].{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1p=207|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=185–89}} In March 1909, Crowley began production of a biannual periodical titled ''[[The Equinox]]''. He billed this periodical, which was to become the "Official Organ" of the A∴A∴, as "The Review of Scientific Illuminism".{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=265–67|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=192–93|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=183–84|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=144}}

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===Algeria and the Rites of Eleusis: 1909–1911===

[[File:Crowley Family.png|thumb|[[Rose Edith Kelly|Rose Kelly]] with Aleister Crowley and their daughter, Lola Zaza]]

In November 1909, Crowley and Neuburg travelled to Algeria, touring the desert from [[Jendouba|El Arba]] to [[Sour El-Ghozlane|Aumale]], [[Bou Saâda]], and then Dā'leh Addin, with Crowley reciting the [[Quran]] to fortify himself against growing feelings of awe and dread.{{sfn|Owen|2004|pp=186–202}} During the trip he invoked the thirty aethyrs of [[Enochian magic]], with Neuburg recording the results, later published in ''The Equinox'' as ''The Vision and the Voice''. Following a mountaintop [[sex magic]] ritual, Crowley also performed an [[evocation]] to the demon [[Choronzon]] involving [[blood sacrifice]], and considered the results to be a watershed in his magical career.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=274–82|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=199–204|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=193–203|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=149–52}} Returning to London in January 1910, Crowley found that Mathers was suing him for publishing Golden Dawn secrets in ''The Equinox''; the court found in favour of Crowley. The case was widely reported in the press, with Crowley gaining wider fame.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=282–83|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=205–06|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=205–08|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=160}} Crowley enjoyed this, and played up to the sensationalist stereotype of being a Satanist and advocate of human sacrifice, despite being neither.{{sfn|Booth|2000|pp=283–84}}

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In early 1912, Crowley published ''[[The Book of Lies (Crowley)|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".{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=302|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=224–25|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=251}} The German occultist [[Theodor Reuss]] later accused him of publishing some of the secrets of his own occult order, [[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 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".{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=302–05|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=225–26|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=251–25}} 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 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 were initiated into the [[Ordo Templi Orientis#Initiation and teachings|eleventh degree]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=306|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=228|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=256}}

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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=308–09|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=232–34|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=261–65}} In Moscow, Crowley continued to write plays and poetry, including "Hymn to [[Pan (god)|Pan]]", and the [[Liber XV, The Gnostic Mass|Gnostic Mass]], a Thelemic ritual that became a key part of O.T.O. liturgy.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=309–10|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=234–35|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=264}} Churton suggested that Crowley had travelled to Moscow on the orders of British intelligence to spy on revolutionary elements in the city.{{sfn|Churton|2011|pp=178–82}} In January 1914, Crowley and Neuburg settled into an apartment in Paris, where the former was involved in the controversy surrounding [[Oscar Wilde's tomb|Jacob Epstein's new monument to Oscar Wilde]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=307|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=218|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=266–67}} 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 (mythology)|Mercury]] and [[Jupiter (god)|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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=313–16|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=235–40|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=269–74}} Following the Paris Working, Neuburg began to distance himself from Crowley, resulting in an argument in which Crowley [[curse]]d him.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=317–19|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=240–41|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=275–76}}

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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=308–09|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=232–34|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=261–65}} In Moscow, Crowley continued to write plays and poetry, including "Hymn to [[Pan (god)|Pan]]", and the [[Liber XV, The Gnostic Mass|Gnostic Mass]], a Thelemic ritual that became a key part of O.T.O. liturgy.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=309–10|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=234–35|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=264}} Churton suggested that Crowley had travelled to Moscow on the orders of British intelligence to spy on revolutionary elements in the city.{{sfn|Churton|2011|pp=178–82}} In January 1914, Crowley and Neuburg settled into an apartment in Paris, where the former was involved in the controversy surrounding [[Oscar Wilde's tomb|Jacob Epstein's new monument to Oscar Wilde]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=307|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=218|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=266–67}} 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 (mythology)|Mercury]] and [[Jupiter (god)|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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=313–16|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=235–40|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=269–74}} Following the Paris Working, Neuburg began to distance himself from Crowley, resulting in an argument in which Crowley [[curse]]d him.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=317–19|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=240–41|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=275–76}}

===United States: 1914–1919===

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.{{sfn|Booth|2000|p=321}} In May, he transferred ownership of Boleskine House to the MMM for financial reasons,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=321–22|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=240|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=277|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=186}} and in July he went mountaineering in the Swiss Alps. During this time the [[First World War]] broke out.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=322|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2p=277}}

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.{{sfn|Booth|2000|p=321}} In May, he transferred ownership of Boleskine House to the MMM for financial reasons,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=321–22|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=240|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=277|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=186}} and in July he went mountaineering in the Swiss Alps. During this time the [[First World War]] broke out.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=322|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2p=277}} After recuperating from a bout of [[phlebitis]], Crowley set sail for the United States aboard the [[RMS Lusitania|RMS ''Lusitania'']] in October 1914.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=323|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=241|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=278|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=187–89}} Arriving in New York City, he moved into a hotel and began earning money writing for the American edition of ''[[Vanity Fair (American magazine 1913–1936)|Vanity Fair]]'' and undertaking freelance work for the famed astrologer [[Evangeline Adams]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=323–34|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=281–82, 294}} 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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=325|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=243–44}}

After recuperating from a bout of [[phlebitis]], Crowley set sail for the United States aboard the [[RMS Lusitania|RMS ''Lusitania'']] in October 1914.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=323|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=241|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=278|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=187–89}} Arriving in New York City, he moved into a hotel and began earning money writing for the American edition of ''[[Vanity Fair (American magazine 1913–1936)|Vanity Fair]]'' and undertaking freelance work for the famed astrologer [[Evangeline Adams]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=323–34|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=281–82, 294}} 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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=325|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=243–44}}

[[File:Aleister Crowley's May Morn.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=Crowley's painting ''May Morn''|''May Morn'', one of Crowley's paintings from his time in the US. He explained it thus: "The painting represents the dawning of the day following a witches' celebration as described in ''[[Faust]]''. The witch is hanged, as she deserves, and the satyr looks out from behind a tree."{{sfn|Kaczynski|2010|p=341}}]]

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Professing to be of Irish ancestry and a supporter of [[Irish nationalism|Irish independence]] from Great Britain, Crowley began to espouse support for Germany in their war against Britain. He became involved in New York's pro-German movement, and in January 1915 pro-German propagandist [[George Sylvester Viereck]] employed him as a writer for his propagandist paper, ''[[The Fatherland]]'', which was dedicated to keeping the US neutral in the conflict.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=326–30|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=245–47|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=283–84}} In later years, detractors denounced Crowley as a traitor to Britain for this action.{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1p=247|3a1=Churton|3y=2011|3p=186}}

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, California|Santa Cruz]], Los Angeles, San Diego, [[Tijuana]], and the [[Grand Canyon]], before returning to New York.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=330–33|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=251–55|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=288–91, 295–97|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=198–203}} 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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=333|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=255–57|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=298–301}} Later that year he took a "magical retirement" to a cabin by [[Newfound Lake|Lake Pasquaney]] owned by Evangeline Adams. There, he made heavy use of drugs and undertook a ritual after which he proclaimed himself "Master Therion". He also wrote several short stories based on [[James George Frazer]]'s ''[[The Golden Bough]]'' and a work of literary criticism, ''The Gospel According to Bernard Shaw''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=333–35|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=257–61|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=304–09}}

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, California|Santa Cruz]], Los Angeles, San Diego, [[Tijuana]], and the [[Grand Canyon]], before returning to New York.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=330–33|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=251–55|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=288–91, 295–97|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=198–203}} 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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=333|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=255–57|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=298–301}} Later that year he took a "magical retirement" to a cabin by [[Newfound Lake|Lake Pasquaney]] owned by Evangeline Adams. There, he made heavy use of drugs and undertook a ritual after which he proclaimed himself "Master Therion". He also wrote several short stories based on [[James George Frazer]]'s ''[[The Golden Bough]]'' and a work of literary criticism, ''The Gospel According to Bernard Shaw''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=333–35|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=257–61|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=304–09}}

[[File:Supposed channeled entity by occultist crowley.jpg|thumb|233x233px|A drawing by Crowley of Lam]]

In December, he moved to [[New Orleans]], his favourite US city, before spending February 1917 with evangelical Christian relatives in [[Titusville, Florida]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=336–38|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=261–62|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=309–13}} 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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=338|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=263|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=313–16}} 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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=339–40|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=264–66|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=320}} He then moved to the studio apartment of Roddie Minor, who became his partner and [[Babalon|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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=342–44|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=264–67|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=320–30}}

In 1918, Crowley went on a magical retreat in the wilderness of [[Esopus Island]] on the [[Hudson River]]. Here, he began an adaptation{{efn|Crowley did not read Chinese ({{harvnb|Redmond|2021|p=199, fn. 2}}); his "translations" of Chinese texts are more properly considered "radical adaptation[s]" of existing translations ({{harvnb|Robinson|2017|p=128}}).}} of the ''[[Tao Te Ching]]'', painted Thelemic slogans on the riverside cliffs, and—he later wrote—experienced [[reincarnation|past life memories]] of being [[Ge Xuan]], [[Pope Alexander VI]], [[Alessandro Cagliostro]], and [[Éliphas Lévi]].{{sfnm | 1a1 = Booth | 1y = 2000 | 1pp = 344–45 | 2a1 = Sutin | 2y = 2000 | 2pp = 267–72 | 3a1 = Kaczynski | 3y = 2010 | 3pp = 330–31 }} Back in New York City, he moved to [[Greenwich Village]], where he took [[Leah Hirsig]] as his lover and next Scarlet Woman.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=346–50|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=274–76|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=338–43}} He took up painting as a hobby, exhibiting his work at the Greenwich Village Liberal Club and attracting the attention of ''[[The Evening World]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=344–45|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=274–76|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=340–41}} With the financial assistance of sympathetic Freemasons, Crowley revived ''The Equinox'' with the first issue of volume III, known as ''The Blue Equinox''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=351|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=273|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=342–44}} He spent mid-1919 on a climbing holiday in [[Montauk, New York~~|Montauk~~]] before returning to London in December.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=351–52|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=277|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=347}}

In 1918, Crowley went on a magical retreat in the wilderness of [[Esopus Island]] on the [[Hudson River]] in [[upstate New York]]. Here, he began an adaptation{{efn|Crowley did not read Chinese ({{harvnb|Redmond|2021|p=199, fn. 2}}); his "translations" of Chinese texts are more properly considered "radical adaptation[s]" of existing translations ({{harvnb|Robinson|2017|p=128}}).}} of the ''[[Tao Te Ching]]'', painted Thelemic slogans on the riverside cliffs, and—he later wrote—experienced [[reincarnation|past life memories]] of being [[Ge Xuan]], [[Pope Alexander VI]], [[Alessandro Cagliostro]], and [[Éliphas Lévi]].{{sfnm | 1a1 = Booth | 1y = 2000 | 1pp = 344–45 | 2a1 = Sutin | 2y = 2000 | 2pp = 267–72 | 3a1 = Kaczynski | 3y = 2010 | 3pp = 330–31 }} Back in New York City, he moved to [[Greenwich Village]], where he took [[Leah Hirsig]] as his lover and next Scarlet Woman.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=346–50|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=274–76|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=338–43}} He took up painting as a hobby, exhibiting his work at the Greenwich Village Liberal Club and attracting the attention of ''[[The Evening World]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=344–45|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=274–76|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=340–41}} With the financial assistance of sympathetic Freemasons, Crowley revived ''The Equinox'' with the first issue of volume III, known as ''The Blue Equinox''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=351|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=273|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=342–44}} He spent mid-1919 on a climbing holiday in [[Montauk, New York]], before returning to London in December.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=351–52|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=277|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=347}}

===Abbey of Thelema: 1920–1923===

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===Tunisia, Paris, and London: 1923–1929===

Crowley and Hirsig went to [[Tunis]], where, dogged by continuing poor health, he unsuccessfully tried again to give up heroin,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=399–401|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=310|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=397|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=270}} and began writing what he termed his "[[hagiography|autohagiography]]", ''[[The Confessions of Aleister Crowley]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=403|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=310–11|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=398}} They were joined in Tunis by the Thelemite Norman Mudd, who became Crowley's public relations consultant.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=403–06|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=313–16|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=399–403|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=270–73}} Employing a local boy, Mohammad ben Brahim, as his servant, Crowley went with him on a retreat to [[Nefta, Tunisia|Nefta]], where they performed sex magic together.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=405–06|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=315–16|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=403–05|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=273–74}} In January 1924, Crowley travelled to [[Nice]], France, where he met with [[Frank Harris]], underwent a series of nasal operations,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=407–09|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=316–18|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=405|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=274}} and visited the [[Fourth Way|Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man]] ~~and had~~ a positive opinion of its founder, [[George Gurdjieff]].{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1p=317|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=406–07|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=281–82}} Destitute, he took on a wealthy student, Alexander Zu Zolar,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=410–12|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=319|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=287}} before taking on another American follower, Dorothy Olsen. Crowley took Olsen back to Tunisia for a magical retreat in Nefta, where he also wrote ''To Man'' (1924), a declaration of his own status as a prophet entrusted with bringing Thelema to humanity.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=412–17|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=319–20|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=413–15|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=287–88}} After spending the winter in Paris, in early 1925 Crowley and Olsen returned to Tunis, where he wrote ''[[The Heart of the Master]]'' (1938) as an account of a vision he experienced in a trance.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=418|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=323|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=417|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=323}} In March Olsen became pregnant, and Hirsig was called to take care of her; she miscarried, following which Crowley took Olsen back to France. Hirsig later distanced herself from Crowley, who then denounced her.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=419–20|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=322|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=417–18|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=289}}

Crowley and Hirsig went to [[Tunis]], where, dogged by continuing poor health, he unsuccessfully tried again to give up heroin,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=399–401|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=310|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=397|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=270}} and began writing what he termed his "[[hagiography|autohagiography]]", ''[[The Confessions of Aleister Crowley]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=403|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=310–11|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=398}} They were joined in Tunis by the Thelemite Norman Mudd, who became Crowley's public relations consultant.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=403–06|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=313–16|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=399–403|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=270–73}} Employing a local boy, Mohammad ben Brahim, as his servant, Crowley went with him on a retreat to [[Nefta, Tunisia|Nefta]], where they performed sex magic together.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=405–06|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=315–16|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=403–05|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=273–74}} In January 1924, Crowley travelled to [[Nice]], France, where he met with [[Frank Harris]], underwent a series of nasal operations,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=407–09|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=316–18|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=405|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=274}} and visited the [[Fourth Way|Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man]], developing a positive opinion of its founder [[George Gurdjieff]].{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1p=317|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=406–07|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=281–82}} Destitute, he took on a wealthy student, Alexander Zu Zolar,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=410–12|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=319|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=287}} before taking on another American follower, Dorothy Olsen. Crowley took Olsen back to Tunisia for a magical retreat in Nefta, where he also wrote ''To Man'' (1924), a declaration of his own status as a prophet entrusted with bringing Thelema to humanity.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=412–17|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=319–20|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=413–15|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=287–88}} After spending the winter in Paris, in early 1925 Crowley and Olsen returned to Tunis, where he wrote ''[[The Heart of the Master]]'' (1938) as an account of a vision he experienced in a trance.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=418|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=323|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=417|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=323}} In March Olsen became pregnant, and Hirsig was called to take care of her; she miscarried, following which Crowley took Olsen back to France. Hirsig later distanced herself from Crowley, who then denounced her.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=419–20|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=322|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=417–18|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=289}}

According to Crowley, Reuss named him head of O.T.O. upon his death, but this was challenged by a leader of the German O.T.O., {{Interlanguage link|Heinrich Tränker|de}}. Tränker called the Hohenleuben Conference in [[Thuringia]], Germany, which Crowley attended. There, prominent members like [[Karl Germer]] and Martha Küntzel championed Crowley's leadership, but other key figures like [[Albin Grau]], Oskar Hopfer, and Henri Birven backed Tränker by opposing it, resulting in a split in O.T.O.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=423–44|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=324–28|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=418–19|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=291–92, 332}} Moving to Paris, where he broke with Olsen in 1926, Crowley went through a large number of lovers over the following years, with whom he experimented in sex magic.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=425–26|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=332–34|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=426–27, 430–33}} Throughout, he was dogged by poor health, largely caused by his heroin and cocaine addictions.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=429–30}} In 1928, Crowley was introduced to [[Israel Regardie]], a young Englishman, who embraced Thelema and became Crowley's secretary for the next three years.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=426|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=336–37|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=432–33|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=309}} That year, Crowley also met [[Gerald Yorke]], who began organising Crowley's finances but never became a Thelemite.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=427–28|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=335|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=427–29|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=299}} He also befriended the journalist [[Tom Driberg]]; Driberg did not accept Thelema either.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=428–29|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=331–32|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=423|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=296–98|5a1=Pasi|5y=2014|5pp=72–76}} It was here that Crowley also published one of his most significant works, ''[[Magick (Book 4)|Magick in Theory and Practice]]'', which received little attention at the time.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=431|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=339|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=426, 428–29|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=308–09}}

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In April 1930, Crowley moved to Berlin, where he took Hanni Jaegar as his magical partner; the relationship was troubled.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=439|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=351–54|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=448|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=333, 335}} In September he went to [[Lisbon]] in Portugal to meet the poet [[Fernando Pessoa]]. There, he decided to fake his own death, doing so with Pessoa's help at the [[Boca do Inferno]] rock formation.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=440|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=354–55|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=449–52|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=336–37|5a1=Pasi|5y=2014|5pp=95–116}} He then returned to Berlin, where he reappeared three weeks later at the opening of his art exhibition at the Gallery Neumann-Nierendorf. Crowley's paintings fitted with the fashion for [[German Expressionism]]; few of them sold, but the press reports were largely favourable.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=441–42|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=360–61|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=455–57|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=337, 346–49}} In August 1931, he took Bertha Busch as his new lover; they had a violent relationship, and often physically assaulted one another.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=445|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=360|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=450|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=345}} He continued to have affairs with both men and women while in the city,{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1pp=355–57}} and met with famous people like [[Aldous Huxley]] and [[Alfred Adler]].{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1pp=355|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2pp=448–49|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=335–36, 338–39}} 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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=445–46|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=361|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=457|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=349|5a1=Pasi|5y=2014|5pp=83–88}}

{{Quote box|width=25em|align=left|quote=I have been over forty years engaged in the administration of the law in one capacity or another. I thought that I knew of every conceivable form of wickedness. I thought that everything which was vicious and bad had been produced at one time or another before me. I have learnt in this case that we can always learn something more if we live long enough. I have never heard such dreadful, horrible, blasphemous and abominable stuff as that which has been produced by the man (Crowley) who describes himself to you as the greatest living poet.|source=Justice Swift, in Crowley's libel case.{{sfnm|1a1=The United Press|1y=1934|1p=39|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=372}}}}

{{Quote box

| width = 25em

| align = left

| quote = I have been over forty years engaged in the administration of the law in one capacity or another. I thought that I knew of every conceivable form of wickedness. I thought that everything which was vicious and bad had been produced at one time or another before me. I have learnt in this case that we can always learn something more if we live long enough. I have never heard such dreadful, horrible, blasphemous and abominable stuff as that which has been produced by the man (Crowley) who describes himself to you as the greatest living poet.

| source = Justice Swift, in Crowley's libel case.{{sfnm|1a1=The United Press|1y=1934|1p=39|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=372}}

}}

Crowley left Busch and returned to London,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=446|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=355–56}} where he took Pearl Brooksmith as his new Scarlet Woman.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=453|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=366–67|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=470–71|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=360–61}} Undergoing further [[nasal surgery]], it was here in 1932 that he was invited to be guest of honour at [[Foyles]]' Literary Luncheon, also being invited by [[Harry Price]] to speak at the [[National Laboratory of Psychical Research]].{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1pp=363–64|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=463–65|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=357}} In need of money, he launched a series of court cases against people whom he believed to have libelled him, some of which proved successful. He gained much publicity for his lawsuit against [[Constable & Robinson|Constable and Co]] for publishing [[Nina Hamnett]]'s ''Laughing Torso'' (1932)—a book he alleged libelled him by referring to his occult practice as black magic{{sfn|Hamnett|2007|pp=173–174}}—but lost the case.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=447–53|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=367–73|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=466, 468, 472–81|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=358–59, 361–62}} The court case added to Crowley's financial problems, and in February 1935 he was declared bankrupt. During the hearing, it was revealed that Crowley was spending three times his income for several years.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=454–56|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=374|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=483–84|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=363}}

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===Second World War and death: 1939–1947===

When the [[Second World War]] broke out, Crowley wrote to the [[Naval Intelligence Division (United Kingdom)|Naval Intelligence Division]] offering his services, but they declined. He associated with a variety of figures in Britain's intelligence community at the time, including [[Dennis Wheatley]], [[Roald Dahl]], [[Ian Fleming]], and [[Maxwell Knight]],{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=471–72|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=506–07|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=376–78}} and wrote that he originated the "[[V sign|V for Victory]]" sign first used by the [[BBC]]; this has never been proven.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=511–12|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2pp=380–83, 392–96}}

When the [[Second World War]] broke out, Crowley wrote to the [[Naval Intelligence Division (United Kingdom)|Naval Intelligence Division]] offering his services, but they declined. He associated with a variety of figures in Britain's intelligence community at the time, including [[Dennis Wheatley]], [[Roald Dahl]], [[Ian Fleming]], and [[Maxwell Knight]],{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=471–72|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=506–07|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=376–78}} and wrote that he originated the "[[V sign|V for Victory]]" sign first used by the [[BBC]]; this has never been proven.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=511–12|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2pp=380–83, 392–96}} In 1940, his asthma worsened, and with his German-produced medication unavailable, he returned to using heroin, once again becoming addicted.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=476|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=508}} As [[the Blitz]] hit London, Crowley relocated to [[Torquay]], where he was briefly admitted to hospital with asthma, and entertained himself with visits to the local chess club.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=509–10|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2p=380}} Tiring of Torquay, he returned to London, where he was visited by American Thelemite [[Grady Louis McMurtry|Grady McMurtry]], to whom Crowley awarded the title of "Hymenaeus Alpha".{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1p=527|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2p=403}} He stipulated that though Germer would be his immediate successor, McMurty should succeed Germer as head of O.T.O. after the latter's death.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=478–79|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=512, 531–32, 547|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=408–09}} With O.T.O. initiate [[Lady Frieda Harris]], Crowley developed plans to produce a [[Tarot|tarot card]] set, designed by him and painted by Harris. Accompanying this was a book, published in a limited edition as ''[[The Book of Thoth (Crowley)|The Book of Thoth]]'' by [[Chiswick Press]] in 1944.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=473–74|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=501, 503–04, 510, 522, 530–21|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=370, 406}} To aid the war effort, he wrote a proclamation on the rights of humanity, "[[Liber OZ]]", and a poem for the liberation of France, ''La Gauloise''.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=517–18, 522|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=397}} Crowley's final publication during his lifetime was a book of poetry, ''Olla: An Anthology of Sixty Years of Song''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=474–75|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=519–20, 542|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=410}} Another of his projects, ''Aleister Explains Everything'', was posthumously published as ''[[Magick Without Tears]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=474|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=528|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=404}}

In 1940, his asthma worsened, and with his German-produced medication unavailable, he returned to using heroin, once again becoming addicted.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=476|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=508}} As [[the Blitz]] hit London, Crowley relocated to [[Torquay]], where he was briefly admitted to hospital with asthma, and entertained himself with visits to the local chess club.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=509–10|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2p=380}} Tiring of Torquay, he returned to London, where he was visited by American Thelemite [[Grady Louis McMurtry|Grady McMurtry]], to whom Crowley awarded the title of "Hymenaeus Alpha".{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1p=527|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2p=403}} He stipulated that though Germer would be his immediate successor, McMurty should succeed Germer as head of O.T.O. after the latter's death.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=478–79|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=512, 531–32, 547|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=408–09}} With O.T.O. initiate [[Lady Frieda Harris]], Crowley developed plans to produce a [[Tarot|tarot card]] set, designed by him and painted by Harris. Accompanying this was a book, published in a limited edition as ''[[The Book of Thoth (Crowley)|The Book of Thoth]]'' by [[Chiswick Press]] in 1944.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=473–74|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=501, 503–04, 510, 522, 530–21|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=370, 406}} To aid the war effort, he wrote a proclamation on the rights of humanity, "[[Liber OZ]]", and a poem for the liberation of France, ''Le Gauloise''.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=517–18, 522|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=397}} Crowley's final publication during his lifetime was a book of poetry, ''Olla: An Anthology of Sixty Years of Song''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=474–75|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=519–20, 542|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=410}} Another of his projects, ''Aleister Explains Everything'', was posthumously published as ''[[Magick Without Tears]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=474|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=528|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=404}}

In April 1944 Crowley briefly moved to [[Aston Clinton]] in Buckinghamshire,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=475|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=530|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=403–04}} where he was visited by the poet [[Nancy Cunard]],{{sfnm|1a1=Churton|1y=2011|1pp=407–08}} before relocating to [[Hastings]] in Sussex, where he took up residence at the Netherwood boarding house.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=475|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=532–33}} He took a young man named [[Kenneth Grant (occultist)|Kenneth Grant]] as his secretary, paying him in magical teaching rather than wages.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=533–35|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=409, 411}} He was also introduced to [[John Symonds]], whom he appointed to be his literary executor; Symonds thought little of Crowley, later publishing unfavorable biographies of him.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=481|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2pp=540–41|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=413–14}} Corresponding with the illusionist [[Arnold Crowther]], it was through him that Crowley was introduced to [[Gerald Gardner]], the future founder of [[Gardnerian Wicca]]. They became friends, with Crowley authorising Gardner to revive Britain's ailing O.T.O.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=542–44}} Another visitor was [[Eliza Marian Butler]], who interviewed Crowley for her book ''The Myth of the Magus''.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=536–37|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=412}} Other friends and family also spent time with him, among them Doherty and Crowley's son Aleister Atatürk.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=544–55|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=416}}

On 1 December 1947, Crowley died at Netherwood of [[Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease|chronic bronchitis]] aggravated by [[pleurisy]] and myocardial degeneration, aged 72.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=483|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=417–19|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=548|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=417–18}} His funeral was held at a [[Brighton]] ~~crematorium~~ on 5 December; about a dozen people attended, and [[Louis Wilkinson]] read excerpts from the [[Liber XV, The Gnostic Mass|Gnostic Mass]], ''The Book of the Law'', and "Hymn to Pan". The funeral generated press controversy, and was labelled a [[Black Mass]] by the tabloids. Crowley's body was [[Cremation|cremated]]; his ashes were sent to [[Karl Germer]] in the US, who buried them in his garden in [[Hampton, New Jersey]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=484–85|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=549–51|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=418}}{{sfn|Lachman|2014|p=182}}

On 1 December 1947, Crowley died at Netherwood of [[Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease|chronic bronchitis]] aggravated by [[pleurisy]] and myocardial degeneration, aged 72.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=483|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=417–19|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=548|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=417–18}} His funeral was held at Woodvale Crematorium, [[Brighton]] on 5 December; about a dozen people attended, and [[Louis Wilkinson]] read excerpts from the [[Liber XV, The Gnostic Mass|Gnostic Mass]], ''The Book of the Law'', and "Hymn to Pan". The funeral generated press controversy, and was labelled a [[Black Mass]] by the tabloids. Crowley's body was [[Cremation|cremated]]; his ashes were sent to [[Karl Germer]] in the US, who buried them in his garden in [[Hampton, New Jersey]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=484–85|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=549–51|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=418}}{{sfn|Lachman|2014|p=182}}

==Beliefs and thought==

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Crowley believed in the objective existence of [[ceremonial magic|magic]], which he chose to spell as "Magick", which is an archaic spelling of the word.{{sfnm|1a1=Hutton|1y=1999|1p=174|2a1=Asprem|2y=2013|2p=89|3a1=Doyle White|3y=2016|3p=4}} He provided various different definitions of this term over his career.{{sfn|Hutton|1999|p=174}} In his book ''[[Magick (Book 4)|Magick in Theory and Practice]]'', Crowley defined Magick as "the Science and Art of causing change to occur in conformity with Will".{{sfnm|1a1=Hutton|1y=1999|1p=174|2a1=DuQuette|2y=2003|2p=11|3a1=Doyle White|3y=2016|3p=4}} He also told his disciple Karl Germer that "Magick is getting into communication with individuals who exist on a higher plane than ours. Mysticism is the raising of oneself to their level."{{sfn|Churton|2011|p=417}} Crowley saw Magick as a third way between religion and science, giving ''The Equinox'' the subtitle of ''The Method of Science; the Aim of Religion''.{{sfnm|1a1=Asprem|1y=2008|1p=140|2a1=Bogdan|2a2=Starr|2y=2012|2p=4}} Within that journal, he expressed positive sentiments toward science and the [[scientific method]],{{sfn|Asprem|2008|p=150}} and urged magicians to keep detailed records of their magical experiments, having said: "The more scientific the record is, the better."{{sfn|Asprem|2008|pp=151–52}} His understanding of magic was also influenced by the work of the anthropologist James Frazer, in particular the belief that magic was a precursor to science in a [[cultural evolution]]ary framework.{{sfn|Asprem|2008|pp=145, 149}} Unlike Frazer, however, Crowley did not see magic as a survival from the past that required eradication, but rather he believed that magic had to be adapted to suit the new age of science.{{sfn|Asprem|2008|p=150}} In Crowley's alternative schema, old systems of ''magic'' had to decline (per Frazer's framework) so that science and magic could synthesize into ''magick'', which would simultaneously accept the existence of the supernatural and an [[experiment|experimental method]].{{sfn|Josephson Storm|2017|p=170}} Crowley deliberately adopted an exceptionally broad definition of magick that included almost all forms of technology as magick, adopting an [[instrumentalism|instrumentalist]] definition of magic, science, and technology.{{sfn|Josephson Storm|2017|p=172–73}}

{{Quote box|width=25em|align=left|quote=To [Crowley] the greatest aim of the magician was to merge with a higher power connected to the wellsprings of the universe, but he did not trouble himself too much to define that power consistently; sometimes it was God, sometimes the One, sometimes a goddess, and sometimes one's own Holy Guardian Angel or higher self. In the last analysis he was content for the nature of divinity to remain a mystery. As a result, he wrote at times like an atheist, at times like a monotheist, and at others like a polytheist.|source=[[Ronald Hutton]]{{sfn|Hutton|1999|p=185}}}}

{{Quote box

| width = 25em

| align = left

| quote = To [Crowley] the greatest aim of the magician was to merge with a higher power connected to the wellsprings of the universe, but he did not trouble himself too much to define that power consistently; sometimes it was God, sometimes the One, sometimes a goddess, and sometimes one's own Holy Guardian Angel or higher self. In the last analysis he was content for the nature of divinity to remain a mystery. As a result, he wrote at times like an atheist, at times like a monotheist, and at others like a polytheist.

| source = [[Ronald Hutton]]{{sfn|Hutton|1999|p=185}}

}}

Sexuality played an important role in Crowley's ideas about magick and his practice of it,{{sfn|Hutton|1999|p=173}} and has been described as being central to Thelema.{{sfn|Drury|2012|p=216}} He outlined three forms of sex magick—the autoerotic, homosexual, and heterosexual—and argued that such acts could be used to focus the magician's will onto a specific goal such as financial gain or personal creative success.{{sfn|Drury|2012|p=213}} For Crowley, sex was treated as a [[sacrament]], with the consumption of sexual fluids interpreted as a [[Eucharist]].{{sfn|Djurdjevic|2014|p=44}} This was often manifested as the [[Cake of Light|Cakes of Light]], a biscuit containing either menstrual blood or a mixture of semen and vaginal fluids.{{sfn|Drury|2012|p=210}} The Gnostic Mass is the central religious ceremony within Thelema.{{sfn|Asprem|2013|p=99}}

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===Political opinions===

Crowley enjoyed being outrageous and flouting conventional morality,{{sfn|Moore|2009|p=33}} with [[John Symonds]] noting that he "was in revolt against the moral and religious values of his time".{{sfn|Symonds|1997|p=vii}} Crowley's political thought was studied by the academic Marco Pasi, who noted that for Crowley, socio-political concerns were subordinate to metaphysical and spiritual ones.{{sfn|Pasi|2014|p=23}} He was neither on the political [[Left-wing politics|left]] nor [[Right-wing politics|right]] but perhaps best categorized as a "conservative revolutionary" despite not being affiliated with the German-based [[Conservative Revolution|movement of the same name]].{{sfn|Pasi|2014|pp=49–50}} Pasi described Crowley's fascination with the extreme ideologies of Nazism and [[Marxism–Leninism]], which aimed to violently overturn society: "What Crowley liked about Nazism and communism, or at least what made him curious about them, was the anti-Christian position and the revolutionary and socially subversive implications of these two movements. In their subversive powers, he saw the possibility of an annihilation of old religious traditions, and the creation of a void that Thelema, subsequently, would be able to fill."{{sfn|Pasi|2014|pp=52–53}} Crowley described democracy as an "imbecile and nauseating cult of weakness",{{sfn|Morgan|2011|p=166}} and commented that ''The Book of the Law'' proclaimed that "there is the master and there is the slave; the noble and the serf; the 'lone wolf' and the herd".{{sfn|Pasi|2014|p=49}} In this attitude, he was influenced by [[Social Darwinism]] and the work of [[Friedrich Nietzsche]].{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1p=129|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2p=401|3a1=Pasi|3y=2014|3p=48}} Although he had contempt for most of the British aristocracy, he regarded himself as an aristocrat and styled himself as Laird Boleskine,{{sfn|Booth|2000|p=109}} once describing his ideology as "aristocratic communism".{{sfn|Pasi|2014|p=50}}

Crowley was bisexual, but exhibited a preference for women,{{sfnm|1a1=Hutton|1y=1999|1p=174|2a1=Booth|2y=2000|2p=67|3a1=Spence|3y=2008|3p=19}} with his relationships with men being fewer and mostly in the early part of his life.{{sfn|Hutton|1999|p=174}} In particular he was attracted to "exotic women",{{sfn|Booth|2000|p=130}} and said he had fallen in love on multiple occasions; Kaczynski stated that "when he loved, he did so with his whole being, but the passion was typically short-lived".{{sfn|Kaczynski|2010|p=91}} Even in later life, Crowley was able to attract young bohemian women to be his lovers, largely due to his charisma.{{sfn|Booth|2000|p=350}} He applied the term "Scarlet Woman" to various female lovers whom he believed played an important role in his magical work.{{sfn|Hedenborg White|2020|p=94}} During homosexual acts, he usually played 'the passive role',{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=63|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=159}} which Booth believed "appealed to his masochistic side".{{sfn|Booth|2000|p=63}} An underlying theme in many of his writings is that spiritual enlightenment arises through transgressing socio-sexual norms.{{sfn|Hedenborg White|2020|pp=48–49}}

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Biographers Richard B. Spence and Tobias Churton have suggested that Crowley was a spy for the British secret services and that among other things he joined the Golden Dawn under their command to monitor the activities of [[Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers|Mathers]], who was known to be a [[Carlism|Carlist]].{{sfnm|1a1=Spence|1y=2008|1pp=22–28|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2pp=38–46}} Spence suggested that the conflict between Mathers and the London lodge for the temple was part of an intelligence operation to undermine Mathers' authority.{{sfn|Spence|2008|p=27}} Spence has suggested that the purpose of Crowley's trip to Mexico might have been to explore Mexican oil prospects for British intelligence.{{sfn|Spence|2008|p=32}} Spence has suggested that his trip to China was orchestrated as part of a British intelligence scheme to monitor the region's opium trade.{{sfnm|1a1=Spence|1y=2008|1pp=33–35|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2p=115}} Churton suggested that Crowley had travelled to Moscow on the orders of British intelligence to spy on revolutionary elements in the city.{{sfn|Churton|2011|pp=178–82}}

Spence and Sutin both wrote that Crowley's pro-German work in the United States during World War I was actually a cover for him being a double agent for Britain, citing his hyperbolic articles in ''The Fatherland'' to make the German lobby appear ridiculous in the eyes of the American public.{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1pp=247–48|3a1=Spence|3y=2008|3pp=67–76|4a1=Kaczynski|4y=2010|4pp=284–87, 292–92|5a1=Churton|5y=2011|5pp=190–93}} Spence also wrote that Crowley encouraged the [[Imperial German Navy|German Navy]] to destroy the ''[[RMS Lusitania|Lusitania]]'', informing them that it would ensure the US stayed out of the war, while in reality hoping that it would bring the US into the war on Britain's side.{{sfnm|1a1=Spence|1y=2008|1pp=82–89|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2pp=195–97}} ~~However, there is exactly no evidence other than these biographers' suppositions to suggest that this actually happened.~~

Spence and Sutin both wrote that Crowley's pro-German work in the United States during World War I was actually a [[False flag|cover]] for him being a double agent for Britain, citing his hyperbolic articles in ''The Fatherland'' to make the German lobby appear ridiculous in the eyes of the American public.{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1pp=247–48|3a1=Spence|3y=2008|3pp=67–76|4a1=Kaczynski|4y=2010|4pp=284–87, 292–92|5a1=Churton|5y=2011|5pp=190–93}} Spence also wrote that Crowley encouraged the [[Imperial German Navy|German Navy]] to destroy the ''[[RMS Lusitania|Lusitania]]'', informing them that it would ensure the US stayed out of the war, while in reality hoping that it would bring the US into the war on Britain's side.{{sfnm|1a1=Spence|1y=2008|1pp=82–89|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2pp=195–97}}

==Legacy and influence==

{{Quote box|width=25em|align=right|quote="[H]e is today looked upon as a source of inspiration by many people in search of spiritual enlightenment and/or instructions in magical practice. Thus, while during his life his books hardly sold and his disciples were never very numerous, nowadays all his important works are constantly in print, and the people defining themselves as "thelemites" (that is, followers of Crowley's new religion) number several thousands all over the world. Furthermore, Crowley's influence over magically oriented new religious movements has in some cases been very deep and pervasive. It would be difficult to understand, for instance, some aspects of Anglo-Saxon neo-paganism and contemporary satanism without a solid knowledge of Crowley's doctrines and ideas. In other fields, such as poetry, alpinism and painting, he may have been a minor figure, but it is only fair to admit that, in the limited context of occultism, he has played and still plays a major role." |source=Marco Pasi, 2003.{{sfn|Pasi|2003|p=225}}}}

{{Quote box

| width = 25em

| align = right

| quote = "[H]e is today looked upon as a source of inspiration by many people in search of spiritual enlightenment and/or instructions in magical practice. Thus, while during his life his books hardly sold and his disciples were never very numerous, nowadays all his important works are constantly in print, and the people defining themselves as "thelemites" (that is, followers of Crowley's new religion) number several thousands all over the world. Furthermore, Crowley's influence over magically oriented new religious movements has in some cases been very deep and pervasive. It would be difficult to understand, for instance, some aspects of Anglo-Saxon neo-paganism and contemporary satanism without a solid knowledge of Crowley's doctrines and ideas. In other fields, such as poetry, alpinism and painting, he may have been a minor figure, but it is only fair to admit that, in the limited context of occultism, he has played and still plays a major role."

| source = Marco Pasi, 2003.{{sfn|Pasi|2003|p=225}}

}}

Crowley has remained an influential figure, both amongst occultists and in popular culture, particularly that of Britain, but also of other parts of the world. In 2002, a BBC poll placed Crowley number 73 in a list of the [[100 Greatest Britons]].{{sfnm|1a1=Pasi|1y=2003|1p=225|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2p=3}} [[Richard Cavendish (occult writer)|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."{{sfn|Cavendish|1978|p=167}} The scholar of esotericism Egil Asprem described him as "one of the most well-known figures in modern occultism".{{sfn|Asprem|2013|p=85}} The scholar of esotericism [[Wouter Hanegraaff]] asserted that Crowley was an extreme representation of "the dark side of the occult",{{sfn|Hanegraaff|2012|p=ix}} adding that he was "the most notorious occultist magician of the twentieth century".{{sfn|Hanegraaff|2013|p=41}} The philosopher John Moore opined that Crowley stood out as a "Modern Master" when compared with other prominent occult figures like [[George Gurdjieff]], [[P. D. Ouspensky]], [[Rudolf Steiner]], or [[Helena Blavatsky]],{{sfn|Moore|2009|p=5}} also describing him as a "living embodiment" of [[Oswald Spengler]]'s "[[The Decline of the West|Faustian Man]]".{{sfn|Moore|2009|p=40}} Biographer Tobias Churton considered Crowley "a pioneer of consciousness research".{{sfn|Churton|2011|p=88}} Hutton noted that Crowley had "an important place in the history of modern Western responses to Oriental spiritual traditions",{{sfn|Hutton|1999|p=171}} while Sutin thought that he had made "distinctly original contributions" to the study of yoga in the West.{{sfn|Sutin|2000|p=93}}

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Thelema continued to develop and spread following Crowley's death. In 1969, O.T.O. was reactivated in California under the leadership of Grady Louis McMurtry;{{sfn|Bogdan|Starr|2012|p=7}} 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]].{{sfn|Bogdan|Starr|2012|p=7}} Another American Thelemite is the filmmaker [[Kenneth Anger]], who was influenced by Crowley's writings from a young age.{{sfnm|1a1=Landis|1y=1995|1pp=26–34|2a1=Doyle White|2y=2016|2p=1–3}} In the United Kingdom, [[Kenneth Grant (occultist)|Kenneth Grant]] propagated a tradition known as Typhonian Thelema through his organisation, the Typhonian O.T.O., later renamed the [[Typhonian Order]].{{sfn|Evans|2007|pp=284–350}} 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 said he was propagating.{{sfn|Evans|2007|pp=229–83}}

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".{{sfn|Djurdjevic|2014|pp=35–36}} Gerald Gardner, the founder of [[Gardnerian Wicca]], used much of Crowley's published material when composing the Gardnerian ritual liturgy,{{sfn|Hutton|2012|pp=285–306}} and the Australian witch [[Rosaleen Norton]] was also heavily influenced by Crowley's ideas.{{sfn|Richmond|2012|pp=307–34}} More widely, Crowley became "a dominant figure" in the modern Pagan community.{{sfn|Hutton|1999|p=180}} [[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 [[Scientology and the occult|Crowley's ideas influenced some of Hubbard's work]].{{sfn|Urban|2012|pp=335–68}} The scholars of religion Asbjørn Dyrendel, James R. Lewis, and Jesper Petersen noted that despite the fact that Crowley was not a 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.{{sfn|Dyrendal|Lewis|Petersen|2016|p=39}} For instance, two prominent figures in religious Satanism, [[Anton LaVey]] and [[Michael ~~Angelo~~ Aquino|Michael Aquino]], were influenced by Crowley's work.{{sfn|Dyrendal|2012|pp=369–94}}

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".{{sfn|Djurdjevic|2014|pp=35–36}} Gerald Gardner, the founder of [[Gardnerian Wicca]], used much of Crowley's published material when composing the Gardnerian ritual liturgy,{{sfn|Hutton|2012|pp=285–306}} and the Australian witch [[Rosaleen Norton]] was also heavily influenced by Crowley's ideas.{{sfn|Richmond|2012|pp=307–34}} More widely, Crowley became "a dominant figure" in the modern Pagan community.{{sfn|Hutton|1999|p=180}} [[L. Ron Hubbard]], the American founder of [[Scientology]], was involved in Thelema in the early 1940s via [[Jack Parsons]], and it has been argued that [[Scientology and the occult|Crowley's ideas influenced some of Hubbard's work]].{{sfn|Urban|2012|pp=335–68}} The scholars of religion Asbjørn Dyrendel, James R. Lewis, and Jesper Petersen noted that despite the fact that Crowley was not a 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.{{sfn|Dyrendal|Lewis|Petersen|2016|p=39}} For instance, two prominent figures in religious Satanism, [[Anton LaVey]] and [[Michael A. Aquino|Michael Aquino]], were influenced by Crowley's work.{{sfn|Dyrendal|2012|pp=369–94}}

=== In popular culture ===

Crowley also had a wider influence in [[Culture of the United Kingdom|British popular culture]]. After his time in Cefalù, which brought him to public attention in Britain, various "literary Crowleys" appeared: characters in fiction based upon him.{{sfn|Freeman|2018|p=103}} One of the earliest was the character of the poet Shelley Arabin in [[John Buchan]]'s 1926 novel ''[[The Dancing Floor]]''.{{sfn|Freeman|2018|p=103}} In his novel ''[[The Devil Rides Out]]'', the writer [[Dennis Wheatley]] used Crowley as a partial basis for the character of Damien Mocata, a portly bald defrocked priest who engages in black magic.{{sfn|Freeman|2018|pp=106–07}} The occultist [[Dion Fortune]] used Crowley as a basis for characters in her books ''The Secrets of Doctor Taverner'' (1926) and ''The Winged Bull'' (1935).{{sfn|Freeman|2018|p=105}} Crowley was one of the inspirations for the character of Dr. Trelawney in Anthony Powell's ''A Dance to the Music of Time''. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.anthonypowell.org/dance-sources|title=Powell's Sources for Dance Anthony Powell Society|website=www.anthonypowell.org}}</ref> He was included as one of the figures on the cover art of [[The Beatles]]' album ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' (1967),{{sfn|Bogdan|Starr|2012|p=7}} and his motto of "Do What Thou Wilt" was inscribed on the vinyl of [[Led Zeppelin]]'s album ''[[Led Zeppelin III]]'' (1970).{{sfn|Bogdan|Starr|2012|p=7}} Led Zeppelin co-founder [[Jimmy Page]] bought Boleskine in 1971, and part of the band's film ''[[The Song Remains the Same (film)|The Song Remains the Same]]'' was filmed in the grounds. He sold it in 1992.{{sfn|House of the unholy|2007}} ~~Though~~ [[David Bowie]] ~~makes but a fleeting reference~~ to Crowley in ~~the lyrics of his song~~ "[[Quicksand (David Bowie song)|Quicksand]]" (1971),{{sfn|Bogdan|Starr|2012|p=7}} it has been suggested that the lyrics of Bowie's No. 1 hit single "[[Let's Dance (David Bowie song)|Let's Dance]]" (1983) may substantially paraphrase Crowley's 1923 poem "Lyric of Love to Leah".{{sfn|Pegg|2016|p=368}} [[Ozzy Osbourne]] and his lyricist [[Bob Daisley]] wrote a song titled "[[Mr. Crowley]]" (1980).{{sfnm|1a1=Moreman|1y=2003|1p=1|2a1=Granholm|2y=2013|2p=13}} A prophetic quote about the coming of the [[Aeon (Thelema)|New Aeon]] borrowed from Crowley's work ''[[Magick in Theory and Practice]]'' (1911) has been featured as the opening introduction to the video game ''[[Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain]]'' (1996).{{sfn|Bogdan|Starr|2012|pp=95–96}}  Crowley began to receive scholarly attention from academics in the late 1990s.{{sfn|Hutton|1999|p=171}}

Crowley also had a wider influence in [[Culture of the United Kingdom|British popular culture]]. After his time in Cefalù, which brought him to public attention in Britain, various "literary Crowleys" appeared: characters in fiction based upon him.{{sfn|Freeman|2018|p=103}} One of the earliest was the character of the poet Shelley Arabin in [[John Buchan]]'s 1926 novel ''[[The Dancing Floor]]''.{{sfn|Freeman|2018|p=103}} In his novel ''[[The Devil Rides Out]]'', the writer [[Dennis Wheatley]] used Crowley as a partial basis for the character of Damien Mocata, a portly bald defrocked priest who engages in black magic.{{sfn|Freeman|2018|pp=106–07}} The occultist [[Dion Fortune]] used Crowley as a basis for characters in her books ''The Secrets of Doctor Taverner'' (1926) and ''The Winged Bull'' (1935).{{sfn|Freeman|2018|p=105}} Crowley was one of the inspirations for the character of Dr Trelawney in Anthony Powell's ''A Dance to the Music of Time''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.anthonypowell.org/dance-sources|title=Powell's Sources for Dance Anthony Powell Society|website=www.anthonypowell.org}}</ref> He was included as one of the figures on the cover art of [[The Beatles]]' album ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' (1967),{{sfn|Bogdan|Starr|2012|p=7}} and his motto of "Do What Thou Wilt" was inscribed on the vinyl of [[Led Zeppelin]]'s album ''[[Led Zeppelin III]]'' (1970).{{sfn|Bogdan|Starr|2012|p=7}} Led Zeppelin co-founder [[Jimmy Page]] bought Boleskine in 1971, and part of the band's film ''[[The Song Remains the Same (film)|The Song Remains the Same]]'' was filmed in the grounds. He sold it in 1992.{{sfn|House of the unholy|2007}} [[David Bowie]] included references to Crowley and his works in many songs, including After All, "[[Quicksand (David Bowie song)|Quicksand]]" (1971),{{sfn|Bogdan|Starr|2012|p=7}} and Station To Station and it has been suggested that the lyrics of Bowie's No. 1 hit single "[[Let's Dance (David Bowie song)|Let's Dance]]" (1983) may substantially paraphrase Crowley's 1923 poem "Lyric of Love to Leah".{{sfn|Pegg|2016|p=368}} [[Ozzy Osbourne]] and his lyricist [[Bob Daisley]] wrote a song titled "[[Mr. Crowley]]" (1980).{{sfnm|1a1=Moreman|1y=2003|1p=1|2a1=Granholm|2y=2013|2p=13}} A prophetic quote about the coming of the [[Aeon (Thelema)|New Aeon]] borrowed from Crowley's work ''[[Magick in Theory and Practice]]'' (1911) has been featured as the opening introduction to the video game ''[[Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain]]'' (1996).{{sfn|Bogdan|Starr|2012|pp=95–96}}  Crowley began to receive scholarly attention from academics in the late 1990s.{{sfn|Hutton|1999|p=171}}

==Bibliography==

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[[Category:Atlantis proponents]]

[[Category:The Beast (Revelation)]]

[[Category:Bisexual dramatists and playwrights]]

[[Category:Bisexual novelists]]

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[[Category:British esotericists]]

[[Category:British people of World War I]]

[[Category:British Plymouth Brethren]]

[[Category:British psychedelic drug advocates]]

[[Category:Burials in Hunterdon County, New Jersey]]

[[Category:Ceremonial magicians]]

[[Category:Channellers]]

[[Category:Converts to new religious movements from Christianity]]

[[Category:Deaths from bronchitis]]

[[Category:English astrologers]]

[[Category:English astrological writers]]

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[[Category:History of magic]]

[[Category:Human rights writers]]

[[Category:LGBTQ British activists]]

[[Category:LGBTQ climbers]]

[[Category:Members of Ordo Templi Orientis]]

[[Category:Modern pagan artists]]

[[Category:Modern pagan novelists]]

[[Category:Modern pagan philosophers]]

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[[Category:Prophets]]

[[Category:Symbolist poets]]

~~[[Category:The Beast (Revelation)]]~~

[[Category:Thelema]]

[[Category:Victorian writers]]

[[Category:Writers from Warwickshire]]

~~[[Category:Deaths from bronchitis]]~~

~~[[Category:Burials in Hunterdon County, New Jersey]]~~

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
 {{Infobox person
-| name         = Aleister Crowley
+| name               = Aleister Crowley
-| image        = Aleister Crowley, thinker.jpg
+| image              = Aleister Crowley, thinker.jpg
-| alt          = 1925 photograph of Aleister Crowley
+| alt                = 1925 photograph of Aleister Crowley
-| caption      = Crowley in 1925
+| caption            = Crowley in 1925
-| birth_name   = Edward Alexander Crowley
+| birth_name         = Edward Alexander Crowley
-| birth_date   = {{birth date|df=yes|1875|10|12}}
+| birth_date         = {{birth date|df=yes|1875|10|12}}
-| birth_place  = [[Leamington Spa]], [[Warwickshire]], England
+| birth_place        = [[Leamington Spa]], [[Warwickshire]], England
-| death_date   = {{death date and age|df=yes|1947|12|1|1875|10|12}}
+| death_date         = {{death date and age|df=yes|1947|12|1|1875|10|12}}
-| death_place  = [[Hastings]], [[Sussex]], England
+| death_place        = [[Hastings]], [[Sussex]], England
-| resting_place= Ashes buried in [[Hampton, New&nbsp;Jersey]]
+| resting_place      = Ashes buried in [[Hampton, New&nbsp;Jersey]]
-| occupation   = {{Hlist | [[Occult]]ist | poet | novelist | [[mountaineer]] }}
+| occupation         = {{Hlist | [[Occult]]ist | poet | novelist | [[mountaineer]] }}
-| signature    = Signature of Aleister Crowley.svg
+| signature          = Signature of Aleister Crowley.svg
-| signature_alt= Aleister Crowley's signature
+| signature_alt      = Aleister Crowley's signature
-| spouse       = {{plainlist|
+| spouse             = {{plainlist|
 * {{marriage|[[Rose Edith Kelly]]|1903|1909|end=div}}
 * {{marriage|Maria Teresa Sanchez|1929}}
 }}
-| children     = 5
+| children           = 5, including [[Randall Gair Doherty]]
-| education    = {{plainlist|
+| education          = {{plainlist|
 * [[Malvern College]]
 * [[Tonbridge School]]
@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 * [[Trinity College, Cambridge]]
 }}
-| module      =
+| module             =
 }}
 {{thelema|expand=Key figures}}
-'''Aleister Crowley''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|l|ɪ|s|t|ər|_|ˈ|k|r|oʊ|l|i}} {{respell|AL|ist|ər|_|KROH|lee}}; born '''Edward Alexander Crowley'''; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English [[occult]]ist, [[ceremonial magic]]ian, poet, novelist, [[mountaineer]], and painter.<!-- these are arranged the frequency of use in sources. --> He founded the religion of [[Thelema]], identifying himself as the [[prophet]] entrusted with guiding humanity into the [[Aeon of Horus|Æon of Horus]] in the early 20th century. A prolific writer, he published widely over the course of his life.
+'''Aleister Crowley''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|l|ɪ|s|t|ər|_|ˈ|k|r|oʊ|l|i}}; born '''Edward Alexander Crowley'''; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English [[occult]]ist, [[ceremonial magic]]ian, poet, novelist, [[mountaineer]], and painter.<!-- these are arranged the frequency of use in sources. --> He identified as the [[prophet]] entrusted with guiding humanity into the [[Aeon of Horus|Æon of Horus]] in the early 20th century, founding the religion of [[Thelema]]. A prolific writer, he published widely over the course of his life.
-Born to a wealthy family in [[Royal Leamington Spa]], Warwickshire, Crowley rejected his parents' [[fundamentalist Christian]] [[Plymouth Brethren]] faith to pursue an interest in [[Western esotericism]]. He was educated at [[Trinity College, Cambridge|Trinity College]] at the [[University of Cambridge]], where he focused his attention upon mountaineering and poetry, resulting in several publications. Some biographers allege that here he was recruited into a [[British intelligence agency]], further suggesting that he remained a spy throughout his life. In 1898, he joined the esoteric [[Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn]], where he was trained in ceremonial magic by [[Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers]] and [[Charles Henry Allan Bennett|Allan Bennett]]. He went mountaineering in Mexico with [[Oscar Eckenstein]], before studying [[Hindu]] and [[Buddhist]] practices in India. In 1904, he married [[Rose Edith Kelly]], and they honeymooned in [[Cairo]], Egypt, where Crowley wrote down ''[[The Book of the Law]]''—a sacred text that serves as the basis for Thelema, which he said had been dictated to him by a supernatural entity named [[Aiwass]]. ''The Book'' announced the start of the Æon of Horus, and declared that its followers should "Do what thou wilt", and seek to align themselves with their [[True Will]] via the practice of ceremonial magic.
+Born to a wealthy family in [[Royal Leamington Spa]], Warwickshire, Crowley rejected his parents' [[fundamentalist Christian]] [[Plymouth Brethren]] faith to pursue an interest in [[Western esotericism]]. He was educated at [[Trinity College, Cambridge|Trinity College]] at the [[University of Cambridge]], where he focused his attention upon mountaineering and poetry, resulting in several publications. Some biographers allege that here he was recruited into a [[British intelligence agency]], further suggesting that he remained a spy throughout his life. In 1898, he joined the esoteric [[Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn]], where he was trained in ceremonial magic by [[Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers]] and [[Charles Henry Allan Bennett|Allan Bennett]]. He went mountaineering in Mexico with [[Oscar Eckenstein]], before studying [[Hindu]] and [[Buddhist]] practices in India. In 1904, he married [[Rose Edith Kelly]], and they honeymooned in [[Cairo]], Egypt, where Crowley wrote down ''[[The Book of the Law]]''—a sacred text that serves as the basis for Thelema, which he said had been dictated to him by a supernatural entity named [[Aiwass]]. ''The Book'' announced the start of the Æon of Horus and declared that its followers should "Do what thou wilt": seek to align themselves with their [[True Will]] via the practice of ceremonial magic.
-After the unsuccessful [[1905 Kanchenjunga expedition]], and a visit to India and China, Crowley returned to Britain, where he attracted attention as a prolific author of poetry, novels, and occult literature. In 1907, he and [[George Cecil Jones]] co-founded an esoteric order—the [[A∴A∴]], through which they propagated Thelema. After spending time in Algeria, in 1912 he was initiated into another esoteric order—the German-based [[Ordo Templi Orientis]] (O.T.O.), in which he rose to become the leader of its British branch, which he reformulated in accordance with his Thelemite beliefs. Through O.T.O., Thelemite groups were established in Britain, Australia, and North America. Crowley spent the [[First World War]] in the United States, where he took up painting, and campaigned for the German war effort against Britain. His biographers later revealed that he had infiltrated the pro-German movement to assist the British intelligence services. In 1920, he established the [[Abbey of Thelema]]—a religious commune in [[Cefalù]], Sicily, where he lived with various followers. His [[libertine]] lifestyle led to denunciations in the British press, and the Italian government evicted him in 1923. He divided the following two decades between France, Germany, and England, and continued to promote Thelema until his death.
+After the unsuccessful [[1905 Kanchenjunga expedition]] and a visit to India and China, Crowley returned to Britain, where he attracted attention as a prolific author of poetry, novels, and occult literature. In 1907, he and [[George Cecil Jones]] co-founded an esoteric order—the [[A∴A∴]], through which they propagated Thelema. After spending time in Algeria, in 1912 he was initiated into another esoteric order, the German-based [[Ordo Templi Orientis]] (O.T.O.); he rose to become the leader of its British branch, which he reformulated in accordance with Thelema. Through O.T.O., Thelemite groups were established in Britain, Australia, and North America. Crowley spent the [[First World War]] in the United States, where he took up painting, and campaigned for the German war effort against Britain. His biographers later revealed that he had infiltrated the pro-German movement to assist the British intelligence services. In 1920, he established the [[Abbey of Thelema]], a religious commune in [[Cefalù]], Sicily, where he lived with various followers. His [[libertine]] lifestyle led to denunciations in the British press, and the Italian government evicted him in 1923. He divided the following two decades between France, Germany, and England, and continued to promote Thelema until his death.
-Crowley gained widespread notoriety during his lifetime, being a [[recreational drug use|drug user]], a [[bisexual]], and an individualist [[social critic]]. Crowley has remained a highly influential figure over western esotericism and the [[counterculture of the 1960s]], and he continues to be considered a prophet in Thelema. He is the subject of various biographies and academic studies.
+Crowley gained widespread notoriety during his lifetime, being a [[recreational drug use|drug user]], a [[bisexual]], and an individualist social critic. Crowley has remained a highly influential figure over western esotericism and the [[counterculture of the 1960s]], and he continues to be considered a prophet in Thelema. He is the subject of various biographies and academic studies.
 ==Early life==
@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 [[File:Aleister Crowley birthplace.jpg|thumb|alt=2017 photograph of Crowley's birthplace|Aleister Crowley was born Edward Alexander Crowley at 30 Clarendon Square in Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, on 12 October 1875.]]
-Crowley was born Edward Alexander Crowley at 30 Clarendon Square in [[Royal Leamington Spa]], Warwickshire, on 12 October 1875.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=4–5|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=15|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=14}} His father, Edward Crowley (1829–1887), was trained as an engineer, but his share in a lucrative family brewing business, Crowley's Alton Ales, allowed him to retire before his son was born.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=2–3|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=31–23|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=4–8|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=14–15}} His mother, Emily Bertha Bishop (1848–1917), came from a Devonshire-Somerset family and had a strained relationship with her son; she described him as "the Beast", a name that he revelled in.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=3|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=18–21|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=13–16|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=17–21}} The couple had been married at London's [[Kensington and Chelsea Register Office|Kensington Registry Office]] in November 1874,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=3|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2pp=13–14|3a1=Churton|3y=2011|3p=17}} and were evangelical Christians. Crowley's father was born a [[Quaker]], but converted to the [[Exclusive Brethren]], a faction of a [[Christian fundamentalist]] group known as the [[Plymouth Brethren]]; Emily likewise converted upon marriage. Crowley's father was particularly devout, spending his time as a travelling preacher for the sect and reading a chapter from the Bible to his wife and son after breakfast every day.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=3–4, 6, 9–10|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=17–23|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=11–12, 16}} Following the death of their baby daughter in 1880, in 1881 the Crowleys moved to [[Redhill, Surrey|Redhill]], Surrey.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=6–7|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2p=16|3a1=Churton|3y=2011|3p=24}} At the age of 8, Crowley was sent to H. T. Habershon's evangelical Christian boarding school in [[Hastings]], and then to Ebor preparatory school in [[Cambridge]], run by the Reverend Henry d'Arcy Champney, whom Crowley considered a sadist.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=12–14|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=25–29|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=17–18|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=24}}
+Crowley was born Edward Alexander Crowley at 30 Clarendon Square in [[Royal Leamington Spa]], [[Warwickshire]], England, on 12 October 1875.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=4–5|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=15|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=14}} His father, Edward Crowley (1829–1887), was trained as an engineer, but his share in a lucrative family brewing business, Crowley's Alton Ales, allowed him to retire before his son was born.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=2–3|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=31–23|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=4–8|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=14–15}} His mother, Emily Bertha Bishop (1848–1917), came from a Devonshire-Somerset family and had a strained relationship with her son; she described him as "the Beast", a name that he revelled in.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=3|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=18–21|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=13–16|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=17–21}} The couple had been married at London's [[Kensington and Chelsea Register Office|Kensington Registry Office]] in November 1874,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=3|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2pp=13–14|3a1=Churton|3y=2011|3p=17}} and were evangelical Christians. Crowley's father was born a [[Quaker]], but converted to the [[Exclusive Brethren]], a faction of a [[Christian fundamentalist]] group known as the [[Plymouth Brethren]]; Emily likewise converted upon marriage. Crowley's father was particularly devout, spending his time as a travelling preacher for the sect and reading a chapter from the Bible to his wife and son after breakfast every day.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=3–4, 6, 9–10|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=17–23|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=11–12, 16}} Following the death of their baby daughter in 1880, in 1881 the Crowleys moved to [[Redhill, Surrey]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=6–7|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2p=16|3a1=Churton|3y=2011|3p=24}} At the age of 8, Crowley was sent to H. T. Habershon's evangelical Christian boarding school in [[Hastings]], and then to Ebor preparatory school in [[Cambridge]], run by the Reverend Henry d'Arcy Champney, whom Crowley considered a sadist.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=12–14|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=25–29|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=17–18|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=24}}
 In March 1887, when Crowley was eleven years old, his father died of [[tongue cancer]]. Crowley described this as a turning point in his life,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=15|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=24–25|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=19|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=24–25}} and he always maintained an admiration of his father, describing him as "my hero and my friend".{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=10|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=21}} Inheriting a third of his father's wealth, he began misbehaving at school and was harshly punished by Champney; Crowley's family removed him from the school when he developed [[albuminuria]].{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1pp=27–30|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2pp=19, 21–22}} He then attended [[Malvern College]] and [[Tonbridge School]], both of which he despised and left after a few terms.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=32–39|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=32–33|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=27|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=26–27}} He became increasingly sceptical of Christianity, pointing out [[Internal consistency of the Bible|Biblical inconsistencies]] to his religious teachers,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=15–16|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=25–26|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=23}} and went against the Christian morality of his upbringing by smoking, masturbating, and having sex with prostitutes from whom he contracted [[gonorrhea]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=26–27|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=33|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=24, 27|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=26}} Sent to live with a Brethren tutor in [[Eastbourne]], he undertook chemistry courses at [[Eastbourne College]]. Crowley developed interests in [[chess]], poetry, and [[mountain climbing]], and in 1894 climbed [[Beachy Head]] before visiting the [[Alps]] and joining the [[Scottish Mountaineering Club]]. The following year he returned to the [[Bernese Alps]], climbing the [[Eiger]], [[Trift Glacier|Trift]], [[Jungfrau]], [[Mönch]], and [[Wetterhorn]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=39–43|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=30–32, 34|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=27–30|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=26–27}}
@@ Line 55: / Line 55: @@
 Crowley had his first significant [[religious experience|mystical experience]] while on holiday in Stockholm in December 1896.{{sfnm|1a1=Symonds|1y=1997|1p=14|2a1=Booth|2y=2000|2pp=56–57|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=36|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=29}} Several biographers, including [[Lawrence Sutin]], [[Richard Kaczynski]], and [[Tobias Churton]], believed that this was the result of Crowley's first same-sex sexual experience, which enabled him to recognize his [[bisexuality]].{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1p=38|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2p=36|3a1=Churton|3y=2011|3p=29}} At Cambridge, Crowley maintained a vigorous sex life with women—largely with female prostitutes, from one of whom he caught [[syphilis]]—but eventually he took part in same-sex activities, despite [[Offences Against the Person Act 1861#Unnatural offences|their illegality]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=59–62|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=43|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=27–28}} In October 1897, Crowley met [[Herbert Charles Pollitt]], president of the [[Footlights|Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club]], and the two entered into a relationship. They broke apart because Pollitt did not share Crowley's increasing interest in Western esotericism, a break-up that Crowley regretted for many years.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=64–65|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=41–47|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=37–40, 45|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=33–24}}
-In 1897, Crowley travelled to [[Saint Petersburg]] in Russia, later saying that he was trying to learn Russian as he was considering a future diplomatic career there.{{sfnm|1a1=Spence|1y=2008|1pp=19–20|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=37|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=35|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=30–31}} In October 1897, a brief illness triggered considerations of mortality and "the futility of all human endeavour", and Crowley abandoned all thoughts of a diplomatic career in favour of pursuing an interest in the occult.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=57–58|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=37–39|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=36}}
+In 1897, Crowley travelled to [[Saint Petersburg]], Russia, later saying that he was trying to learn Russian, because he was considering a future diplomatic career there.{{sfnm|1a1=Spence|1y=2008|1pp=19–20|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=37|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=35|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=30–31}} In October 1897, a brief illness triggered considerations of mortality and "the futility of all human endeavour", and he abandoned all thoughts of a diplomatic career in favour of pursuing an interest in the occult.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=57–58|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=37–39|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=36}}
-In March 1898, he obtained [[A. E. Waite]]'s ''[[The Book of Ceremonial Magic|The Book of Black Magic and of Pacts]]'', and then [[Karl von Eckartshausen]]'s ''[[The Cloud Upon the Sanctuary]]'', furthering his occult interests.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=58–59|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=41|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=40–42}} That same year, [[Leonard Smithers]], a publisher who Crowley met through Pollitt, published 100 copies of Crowley's poem ''Aceldama: A Place to Bury Strangers In'', but it was not a particular success.{{Sfnm|1a1=Symonds|1y=1997|1pp=14–15|2a1=Booth|2y=2000|2pp=72–73|3a1=Sutin|3y=2000|3pp=44–45|4a1=Kaczynski|4y=2010|4pp=46–47}} That same year, Crowley published a string of other poems, including ''[[White Stains]]'', a [[Decadent movement|Decadent]] collection of erotic poetry that was printed abroad lest its publication be prohibited by the British authorities.{{sfnm|1a1=Symonds|1y=1997|1p=15|2a1=Booth|2y=2000|2pp=74–75|3a1=Sutin|3y=2000|3pp=44–45|4a1=Kaczynski|4y=2010|4pp=48–50}} In July 1898, he left Cambridge, not having taken any degree at all despite a "[[First-class honours|first class]]" showing in his 1897 exams and consistent "second class honours" results before that.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=78–79|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=35–36}}
+In March 1898, he obtained [[A. E. Waite]]'s ''[[The Book of Ceremonial Magic|The Book of Black Magic and of Pacts]]'' and [[Karl von Eckartshausen]]'s ''[[The Cloud upon the Sanctuary]]'', furthering his occult interests.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=58–59|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=41|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=40–42}} That same year, [[Leonard Smithers]], a publisher who Crowley met through Pollitt, published 100 copies of Crowley's poem ''Aceldama: A Place to Bury Strangers In'', but it was not a particular success.{{Sfnm|1a1=Symonds|1y=1997|1pp=14–15|2a1=Booth|2y=2000|2pp=72–73|3a1=Sutin|3y=2000|3pp=44–45|4a1=Kaczynski|4y=2010|4pp=46–47}} That same year, Crowley published a string of other poems, including ''[[White Stains]]'', a [[Decadent movement|Decadent]] collection of erotic poetry that was printed abroad lest its publication be prohibited by the British authorities.{{sfnm|1a1=Symonds|1y=1997|1p=15|2a1=Booth|2y=2000|2pp=74–75|3a1=Sutin|3y=2000|3pp=44–45|4a1=Kaczynski|4y=2010|4pp=48–50}} In July 1898, he left Cambridge without a degree, despite a "[[First-class honours|first class]]" showing in his 1897 exams and consistent "second class honours" results before that.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=78–79|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=35–36}}
 {{clear left}}
@@ Line 64: / Line 64: @@
 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]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=81–82|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=52–53|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=52–53}} 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 was founded in 1888.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=82–85|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=53–54|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=54–55}} 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 "Brother I shall endure to the end".{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=85, 93–94|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=54–55|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=60–61|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=35}}
-Crowley moved into his own luxury flat at 67–69 [[Chancery Lane]] and soon invited a senior Golden Dawn member, [[Charles Henry Allan Bennett|Allan Bennett]], to live with him as his personal magical tutor. Bennett taught Crowley more about ceremonial magic and the ritual use of drugs, and together they performed the rituals of the ''[[Goetia]]'',{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=98–103|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=64–66|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=54–55, 62–64, 67–68|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=49}} until Bennett left for South Asia to study [[Buddhism]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=103–05|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=70–71|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=70–71|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=55}} In November 1899, Crowley purchased [[Boleskine House]] in [[Foyers, Highland|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.{{sfnm|1a1=Symonds|1y=1997|1p=29|2a1=Booth|2y=2000|2pp=107–11|3a1=Sutin|3y=2000|3pp=72–73|4a1=Kaczynski|4y=2010|4pp=68–69|5a1=Churton|5y=2011|5p=52}} 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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=114–15|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=44–45|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=61, 66, 70}}
+Crowley moved into his own luxury flat at 67–69 [[Chancery Lane]] and soon invited a senior Golden Dawn member, [[Charles Henry Allan Bennett|Allan Bennett]], to live with him as his personal magical tutor. Bennett taught Crowley more about ceremonial magic and the ritual use of drugs, and together they performed the rituals of the ''[[Goetia]]'',{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=98–103|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=64–66|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=54–55, 62–64, 67–68|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=49}} until Bennett left for South Asia to study [[Buddhism]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=103–05|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=70–71|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=70–71|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=55}} In November 1899, Crowley purchased [[Boleskine House]] in [[Foyers, Highland|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.{{sfnm|1a1=Symonds|1y=1997|1p=29|2a1=Booth|2y=2000|2pp=107–11|3a1=Sutin|3y=2000|3pp=72–73|4a1=Kaczynski|4y=2010|4pp=68–69|5a1=Churton|5y=2011|5p=52}} 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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=114–15|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=44–45|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=61, 66, 70}}
 Crowley soon progressed through the lower grades of the Golden Dawn, and was ready to enter the group's inner Second Order.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=115–16|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=71–72|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=64}} He was unpopular in the group; his bisexuality and [[libertine]] lifestyle gained him a bad reputation, and he developed feuds with some of the members, including [[W. B. Yeats]].{{sfnm|1a1=Symonds|1y=1997|1p=37|2a1=Booth|2y=2000|2pp=115–16|3a1=Sutin|3y=2000|3pp=67–69|4a1=Kaczynski|4y=2010|4pp=64–67}} 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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=116|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=73–75|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=70–73|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=53–54}} A schism had developed between Mathers and the London members of the Golden Dawn, who were unhappy with his autocratic rule.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=118|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=73–75|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=74–75|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=57}} 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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=118–23|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=76–79|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=75–80|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=58–60}}
 ===Mexico, India, Paris, and marriage: 1900–1903===
-In 1900, Crowley travelled to Mexico via the United States, settling in [[Mexico City]] and starting a relationship with a local woman. Developing a love of the country, he continued experimenting with ceremonial magic, working with [[John Dee]]'s [[Enochian]] invocations. He later said he had been initiated into [[Freemasonry]] while there, and he wrote a play based on [[Richard Wagner]]'s ''[[Tannhäuser (opera)|Tannhäuser]]'' as well as a series of poems, published as ''Oracles'' (1905). Eckenstein joined him later in 1900, and together they climbed several mountains, including [[Iztaccihuatl]], [[Popocatépetl|Popocatepetl]], and [[Volcán de Colima|Colima]], the latter of which they had to abandon owing to a volcanic eruption.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=127–37|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=80–86|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=83–90|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=64–70}} Leaving Mexico, Crowley headed to San Francisco before sailing for Hawaii aboard the ''Nippon Maru''. On the ship, he had a brief affair with a married woman named Mary Alice Rogers; saying he fell in love with her, he wrote a series of poems about the romance, published as ''Alice: An Adultery'' (1903).{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=137–39|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=86–90|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=90–93|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=71–75}}
+In 1900, Crowley travelled to Mexico via the United States, settling in [[Mexico City]] and starting a relationship with a local woman. Developing a love of the country, he continued experimenting with ceremonial magic, working with [[John Dee]]'s [[Enochian]] invocations. He later said he had been initiated into [[Freemasonry]] while there, and he wrote a play based on [[Richard Wagner]]'s opera ''[[Tannhäuser (opera)|Tannhäuser]]'' as well as a series of poems published as ''Oracles'' (1905). Eckenstein joined him later in 1900, and together they climbed several mountains, including [[Iztaccihuatl]], [[Popocatépetl|Popocatepetl]], and [[Volcán de Colima|Colima]], the latter of which they had to abandon owing to a volcanic eruption.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=127–37|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=80–86|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=83–90|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=64–70}} Leaving Mexico, Crowley headed to San Francisco before sailing for Hawaii aboard the ''Nippon Maru''. On the ship, he had a brief affair with a married woman named Mary Alice Rogers; saying he fell in love with her, he wrote a series of poems about the romance, published as ''Alice: An Adultery'' (1903).{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=137–39|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=86–90|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=90–93|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=71–75}}
 [[File:Aleister Crowley 1902 K2.jpg|thumbnail|alt=Crowley bathing in a spring during the K2 Expedition, 1902|Crowley during the K2 Expedition, 1902]]
@@ Line 79: / Line 79: @@
 ===Egypt and ''The Book of the Law'': 1904===
-{{Quote box|width=25em|align=right|quote=Had! The manifestation of [[Nuit]].<br>The unveiling of the company of heaven.<br>Every man and every woman is a star.<br>Every number is infinite; there is no difference.<br>Help me, o warrior lord of Thebes, in my unveiling before the Children of men!|source=The opening lines of ''The Book of the Law''}}
+{{Quote box
+| width = 25em
+| align = right
+| quote = Had! The manifestation of [[Nuit]].<br>The unveiling of the company of heaven.<br>Every man and every woman is a star.<br>Every number is infinite; there is no difference.<br>Help me, o warrior lord of Thebes, in my unveiling before the Children of men!
+| source = The opening lines of ''The Book of the Law''
+}}
 In February 1904, Crowley and Rose arrived in [[Cairo]]. Pretending to be a prince and princess, they rented an apartment in which Crowley set up a temple room and began invoking ancient Egyptian deities, while studying [[Islamic mysticism]] and [[Arabic]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=181–82|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=118–20|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=124|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=94}} 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|Number of the Beast]] in Christian belief, and in later years termed the artefact the "Stele of Revealing".{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=182–83|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=120–22|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=124–26|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=96–98}}
-According to Crowley's later statements, on 8 April he heard a disembodied voice identifying itself as that of [[Aiwass]], the messenger of Horus, or [[Heru-ra-ha|Hoor-Paar-Kraat]]. Crowley said that he wrote down everything the voice told him over the course of the next three days, and titled it ''Liber AL vel Legis'' or ''[[The Book of the Law]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=184–88|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=122–25|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=127–29}} The book proclaimed that humanity was entering a new [[Aeon (Thelema)|Aeon]], and that Crowley would serve as its [[prophet]]. It stated that a supreme moral law was to be introduced in this Aeon, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law," and that people should learn to live in tune with their Will. This book, and the philosophy that it espoused, became the cornerstone of Crowley's religion, [[Thelema]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=184–88|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=125–33}} Crowley said that at the time he was unsure what to do with ''The Book of the Law''. Often resenting it, he said that he ignored the instructions which the text commanded him to perform, which included taking the Stele of Revealing from the museum, fortifying his own island, and translating the book into all the world's languages. According to his account, he instead sent typescripts of the work to several occultists he knew, putting the manuscript away and ignoring it.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=188|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=139|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=129}}
+According to Crowley's later statements, on 8 April he heard a disembodied voice identifying itself as that of [[Aiwass]], the messenger of Horus, or [[Heru-ra-ha|Hoor-Paar-Kraat]]. Crowley said that he wrote down everything the voice told him over the course of the next three days, and titled it ''Liber AL vel Legis'' or ''[[The Book of the Law]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=184–88|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=122–25|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=127–29}} The book proclaimed that humanity was entering a new [[Aeon (Thelema)|Aeon]], and that Crowley would serve as its [[prophet]]. It stated that a supreme moral law was to be introduced in this Aeon, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law," and that people should learn to live in tune with their Will. This book, and the philosophy that it espoused, became the cornerstone of [[Thelema]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=184–88|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=125–33}} Crowley said that at the time he was unsure what to do with ''The Book of the Law''. Often resenting it, he said that he ignored the instructions which the text commanded him to perform, which included taking the Stele of Revealing from the museum, fortifying his own island, and translating the book into all the world's languages. According to his account, he instead sent typescripts of the work to several occultists he knew, putting the manuscript away and ignoring it.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=188|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=139|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=129}}
 ===Kanchenjunga and China: 1905–1906===
-Returning to Boleskine, Crowley came to believe that Mathers was using magic against him, and the relationship between the two broke down.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=189, 194–95|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=140–41|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=130|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=108}} On 28 July 1905, Rose gave birth to Crowley's first child, a daughter named Lilith, and Crowley wrote the pornographic ''[[Snowdrops from a Curate's Garden]]'' to entertain his recuperating wife.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=195–96|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=142|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=132|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=108}} He also founded a publishing company through which to publish his poetry, naming it the Society for the Propagation of Religious Truth in parody of the [[Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge]]. Among its first publications were Crowley's ''Collected Works'', edited by Ivor Back, an old friend of Crowley's who was both a practicing surgeon and an enthusiast of literature.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=190|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=142|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=131–33}} His poetry often received strong reviews (either positive or negative), but never sold well. In an attempt to gain more publicity, he issued a reward of £100 for the best essay on his work. The winner of this was [[J. F. C. Fuller]], a British Army officer and military historian, whose essay, ''The Star in the West'' (1907), heralded Crowley's poetry as some of the greatest ever written.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=241–42|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=177–79|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=136–37, 139, 168–69}}
+Returning to Boleskine, Crowley came to believe that Mathers was using magic against him, and the relationship between the two broke down.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=189, 194–95|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=140–41|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=130|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=108}} On 28 July 1905, Rose gave birth to Crowley's first child, a daughter named Lilith, and Crowley wrote the pornographic ''[[Snowdrops from a Curate's Garden]]'' to entertain his recuperating wife.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=195–96|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=142|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=132|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=108}} He also founded a publishing company through which to publish his poetry, naming it the Society for the Propagation of Religious Truth in parody of the [[Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge]]. Among its first publications were Crowley's ''Collected Works'', edited by Ivor Back, an old friend of Crowley's who was both a practicing surgeon and an enthusiast of literature.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=190|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=142|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=131–33}} His poetry often received strong reviews (either positive or negative), but never sold well. In an attempt to gain more publicity, he issued a reward of £100 for the best essay on his work. The winner of this was [[J. F. C. Fuller]], a British Army officer and military historian, whose essay, "The Star in the West" (1907), heralded Crowley's poetry as some of the greatest ever written.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=241–42|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=177–79|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=136–37, 139, 168–69}}
 [[File:Kanchenjunga India.jpg|right|thumb|alt=A photograph of Kangchenjunga|[[Kangchenjunga|Kanchenjunga]], as seen from [[Darjeeling]]]]
@@ Line 91: / Line 96: @@
 Crowley decided to climb [[Kangchenjunga|Kanchenjunga]] in the Himalayas of Nepal, widely recognised as the world's most treacherous mountain. The collaboration between [[Jules Jacot-Guillarmod|Jacot-Guillarmod]], Charles Adolphe Reymond, Alexis Pache, and Alcesti C. Rigo de Righi, [[1905 Kanchenjunga expedition|the expedition]] was marred by much argument between Crowley and the others, who thought that he was reckless. They eventually mutinied against Crowley's control, with the other climbers heading back down the mountain as nightfall approached despite Crowley's warnings that it was too dangerous. Subsequently, Pache and several porters were killed in an accident, something for which Crowley was widely blamed by the mountaineering community.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=201–15|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=149–58|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=138–49|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=111–12}}
-Spending time in [[Hariharpur, India|Moharbhanj]], where he took part in [[big-game hunting]] and wrote the homoerotic work ''The Scented Garden'', Crowley met up with Rose and Lilith in [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] before being forced to leave India after non-lethally shooting two men who tried to mug him.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=217–19|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=158–62|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=151–52}} Briefly visiting Bennett in Burma, Crowley and his family decided to tour Southern China, hiring porters and a nanny for the purpose.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=221|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=162–63|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=114}} Crowley smoked opium throughout the journey, which took the family from [[Tengchong|Tengyueh]] through to Yungchang, [[Dali City|Tali]], [[Kunming|Yunnanfu]], and then [[Hanoi]]. On the way, he spent much time on spiritual and magical work, reciting the "Bornless Ritual", an invocation to his [[Holy Guardian Angel]], on a daily basis.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=221–32|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=164–69|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=153–54|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=115–18}}
+Spending time in [[Hariharpur, India|Moharbhanj]], where he took part in [[big-game hunting]] and wrote the homoerotic work ''The Scented Garden'', Crowley met up with Rose and Lilith in [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] before being forced to leave India after non-lethally shooting two men who tried to mug him.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=217–19|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=158–62|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=151–52}} Briefly visiting Bennett in Burma, Crowley and his family decided to tour Southern China, hiring porters and a nanny for the purpose.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=221|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=162–63|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=114}} Crowley smoked opium throughout the journey, which took the family from [[Tengchong|Tengyueh]] through to [[Baoshan, Yunnan|Yungchang]], [[Dali City|Tali]], [[Kunming|Yunnanfu]], and then [[Hanoi]]. On the way, he spent much time on spiritual and magical work, reciting the "Bornless Ritual", an invocation to his [[Holy Guardian Angel]], on a daily basis.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=221–32|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=164–69|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=153–54|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=115–18}}
-While Rose and Lilith returned to Europe, Crowley headed to Shanghai to meet old friend Elaine Simpson, who was fascinated by ''The Book of the Law''; together they performed rituals in an attempt to contact Aiwass. Crowley then sailed to Japan and Canada, before continuing to New York City, where he unsuccessfully solicited support for a second expedition up Kanchenjunga.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=232–35|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=169–71|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=155–56|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=118–21}} Upon arrival in Britain, Crowley learned that his daughter Lilith had died of [[Typhoid fever|typhoid]] in [[Yangon|Rangoon]], something he later blamed on Rose's increasing alcoholism. Under emotional distress, his health began to suffer, and he underwent a series of surgical operations.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=235–36, 239|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=171–72|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=159–60|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=121}} He began short-lived romances with actress Vera "Lola" Neville (née Snepp){{sfn|Kaczynski|2010|p=160}} and author [[Ada Leverson]],{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=246|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=179|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=159–60, 173–74}} while Rose gave birth to Crowley's second daughter, Lola Zaza, in February 1907.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=236–37|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=172–73|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=159–60|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=125}}
+While Rose and Lilith returned to Europe, Crowley headed to Shanghai to meet old friend Elaine Simpson, who was fascinated by ''The Book of the Law''; together they performed rituals in an attempt to contact Aiwass. Crowley then sailed to Japan and Canada, before continuing to New York City, where he unsuccessfully solicited support for a second expedition up Kanchenjunga.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=232–35|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=169–71|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=155–56|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=118–21}} Upon arrival in Britain, Crowley learned that his daughter Lilith had died of [[Typhoid fever|typhoid]] in [[Yangon|Rangoon]], something he later blamed on Rose's increasing alcoholism. Under emotional distress, his health began to suffer, and he underwent a series of surgical operations.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=235–36, 239|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=171–72|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=159–60|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=121}} He began short-lived romances with actress Vera "Lola" Neville (née Snepp){{sfn|Kaczynski|2010|p=160}} and author [[Ada Leverson]],{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=246|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=179|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=159–60, 173–74}} while Rose gave birth to Crowley's second daughter. Lola Zaza was born in 1906: either in late summer{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1pp=172–73}} or in September{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=159–60}} or in the following winter.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=236–37|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2p=125}} The child contracted bronchitis and almost died.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=159–60|2a1=Booth|2y=2000|2pp=236–37|3a1=Sutin|3y=2000|3pp=172–73}}
 ===The A∴A∴ and The Holy Books of Thelema: 1907–1909===
-With his old mentor George Cecil Jones, Crowley continued performing [[The Book of Abramelin|the Abramelin rituals]] at the Ashdown Park Hotel in [[Coulsdon]], Surrey. Crowley believed that in doing so he attained ''[[samadhi]]'', or union with Godhead, thereby marking a turning point in his life.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=239–40|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=173–74|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=157–60}} Making heavy use of [[hashish]] during these rituals, he wrote an essay on "The Psychology of Hashish" (1909) in which he championed the drug as an aid to mysticism.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=240–41|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=173, 175–76|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=179|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=128}} He also said he had been contacted once again by Aiwass in late October and November 1907, adding that Aiwass dictated two further texts to him, "Liber VII" and "Liber Cordis Cincti Serpente", both of which were later classified in the corpus of [[The Holy Books of Thelema]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=251–52|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=181|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=172}} Crowley wrote down more Thelemic Holy Books during the last two months of the year, including "Liber LXVI", "Liber Arcanorum", "Liber Porta Lucis, Sub Figura X", "Liber Tau", "[[Liber Trigrammaton]]" and "Liber DCCCXIII vel Ararita", which he again said he had received from a preternatural source.{{sfn|Kaczynski|2010|pp=173–75}} Crowley stated that in June 1909, when the manuscript of ''The Book of the Law'' was rediscovered at Boleskine, he developed the opinion that Thelema represented [[Objectivity (philosophy)|objective truth]].{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1pp=195–96|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2pp=189–90|3a1=Churton|3y=2011|3pp=147–48}}
+With his old mentor George Cecil Jones, Crowley continued performing [[The Book of Abramelin|the Abramelin rituals]] at the Ashdown Park Hotel in [[Coulsdon]], Surrey. Crowley believed that in doing so he attained ''[[samadhi]]'', or union with the Godhead, thereby marking a turning point in his life.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=239–40|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=173–74|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=157–60}} Making heavy use of [[hashish]] during these rituals, he wrote an essay on "The Psychology of Hashish" (1909) in which he championed the drug as an aid to mysticism.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=240–41|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=173, 175–76|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=179|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=128}} He also said he had been contacted once again by Aiwass in late October and November 1907, adding that Aiwass dictated two further texts to him, "Liber VII" and "Liber Cordis Cincti Serpente", both of which were later classified in the corpus of [[The Holy Books of Thelema]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=251–52|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=181|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=172}} Crowley wrote down more Thelemic Holy Books during the last two months of the year, including "Liber LXVI", "Liber Arcanorum", "Liber Porta Lucis, Sub Figura X", "Liber Tau", "[[Liber Trigrammaton]]" and "Liber DCCCXIII vel Ararita", which he again said he had received from a preternatural source.{{sfn|Kaczynski|2010|pp=173–75}} Crowley stated that in June 1909, when the manuscript of ''The Book of the Law'' was rediscovered at Boleskine, he developed the opinion that Thelema represented [[Objectivity (philosophy)|objective truth]].{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1pp=195–96|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2pp=189–90|3a1=Churton|3y=2011|3pp=147–48}}
 Crowley's inheritance was running out.{{sfn|Booth|2000|p=243}} Trying to earn money, he was hired by George Montagu Bennett, the [[Earl of Tankerville]], to help protect him from [[witchcraft]]; recognising Bennett's paranoia as being based in his cocaine addiction, Crowley took him on holiday to France and Morocco to recuperate.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=249–51|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=180|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=129–36}} In 1907, he also began taking in paying students, whom he instructed in occult and magical practice.{{Sfn|Booth|2000|p=252}} [[Victor Neuburg (poet)|Victor Neuburg]], whom Crowley met in February 1907, became his sexual partner and closest disciple; in 1908 the pair toured northern Spain before heading to [[Tangier]], Morocco.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=255–62|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=184–87|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=179–80|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=129–30, 142–43}} The following year Neuburg stayed at Boleskine, where he and Crowley engaged in [[sadomasochism]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=267–68|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=196–98|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=146–47}} Crowley continued to write prolifically, producing such works of poetry as ''Ambergris'', ''Clouds Without Water'', and ''Konx Om Pax'',{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=244–45|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=179, 181|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=176, 191–92|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=131}} as well as his first attempt at an autobiography, ''The World's Tragedy''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=246–47|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=182–83|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=231|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=141}} Recognizing the popularity of short horror stories, Crowley wrote his own, some of which were published,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=254–55|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2p=172}} and he also published several articles in ''[[Vanity Fair (British magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'', a magazine edited by his friend [[Frank Harris]].{{sfn|Kaczynski|2010|p=178}} He also wrote ''[[777 and Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley|Liber 777]]'', a book of magical and [[Hermetic Qabalah|Qabalistic]] [[Correspondence (theology)|correspondences]] that borrowed from Mathers and Bennett.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=247–48|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=175|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=183|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=128}}
-{{Quote box|width=25em|align=right|quote=Into my loneliness comes—<br>The sound of a flute in dim groves that haunt the uttermost hills.<br>Even from the brave river they reach to the edge of the wilderness.<br>And I behold Pan.|source=The opening lines of Liber VII (1907), the first of the Holy Books of Thelema to be revealed to Crowley after ''The Book of the Law''.{{sfn|Crowley|1983|p=32}}}}
+{{Quote box
+| width = 25em
+| align = right
+| quote = Into my loneliness comes—<br>The sound of a flute in dim groves that haunt the uttermost hills.<br>Even from the brave river they reach to the edge of the wilderness.<br>And I behold Pan.
+| source = The opening lines of Liber VII (1907), the first of the Holy Books of Thelema to be revealed to Crowley after ''The Book of the Law''.{{sfn|Crowley|1983|p=32}}
+}}
 In November 1907, Crowley and Jones decided to found an occult order to act as a successor to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, being aided in doing so by Fuller. The result was the [[A∴A∴]]. The group's headquarters and temple were situated at 124 Victoria Street in central London, and their rites borrowed much from those of the Golden Dawn, but with an added Thelemic basis.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=263–64|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=172–73|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=146}} Its earliest members included solicitor Richard Noel Warren, artist [[Austin Osman Spare]], Horace Sheridan-Bickers, author [[George Raffalovich]], Francis Henry Everard Joseph Feilding, engineer Herbert Edward Inman, Kenneth Ward, and [[Charles Stansfeld Jones]].{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1p=207|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=185–89}} In March 1909, Crowley began production of a biannual periodical titled ''[[The Equinox]]''. He billed this periodical, which was to become the "Official Organ" of the A∴A∴, as "The Review of Scientific Illuminism".{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=265–67|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=192–93|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=183–84|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=144}}
@@ Line 107: / Line 117: @@
 ===Algeria and the Rites of Eleusis: 1909–1911===
+[[File:Crowley Family.png|thumb|[[Rose Edith Kelly|Rose Kelly]] with Aleister Crowley and their daughter, Lola Zaza]]
 In November 1909, Crowley and Neuburg travelled to Algeria, touring the desert from [[Jendouba|El Arba]] to [[Sour El-Ghozlane|Aumale]], [[Bou Saâda]], and then Dā'leh Addin, with Crowley reciting the [[Quran]] to fortify himself against growing feelings of awe and dread.{{sfn|Owen|2004|pp=186–202}} During the trip he invoked the thirty aethyrs of [[Enochian magic]], with Neuburg recording the results, later published in ''The Equinox'' as ''The Vision and the Voice''. Following a mountaintop [[sex magic]] ritual, Crowley also performed an [[evocation]] to the demon [[Choronzon]] involving [[blood sacrifice]], and considered the results to be a watershed in his magical career.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=274–82|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=199–204|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=193–203|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=149–52}} Returning to London in January 1910, Crowley found that Mathers was suing him for publishing Golden Dawn secrets in ''The Equinox''; the court found in favour of Crowley. The case was widely reported in the press, with Crowley gaining wider fame.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=282–83|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=205–06|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=205–08|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=160}} Crowley enjoyed this, and played up to the sensationalist stereotype of being a Satanist and advocate of human sacrifice, despite being neither.{{sfn|Booth|2000|pp=283–84}}
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 In early 1912, Crowley published ''[[The Book of Lies (Crowley)|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".{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=302|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=224–25|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=251}} The German occultist [[Theodor Reuss]] later accused him of publishing some of the secrets of his own occult order, [[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 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".{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=302–05|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=225–26|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=251–25}} 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 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 were initiated into the [[Ordo Templi Orientis#Initiation and teachings|eleventh degree]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=306|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=228|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=256}}
-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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=308–09|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=232–34|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=261–65}} In Moscow, Crowley continued to write plays and poetry, including "Hymn to [[Pan (god)|Pan]]", and the [[Liber XV, The Gnostic Mass|Gnostic Mass]], a Thelemic ritual that became a key part of O.T.O. liturgy.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=309–10|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=234–35|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=264}} Churton suggested that Crowley had travelled to Moscow on the orders of British intelligence to spy on revolutionary elements in the city.{{sfn|Churton|2011|pp=178–82}} In January 1914, Crowley and Neuburg settled into an apartment in Paris, where the former was involved in the controversy surrounding [[Oscar Wilde's tomb|Jacob Epstein's new monument to Oscar Wilde]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=307|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=218|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=266–67}} 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 (mythology)|Mercury]] and [[Jupiter (god)|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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=313–16|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=235–40|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=269–74}} Following the Paris Working, Neuburg began to distance himself from Crowley, resulting in an argument in which Crowley [[curse]]d him.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=317–19|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=240–41|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=275–76}}
+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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=308–09|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=232–34|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=261–65}} In Moscow, Crowley continued to write plays and poetry, including "Hymn to [[Pan (god)|Pan]]", and the [[Liber XV, The Gnostic Mass|Gnostic Mass]], a Thelemic ritual that became a key part of O.T.O. liturgy.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=309–10|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=234–35|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=264}} Churton suggested that Crowley had travelled to Moscow on the orders of British intelligence to spy on revolutionary elements in the city.{{sfn|Churton|2011|pp=178–82}} In January 1914, Crowley and Neuburg settled into an apartment in Paris, where the former was involved in the controversy surrounding [[Oscar Wilde's tomb|Jacob Epstein's new monument to Oscar Wilde]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=307|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=218|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=266–67}} 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 (mythology)|Mercury]] and [[Jupiter (god)|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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=313–16|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=235–40|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=269–74}} Following the Paris Working, Neuburg began to distance himself from Crowley, resulting in an argument in which Crowley [[curse]]d him.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=317–19|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=240–41|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=275–76}}
 ===United States: 1914–1919===
-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.{{sfn|Booth|2000|p=321}} In May, he transferred ownership of Boleskine House to the MMM for financial reasons,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=321–22|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=240|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=277|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=186}} and in July he went mountaineering in the Swiss Alps. During this time the [[First World War]] broke out.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=322|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2p=277}}
+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.{{sfn|Booth|2000|p=321}} In May, he transferred ownership of Boleskine House to the MMM for financial reasons,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=321–22|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=240|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=277|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=186}} and in July he went mountaineering in the Swiss Alps. During this time the [[First World War]] broke out.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=322|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2p=277}} After recuperating from a bout of [[phlebitis]], Crowley set sail for the United States aboard the [[RMS Lusitania|RMS ''Lusitania'']] in October 1914.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=323|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=241|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=278|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=187–89}} Arriving in New York City, he moved into a hotel and began earning money writing for the American edition of ''[[Vanity Fair (American magazine 1913–1936)|Vanity Fair]]'' and undertaking freelance work for the famed astrologer [[Evangeline Adams]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=323–34|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=281–82, 294}} 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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=325|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=243–44}}
-After recuperating from a bout of [[phlebitis]], Crowley set sail for the United States aboard the [[RMS Lusitania|RMS ''Lusitania'']] in October 1914.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=323|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=241|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=278|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=187–89}} Arriving in New York City, he moved into a hotel and began earning money writing for the American edition of ''[[Vanity Fair (American magazine 1913–1936)|Vanity Fair]]'' and undertaking freelance work for the famed astrologer [[Evangeline Adams]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=323–34|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=281–82, 294}} 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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=325|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=243–44}}
 [[File:Aleister Crowley's May Morn.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=Crowley's painting ''May Morn''|''May Morn'', one of Crowley's paintings from his time in the US. He explained it thus: "The painting represents the dawning of the day following a witches' celebration as described in ''[[Faust]]''. The witch is hanged, as she deserves, and the satyr looks out from behind a tree."{{sfn|Kaczynski|2010|p=341}}]]
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 Professing to be of Irish ancestry and a supporter of [[Irish nationalism|Irish independence]] from Great Britain, Crowley began to espouse support for Germany in their war against Britain. He became involved in New York's pro-German movement, and in January 1915 pro-German propagandist [[George Sylvester Viereck]] employed him as a writer for his propagandist paper, ''[[The Fatherland]]'', which was dedicated to keeping the US neutral in the conflict.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=326–30|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=245–47|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=283–84}} In later years, detractors denounced Crowley as a traitor to Britain for this action.{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1p=247|3a1=Churton|3y=2011|3p=186}}
-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, California|Santa Cruz]], Los Angeles, San Diego, [[Tijuana]], and the [[Grand Canyon]], before returning to New York.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=330–33|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=251–55|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=288–91, 295–97|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=198–203}} 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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=333|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=255–57|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=298–301}} Later that year he took a "magical retirement" to a cabin by [[Newfound Lake|Lake Pasquaney]] owned by Evangeline Adams. There, he made heavy use of drugs and undertook a ritual after which he proclaimed himself "Master Therion". He also wrote several short stories based on [[James George Frazer]]'s ''[[The Golden Bough]]'' and a work of literary criticism, ''The Gospel According to Bernard Shaw''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=333–35|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=257–61|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=304–09}}
+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, California|Santa Cruz]], Los Angeles, San Diego, [[Tijuana]], and the [[Grand Canyon]], before returning to New York.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=330–33|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=251–55|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=288–91, 295–97|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=198–203}} 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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=333|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=255–57|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=298–301}} Later that year he took a "magical retirement" to a cabin by [[Newfound Lake|Lake Pasquaney]] owned by Evangeline Adams. There, he made heavy use of drugs and undertook a ritual after which he proclaimed himself "Master Therion". He also wrote several short stories based on [[James George Frazer]]'s ''[[The Golden Bough]]'' and a work of literary criticism, ''The Gospel According to Bernard Shaw''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=333–35|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=257–61|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=304–09}}
 [[File:Supposed channeled entity by occultist crowley.jpg|thumb|233x233px|A drawing by Crowley of Lam]]
 In December, he moved to [[New Orleans]], his favourite US city, before spending February 1917 with evangelical Christian relatives in [[Titusville, Florida]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=336–38|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=261–62|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=309–13}} 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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=338|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=263|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=313–16}} 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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=339–40|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=264–66|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=320}} He then moved to the studio apartment of Roddie Minor, who became his partner and [[Babalon|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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=342–44|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=264–67|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=320–30}}
-In 1918, Crowley went on a magical retreat in the wilderness of [[Esopus Island]] on the [[Hudson River]]. Here, he began an adaptation{{efn|Crowley did not read Chinese ({{harvnb|Redmond|2021|p=199, fn. 2}}); his "translations" of Chinese texts are more properly considered "radical adaptation[s]" of existing translations ({{harvnb|Robinson|2017|p=128}}).}} of the ''[[Tao Te Ching]]'', painted Thelemic slogans on the riverside cliffs, and—he later wrote—experienced [[reincarnation|past life memories]] of being [[Ge Xuan]], [[Pope Alexander VI]], [[Alessandro Cagliostro]], and [[Éliphas Lévi]].{{sfnm | 1a1 = Booth | 1y = 2000 | 1pp = 344–45 | 2a1 = Sutin | 2y = 2000 | 2pp = 267–72 | 3a1 = Kaczynski | 3y = 2010 | 3pp = 330–31 }} Back in New York City, he moved to [[Greenwich Village]], where he took [[Leah Hirsig]] as his lover and next Scarlet Woman.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=346–50|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=274–76|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=338–43}} He took up painting as a hobby, exhibiting his work at the Greenwich Village Liberal Club and attracting the attention of ''[[The Evening World]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=344–45|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=274–76|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=340–41}} With the financial assistance of sympathetic Freemasons, Crowley revived ''The Equinox'' with the first issue of volume III, known as ''The Blue Equinox''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=351|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=273|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=342–44}} He spent mid-1919 on a climbing holiday in [[Montauk, New York|Montauk]] before returning to London in December.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=351–52|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=277|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=347}}
+In 1918, Crowley went on a magical retreat in the wilderness of [[Esopus Island]] on the [[Hudson River]] in [[upstate New York]]. Here, he began an adaptation{{efn|Crowley did not read Chinese ({{harvnb|Redmond|2021|p=199, fn. 2}}); his "translations" of Chinese texts are more properly considered "radical adaptation[s]" of existing translations ({{harvnb|Robinson|2017|p=128}}).}} of the ''[[Tao Te Ching]]'', painted Thelemic slogans on the riverside cliffs, and—he later wrote—experienced [[reincarnation|past life memories]] of being [[Ge Xuan]], [[Pope Alexander VI]], [[Alessandro Cagliostro]], and [[Éliphas Lévi]].{{sfnm | 1a1 = Booth | 1y = 2000 | 1pp = 344–45 | 2a1 = Sutin | 2y = 2000 | 2pp = 267–72 | 3a1 = Kaczynski | 3y = 2010 | 3pp = 330–31 }} Back in New York City, he moved to [[Greenwich Village]], where he took [[Leah Hirsig]] as his lover and next Scarlet Woman.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=346–50|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=274–76|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=338–43}} He took up painting as a hobby, exhibiting his work at the Greenwich Village Liberal Club and attracting the attention of ''[[The Evening World]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=344–45|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=274–76|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=340–41}} With the financial assistance of sympathetic Freemasons, Crowley revived ''The Equinox'' with the first issue of volume III, known as ''The Blue Equinox''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=351|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=273|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=342–44}} He spent mid-1919 on a climbing holiday in [[Montauk, New York]], before returning to London in December.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=351–52|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=277|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=347}}
 ===Abbey of Thelema: 1920–1923===
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 ===Tunisia, Paris, and London: 1923–1929===
-Crowley and Hirsig went to [[Tunis]], where, dogged by continuing poor health, he unsuccessfully tried again to give up heroin,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=399–401|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=310|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=397|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=270}} and began writing what he termed his "[[hagiography|autohagiography]]", ''[[The Confessions of Aleister Crowley]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=403|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=310–11|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=398}} They were joined in Tunis by the Thelemite Norman Mudd, who became Crowley's public relations consultant.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=403–06|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=313–16|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=399–403|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=270–73}} Employing a local boy, Mohammad ben Brahim, as his servant, Crowley went with him on a retreat to [[Nefta, Tunisia|Nefta]], where they performed sex magic together.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=405–06|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=315–16|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=403–05|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=273–74}} In January 1924, Crowley travelled to [[Nice]], France, where he met with [[Frank Harris]], underwent a series of nasal operations,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=407–09|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=316–18|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=405|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=274}} and visited the [[Fourth Way|Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man]] and had a positive opinion of its founder, [[George Gurdjieff]].{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1p=317|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=406–07|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=281–82}} Destitute, he took on a wealthy student, Alexander Zu Zolar,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=410–12|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=319|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=287}} before taking on another American follower, Dorothy Olsen. Crowley took Olsen back to Tunisia for a magical retreat in Nefta, where he also wrote ''To Man'' (1924), a declaration of his own status as a prophet entrusted with bringing Thelema to humanity.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=412–17|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=319–20|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=413–15|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=287–88}} After spending the winter in Paris, in early 1925 Crowley and Olsen returned to Tunis, where he wrote ''[[The Heart of the Master]]'' (1938) as an account of a vision he experienced in a trance.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=418|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=323|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=417|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=323}} In March Olsen became pregnant, and Hirsig was called to take care of her; she miscarried, following which Crowley took Olsen back to France. Hirsig later distanced herself from Crowley, who then denounced her.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=419–20|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=322|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=417–18|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=289}}
+Crowley and Hirsig went to [[Tunis]], where, dogged by continuing poor health, he unsuccessfully tried again to give up heroin,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=399–401|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=310|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=397|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=270}} and began writing what he termed his "[[hagiography|autohagiography]]", ''[[The Confessions of Aleister Crowley]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=403|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=310–11|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=398}} They were joined in Tunis by the Thelemite Norman Mudd, who became Crowley's public relations consultant.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=403–06|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=313–16|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=399–403|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=270–73}} Employing a local boy, Mohammad ben Brahim, as his servant, Crowley went with him on a retreat to [[Nefta, Tunisia|Nefta]], where they performed sex magic together.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=405–06|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=315–16|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=403–05|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=273–74}} In January 1924, Crowley travelled to [[Nice]], France, where he met with [[Frank Harris]], underwent a series of nasal operations,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=407–09|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=316–18|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=405|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=274}} and visited the [[Fourth Way|Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man]], developing a positive opinion of its founder [[George Gurdjieff]].{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1p=317|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=406–07|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=281–82}} Destitute, he took on a wealthy student, Alexander Zu Zolar,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=410–12|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=319|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=287}} before taking on another American follower, Dorothy Olsen. Crowley took Olsen back to Tunisia for a magical retreat in Nefta, where he also wrote ''To Man'' (1924), a declaration of his own status as a prophet entrusted with bringing Thelema to humanity.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=412–17|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=319–20|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=413–15|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=287–88}} After spending the winter in Paris, in early 1925 Crowley and Olsen returned to Tunis, where he wrote ''[[The Heart of the Master]]'' (1938) as an account of a vision he experienced in a trance.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=418|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=323|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=417|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=323}} In March Olsen became pregnant, and Hirsig was called to take care of her; she miscarried, following which Crowley took Olsen back to France. Hirsig later distanced herself from Crowley, who then denounced her.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=419–20|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=322|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=417–18|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=289}}
 According to Crowley, Reuss named him head of O.T.O. upon his death, but this was challenged by a leader of the German O.T.O., {{Interlanguage link|Heinrich Tränker|de}}. Tränker called the Hohenleuben Conference in [[Thuringia]], Germany, which Crowley attended. There, prominent members like [[Karl Germer]] and Martha Küntzel championed Crowley's leadership, but other key figures like [[Albin Grau]], Oskar Hopfer, and Henri Birven backed Tränker by opposing it, resulting in a split in O.T.O.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=423–44|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=324–28|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=418–19|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=291–92, 332}} Moving to Paris, where he broke with Olsen in 1926, Crowley went through a large number of lovers over the following years, with whom he experimented in sex magic.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=425–26|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=332–34|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=426–27, 430–33}} Throughout, he was dogged by poor health, largely caused by his heroin and cocaine addictions.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=429–30}} In 1928, Crowley was introduced to [[Israel Regardie]], a young Englishman, who embraced Thelema and became Crowley's secretary for the next three years.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=426|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=336–37|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=432–33|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=309}} That year, Crowley also met [[Gerald Yorke]], who began organising Crowley's finances but never became a Thelemite.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=427–28|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=335|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=427–29|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=299}} He also befriended the journalist [[Tom Driberg]]; Driberg did not accept Thelema either.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=428–29|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=331–32|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=423|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=296–98|5a1=Pasi|5y=2014|5pp=72–76}} It was here that Crowley also published one of his most significant works, ''[[Magick (Book 4)|Magick in Theory and Practice]]'', which received little attention at the time.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=431|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=339|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=426, 428–29|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=308–09}}
@@ Line 155: / Line 165: @@
 In April 1930, Crowley moved to Berlin, where he took Hanni Jaegar as his magical partner; the relationship was troubled.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=439|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=351–54|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=448|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=333, 335}} In September he went to [[Lisbon]] in Portugal to meet the poet [[Fernando Pessoa]]. There, he decided to fake his own death, doing so with Pessoa's help at the [[Boca do Inferno]] rock formation.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=440|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=354–55|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=449–52|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=336–37|5a1=Pasi|5y=2014|5pp=95–116}} He then returned to Berlin, where he reappeared three weeks later at the opening of his art exhibition at the Gallery Neumann-Nierendorf. Crowley's paintings fitted with the fashion for [[German Expressionism]]; few of them sold, but the press reports were largely favourable.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=441–42|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=360–61|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=455–57|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=337, 346–49}} In August 1931, he took Bertha Busch as his new lover; they had a violent relationship, and often physically assaulted one another.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=445|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=360|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=450|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=345}} He continued to have affairs with both men and women while in the city,{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1pp=355–57}} and met with famous people like [[Aldous Huxley]] and [[Alfred Adler]].{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1pp=355|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2pp=448–49|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=335–36, 338–39}} 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.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=445–46|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=361|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=457|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=349|5a1=Pasi|5y=2014|5pp=83–88}}
-{{Quote box|width=25em|align=left|quote=I have been over forty years engaged in the administration of the law in one capacity or another. I thought that I knew of every conceivable form of wickedness. I thought that everything which was vicious and bad had been produced at one time or another before me. I have learnt in this case that we can always learn something more if we live long enough. I have never heard such dreadful, horrible, blasphemous and abominable stuff as that which has been produced by the man (Crowley) who describes himself to you as the greatest living poet.|source=Justice Swift, in Crowley's libel case.{{sfnm|1a1=The United Press|1y=1934|1p=39|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=372}}}}
+{{Quote box
+| width = 25em
+| align = left
+| quote = I have been over forty years engaged in the administration of the law in one capacity or another. I thought that I knew of every conceivable form of wickedness. I thought that everything which was vicious and bad had been produced at one time or another before me. I have learnt in this case that we can always learn something more if we live long enough. I have never heard such dreadful, horrible, blasphemous and abominable stuff as that which has been produced by the man (Crowley) who describes himself to you as the greatest living poet.
+| source = Justice Swift, in Crowley's libel case.{{sfnm|1a1=The United Press|1y=1934|1p=39|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=372}}
+}}
 Crowley left Busch and returned to London,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=446|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=355–56}} where he took Pearl Brooksmith as his new Scarlet Woman.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=453|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=366–67|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=470–71|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=360–61}} Undergoing further [[nasal surgery]], it was here in 1932 that he was invited to be guest of honour at [[Foyles]]' Literary Luncheon, also being invited by [[Harry Price]] to speak at the [[National Laboratory of Psychical Research]].{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1pp=363–64|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=463–65|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=357}} In need of money, he launched a series of court cases against people whom he believed to have libelled him, some of which proved successful. He gained much publicity for his lawsuit against [[Constable & Robinson|Constable and Co]] for publishing [[Nina Hamnett]]'s ''Laughing Torso'' (1932)—a book he alleged libelled him by referring to his occult practice as black magic{{sfn|Hamnett|2007|pp=173–174}}—but lost the case.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=447–53|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=367–73|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=466, 468, 472–81|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=358–59, 361–62}} The court case added to Crowley's financial problems, and in February 1935 he was declared bankrupt. During the hearing, it was revealed that Crowley was spending three times his income for several years.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=454–56|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=374|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=483–84|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=363}}
@@ Line 163: / Line 178: @@
 ===Second World War and death: 1939–1947===
 [[File:Grady Louis McMurtry 1941.JPG|thumb|right|upright|alt= 1941 photograph of Grady Louis McMurtry|Crowley specified that Grady McMurtry succeed his chosen successor as Head of O.T.O., Karl Germer.]]
-When the [[Second World War]] broke out, Crowley wrote to the [[Naval Intelligence Division (United Kingdom)|Naval Intelligence Division]] offering his services, but they declined. He associated with a variety of figures in Britain's intelligence community at the time, including [[Dennis Wheatley]], [[Roald Dahl]], [[Ian Fleming]], and [[Maxwell Knight]],{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=471–72|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=506–07|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=376–78}} and wrote that he originated the "[[V sign|V for Victory]]" sign first used by the [[BBC]]; this has never been proven.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=511–12|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2pp=380–83, 392–96}}
+When the [[Second World War]] broke out, Crowley wrote to the [[Naval Intelligence Division (United Kingdom)|Naval Intelligence Division]] offering his services, but they declined. He associated with a variety of figures in Britain's intelligence community at the time, including [[Dennis Wheatley]], [[Roald Dahl]], [[Ian Fleming]], and [[Maxwell Knight]],{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=471–72|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=506–07|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=376–78}} and wrote that he originated the "[[V sign|V for Victory]]" sign first used by the [[BBC]]; this has never been proven.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=511–12|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2pp=380–83, 392–96}} In 1940, his asthma worsened, and with his German-produced medication unavailable, he returned to using heroin, once again becoming addicted.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=476|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=508}} As [[the Blitz]] hit London, Crowley relocated to [[Torquay]], where he was briefly admitted to hospital with asthma, and entertained himself with visits to the local chess club.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=509–10|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2p=380}} Tiring of Torquay, he returned to London, where he was visited by American Thelemite [[Grady Louis McMurtry|Grady McMurtry]], to whom Crowley awarded the title of "Hymenaeus Alpha".{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1p=527|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2p=403}} He stipulated that though Germer would be his immediate successor, McMurty should succeed Germer as head of O.T.O. after the latter's death.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=478–79|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=512, 531–32, 547|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=408–09}} With O.T.O. initiate [[Lady Frieda Harris]], Crowley developed plans to produce a [[Tarot|tarot card]] set, designed by him and painted by Harris. Accompanying this was a book, published in a limited edition as ''[[The Book of Thoth (Crowley)|The Book of Thoth]]'' by [[Chiswick Press]] in 1944.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=473–74|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=501, 503–04, 510, 522, 530–21|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=370, 406}} To aid the war effort, he wrote a proclamation on the rights of humanity, "[[Liber OZ]]", and a poem for the liberation of France, ''La Gauloise''.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=517–18, 522|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=397}} Crowley's final publication during his lifetime was a book of poetry, ''Olla: An Anthology of Sixty Years of Song''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=474–75|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=519–20, 542|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=410}} Another of his projects, ''Aleister Explains Everything'', was posthumously published as ''[[Magick Without Tears]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=474|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=528|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=404}}
-In 1940, his asthma worsened, and with his German-produced medication unavailable, he returned to using heroin, once again becoming addicted.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=476|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=508}} As [[the Blitz]] hit London, Crowley relocated to [[Torquay]], where he was briefly admitted to hospital with asthma, and entertained himself with visits to the local chess club.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=509–10|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2p=380}} Tiring of Torquay, he returned to London, where he was visited by American Thelemite [[Grady Louis McMurtry|Grady McMurtry]], to whom Crowley awarded the title of "Hymenaeus Alpha".{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1p=527|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2p=403}} He stipulated that though Germer would be his immediate successor, McMurty should succeed Germer as head of O.T.O. after the latter's death.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=478–79|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=512, 531–32, 547|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=408–09}} With O.T.O. initiate [[Lady Frieda Harris]], Crowley developed plans to produce a [[Tarot|tarot card]] set, designed by him and painted by Harris. Accompanying this was a book, published in a limited edition as ''[[The Book of Thoth (Crowley)|The Book of Thoth]]'' by [[Chiswick Press]] in 1944.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=473–74|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=501, 503–04, 510, 522, 530–21|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=370, 406}} To aid the war effort, he wrote a proclamation on the rights of humanity, "[[Liber OZ]]", and a poem for the liberation of France, ''Le Gauloise''.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=517–18, 522|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=397}} Crowley's final publication during his lifetime was a book of poetry, ''Olla: An Anthology of Sixty Years of Song''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=474–75|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=519–20, 542|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=410}} Another of his projects, ''Aleister Explains Everything'', was posthumously published as ''[[Magick Without Tears]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=474|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=528|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=404}}
 In April 1944 Crowley briefly moved to [[Aston Clinton]] in Buckinghamshire,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=475|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=530|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=403–04}} where he was visited by the poet [[Nancy Cunard]],{{sfnm|1a1=Churton|1y=2011|1pp=407–08}} before relocating to [[Hastings]] in Sussex, where he took up residence at the Netherwood boarding house.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=475|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=532–33}} He took a young man named [[Kenneth Grant (occultist)|Kenneth Grant]] as his secretary, paying him in magical teaching rather than wages.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=533–35|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=409, 411}} He was also introduced to [[John Symonds]], whom he appointed to be his literary executor; Symonds thought little of Crowley, later publishing unfavorable biographies of him.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=481|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2pp=540–41|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=413–14}} Corresponding with the illusionist [[Arnold Crowther]], it was through him that Crowley was introduced to [[Gerald Gardner]], the future founder of [[Gardnerian Wicca]]. They became friends, with Crowley authorising Gardner to revive Britain's ailing O.T.O.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=542–44}} Another visitor was [[Eliza Marian Butler]], who interviewed Crowley for her book ''The Myth of the Magus''.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=536–37|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=412}} Other friends and family also spent time with him, among them Doherty and Crowley's son Aleister Atatürk.{{sfnm|1a1=Kaczynski|1y=2010|1pp=544–55|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=416}}
-On 1 December 1947, Crowley died at Netherwood of [[Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease|chronic bronchitis]] aggravated by [[pleurisy]] and myocardial degeneration, aged 72.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=483|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=417–19|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=548|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=417–18}} His funeral was held at a [[Brighton]] crematorium on 5 December; about a dozen people attended, and [[Louis Wilkinson]] read excerpts from the [[Liber XV, The Gnostic Mass|Gnostic Mass]], ''The Book of the Law'', and "Hymn to Pan". The funeral generated press controversy, and was labelled a [[Black Mass]] by the tabloids. Crowley's body was [[Cremation|cremated]]; his ashes were sent to [[Karl Germer]] in the US, who buried them in his garden in [[Hampton, New Jersey]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=484–85|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=549–51|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=418}}{{sfn|Lachman|2014|p=182}}
+On 1 December 1947, Crowley died at Netherwood of [[Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease|chronic bronchitis]] aggravated by [[pleurisy]] and myocardial degeneration, aged 72.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=483|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=417–19|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=548|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=417–18}} His funeral was held at Woodvale Crematorium, [[Brighton]] on 5 December; about a dozen people attended, and [[Louis Wilkinson]] read excerpts from the [[Liber XV, The Gnostic Mass|Gnostic Mass]], ''The Book of the Law'', and "Hymn to Pan". The funeral generated press controversy, and was labelled a [[Black Mass]] by the tabloids. Crowley's body was [[Cremation|cremated]]; his ashes were sent to [[Karl Germer]] in the US, who buried them in his garden in [[Hampton, New Jersey]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=484–85|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=549–51|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=418}}{{sfn|Lachman|2014|p=182}}
 ==Beliefs and thought==
@@ Line 184: / Line 198: @@
 Crowley believed in the objective existence of [[ceremonial magic|magic]], which he chose to spell as "Magick", which is an archaic spelling of the word.{{sfnm|1a1=Hutton|1y=1999|1p=174|2a1=Asprem|2y=2013|2p=89|3a1=Doyle White|3y=2016|3p=4}} He provided various different definitions of this term over his career.{{sfn|Hutton|1999|p=174}} In his book ''[[Magick (Book 4)|Magick in Theory and Practice]]'', Crowley defined Magick as "the Science and Art of causing change to occur in conformity with Will".{{sfnm|1a1=Hutton|1y=1999|1p=174|2a1=DuQuette|2y=2003|2p=11|3a1=Doyle White|3y=2016|3p=4}} He also told his disciple Karl Germer that "Magick is getting into communication with individuals who exist on a higher plane than ours. Mysticism is the raising of oneself to their level."{{sfn|Churton|2011|p=417}} Crowley saw Magick as a third way between religion and science, giving ''The Equinox'' the subtitle of ''The Method of Science; the Aim of Religion''.{{sfnm|1a1=Asprem|1y=2008|1p=140|2a1=Bogdan|2a2=Starr|2y=2012|2p=4}} Within that journal, he expressed positive sentiments toward science and the [[scientific method]],{{sfn|Asprem|2008|p=150}} and urged magicians to keep detailed records of their magical experiments, having said: "The more scientific the record is, the better."{{sfn|Asprem|2008|pp=151–52}} His understanding of magic was also influenced by the work of the anthropologist James Frazer, in particular the belief that magic was a precursor to science in a [[cultural evolution]]ary framework.{{sfn|Asprem|2008|pp=145, 149}} Unlike Frazer, however, Crowley did not see magic as a survival from the past that required eradication, but rather he believed that magic had to be adapted to suit the new age of science.{{sfn|Asprem|2008|p=150}} In Crowley's alternative schema, old systems of ''magic'' had to decline (per Frazer's framework) so that science and magic could synthesize into ''magick'', which would simultaneously accept the existence of the supernatural and an [[experiment|experimental method]].{{sfn|Josephson Storm|2017|p=170}} Crowley deliberately adopted an exceptionally broad definition of magick that included almost all forms of technology as magick, adopting an [[instrumentalism|instrumentalist]] definition of magic, science, and technology.{{sfn|Josephson Storm|2017|p=172–73}}
-{{Quote box|width=25em|align=left|quote=To [Crowley] the greatest aim of the magician was to merge with a higher power connected to the wellsprings of the universe, but he did not trouble himself too much to define that power consistently; sometimes it was God, sometimes the One, sometimes a goddess, and sometimes one's own Holy Guardian Angel or higher self. In the last analysis he was content for the nature of divinity to remain a mystery. As a result, he wrote at times like an atheist, at times like a monotheist, and at others like a polytheist.|source=[[Ronald Hutton]]{{sfn|Hutton|1999|p=185}}}}
+{{Quote box
+| width = 25em
+| align = left
+| quote = To [Crowley] the greatest aim of the magician was to merge with a higher power connected to the wellsprings of the universe, but he did not trouble himself too much to define that power consistently; sometimes it was God, sometimes the One, sometimes a goddess, and sometimes one's own Holy Guardian Angel or higher self. In the last analysis he was content for the nature of divinity to remain a mystery. As a result, he wrote at times like an atheist, at times like a monotheist, and at others like a polytheist.
+| source = [[Ronald Hutton]]{{sfn|Hutton|1999|p=185}}
+}}
 Sexuality played an important role in Crowley's ideas about magick and his practice of it,{{sfn|Hutton|1999|p=173}} and has been described as being central to Thelema.{{sfn|Drury|2012|p=216}} He outlined three forms of sex magick—the autoerotic, homosexual, and heterosexual—and argued that such acts could be used to focus the magician's will onto a specific goal such as financial gain or personal creative success.{{sfn|Drury|2012|p=213}} For Crowley, sex was treated as a [[sacrament]], with the consumption of sexual fluids interpreted as a [[Eucharist]].{{sfn|Djurdjevic|2014|p=44}} This was often manifested as the [[Cake of Light|Cakes of Light]], a biscuit containing either menstrual blood or a mixture of semen and vaginal fluids.{{sfn|Drury|2012|p=210}} The Gnostic Mass is the central religious ceremony within Thelema.{{sfn|Asprem|2013|p=99}}
@@ Line 197: / Line 216: @@
 ===Political opinions===
 Crowley enjoyed being outrageous and flouting conventional morality,{{sfn|Moore|2009|p=33}} with [[John Symonds]] noting that he "was in revolt against the moral and religious values of his time".{{sfn|Symonds|1997|p=vii}} Crowley's political thought was studied by the academic Marco Pasi, who noted that for Crowley, socio-political concerns were subordinate to metaphysical and spiritual ones.{{sfn|Pasi|2014|p=23}} He was neither on the political [[Left-wing politics|left]] nor [[Right-wing politics|right]] but perhaps best categorized as a "conservative revolutionary" despite not being affiliated with the German-based [[Conservative Revolution|movement of the same name]].{{sfn|Pasi|2014|pp=49–50}} Pasi described Crowley's fascination with the extreme ideologies of Nazism and [[Marxism–Leninism]], which aimed to violently overturn society: "What Crowley liked about Nazism and communism, or at least what made him curious about them, was the anti-Christian position and the revolutionary and socially subversive implications of these two movements. In their subversive powers, he saw the possibility of an annihilation of old religious traditions, and the creation of a void that Thelema, subsequently, would be able to fill."{{sfn|Pasi|2014|pp=52–53}} Crowley described democracy as an "imbecile and nauseating cult of weakness",{{sfn|Morgan|2011|p=166}} and commented that ''The Book of the Law'' proclaimed that "there is the master and there is the slave; the noble and the serf; the 'lone wolf' and the herd".{{sfn|Pasi|2014|p=49}} In this attitude, he was influenced by [[Social Darwinism]] and the work of [[Friedrich Nietzsche]].{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1p=129|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2p=401|3a1=Pasi|3y=2014|3p=48}} Although he had contempt for most of the British aristocracy, he regarded himself as an aristocrat and styled himself as Laird Boleskine,{{sfn|Booth|2000|p=109}} once describing his ideology as "aristocratic communism".{{sfn|Pasi|2014|p=50}}
 Crowley was bisexual, but exhibited a preference for women,{{sfnm|1a1=Hutton|1y=1999|1p=174|2a1=Booth|2y=2000|2p=67|3a1=Spence|3y=2008|3p=19}} with his relationships with men being fewer and mostly in the early part of his life.{{sfn|Hutton|1999|p=174}} In particular he was attracted to "exotic women",{{sfn|Booth|2000|p=130}} and said he had fallen in love on multiple occasions; Kaczynski stated that "when he loved, he did so with his whole being, but the passion was typically short-lived".{{sfn|Kaczynski|2010|p=91}} Even in later life, Crowley was able to attract young bohemian women to be his lovers, largely due to his charisma.{{sfn|Booth|2000|p=350}} He applied the term "Scarlet Woman" to various female lovers whom he believed played an important role in his magical work.{{sfn|Hedenborg White|2020|p=94}} During homosexual acts, he usually played 'the passive role',{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=63|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=159}} which Booth believed "appealed to his masochistic side".{{sfn|Booth|2000|p=63}} An underlying theme in many of his writings is that spiritual enlightenment arises through transgressing socio-sexual norms.{{sfn|Hedenborg White|2020|pp=48–49}}
@@ Line 210: / Line 228: @@
 Biographers Richard B. Spence and Tobias Churton have suggested that Crowley was a spy for the British secret services and that among other things he joined the Golden Dawn under their command to monitor the activities of [[Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers|Mathers]], who was known to be a [[Carlism|Carlist]].{{sfnm|1a1=Spence|1y=2008|1pp=22–28|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2pp=38–46}} Spence suggested that the conflict between Mathers and the London lodge for the temple was part of an intelligence operation to undermine Mathers' authority.{{sfn|Spence|2008|p=27}} Spence has suggested that the purpose of Crowley's trip to Mexico might have been to explore Mexican oil prospects for British intelligence.{{sfn|Spence|2008|p=32}} Spence has suggested that his trip to China was orchestrated as part of a British intelligence scheme to monitor the region's opium trade.{{sfnm|1a1=Spence|1y=2008|1pp=33–35|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2p=115}} Churton suggested that Crowley had travelled to Moscow on the orders of British intelligence to spy on revolutionary elements in the city.{{sfn|Churton|2011|pp=178–82}}
-Spence and Sutin both wrote that Crowley's pro-German work in the United States during World War I was actually a cover for him being a double agent for Britain, citing his hyperbolic articles in ''The Fatherland'' to make the German lobby appear ridiculous in the eyes of the American public.{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1pp=247–48|3a1=Spence|3y=2008|3pp=67–76|4a1=Kaczynski|4y=2010|4pp=284–87, 292–92|5a1=Churton|5y=2011|5pp=190–93}} Spence also wrote that Crowley encouraged the [[Imperial German Navy|German Navy]] to destroy the ''[[RMS Lusitania|Lusitania]]'', informing them that it would ensure the US stayed out of the war, while in reality hoping that it would bring the US into the war on Britain's side.{{sfnm|1a1=Spence|1y=2008|1pp=82–89|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2pp=195–97}} However, there is exactly no evidence other than these biographers' suppositions to suggest that this actually happened.
+Spence and Sutin both wrote that Crowley's pro-German work in the United States during World War I was actually a [[False flag|cover]] for him being a double agent for Britain, citing his hyperbolic articles in ''The Fatherland'' to make the German lobby appear ridiculous in the eyes of the American public.{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1pp=247–48|3a1=Spence|3y=2008|3pp=67–76|4a1=Kaczynski|4y=2010|4pp=284–87, 292–92|5a1=Churton|5y=2011|5pp=190–93}} Spence also wrote that Crowley encouraged the [[Imperial German Navy|German Navy]] to destroy the ''[[RMS Lusitania|Lusitania]]'', informing them that it would ensure the US stayed out of the war, while in reality hoping that it would bring the US into the war on Britain's side.{{sfnm|1a1=Spence|1y=2008|1pp=82–89|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2pp=195–97}}
 ==Legacy and influence==
-{{Quote box|width=25em|align=right|quote="[H]e is today looked upon as a source of inspiration by many people in search of spiritual enlightenment and/or instructions in magical practice. Thus, while during his life his books hardly sold and his disciples were never very numerous, nowadays all his important works are constantly in print, and the people defining themselves as "thelemites" (that is, followers of Crowley's new religion) number several thousands all over the world. Furthermore, Crowley's influence over magically oriented new religious movements has in some cases been very deep and pervasive. It would be difficult to understand, for instance, some aspects of Anglo-Saxon neo-paganism and contemporary satanism without a solid knowledge of Crowley's doctrines and ideas. In other fields, such as poetry, alpinism and painting, he may have been a minor figure, but it is only fair to admit that, in the limited context of occultism, he has played and still plays a major role." |source=Marco Pasi, 2003.{{sfn|Pasi|2003|p=225}}}}
+{{Quote box
+| width = 25em
+| align = right
+| quote = "[H]e is today looked upon as a source of inspiration by many people in search of spiritual enlightenment and/or instructions in magical practice. Thus, while during his life his books hardly sold and his disciples were never very numerous, nowadays all his important works are constantly in print, and the people defining themselves as "thelemites" (that is, followers of Crowley's new religion) number several thousands all over the world. Furthermore, Crowley's influence over magically oriented new religious movements has in some cases been very deep and pervasive. It would be difficult to understand, for instance, some aspects of Anglo-Saxon neo-paganism and contemporary satanism without a solid knowledge of Crowley's doctrines and ideas. In other fields, such as poetry, alpinism and painting, he may have been a minor figure, but it is only fair to admit that, in the limited context of occultism, he has played and still plays a major role."
+| source = Marco Pasi, 2003.{{sfn|Pasi|2003|p=225}}
+}}
 Crowley has remained an influential figure, both amongst occultists and in popular culture, particularly that of Britain, but also of other parts of the world. In 2002, a BBC poll placed Crowley number 73 in a list of the [[100 Greatest Britons]].{{sfnm|1a1=Pasi|1y=2003|1p=225|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2p=3}} [[Richard Cavendish (occult writer)|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."{{sfn|Cavendish|1978|p=167}} The scholar of esotericism Egil Asprem described him as "one of the most well-known figures in modern occultism".{{sfn|Asprem|2013|p=85}} The scholar of esotericism [[Wouter Hanegraaff]] asserted that Crowley was an extreme representation of "the dark side of the occult",{{sfn|Hanegraaff|2012|p=ix}} adding that he was "the most notorious occultist magician of the twentieth century".{{sfn|Hanegraaff|2013|p=41}} The philosopher John Moore opined that Crowley stood out as a "Modern Master" when compared with other prominent occult figures like [[George Gurdjieff]], [[P. D. Ouspensky]], [[Rudolf Steiner]], or [[Helena Blavatsky]],{{sfn|Moore|2009|p=5}} also describing him as a "living embodiment" of [[Oswald Spengler]]'s "[[The Decline of the West|Faustian Man]]".{{sfn|Moore|2009|p=40}} Biographer Tobias Churton considered Crowley "a pioneer of consciousness research".{{sfn|Churton|2011|p=88}} Hutton noted that Crowley had "an important place in the history of modern Western responses to Oriental spiritual traditions",{{sfn|Hutton|1999|p=171}} while Sutin thought that he had made "distinctly original contributions" to the study of yoga in the West.{{sfn|Sutin|2000|p=93}}
@@ Line 219: / Line 242: @@
 Thelema continued to develop and spread following Crowley's death. In 1969, O.T.O. was reactivated in California under the leadership of Grady Louis McMurtry;{{sfn|Bogdan|Starr|2012|p=7}} 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]].{{sfn|Bogdan|Starr|2012|p=7}} Another American Thelemite is the filmmaker [[Kenneth Anger]], who was influenced by Crowley's writings from a young age.{{sfnm|1a1=Landis|1y=1995|1pp=26–34|2a1=Doyle White|2y=2016|2p=1–3}} In the United Kingdom, [[Kenneth Grant (occultist)|Kenneth Grant]] propagated a tradition known as Typhonian Thelema through his organisation, the Typhonian O.T.O., later renamed the [[Typhonian Order]].{{sfn|Evans|2007|pp=284–350}} 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 said he was propagating.{{sfn|Evans|2007|pp=229–83}}
-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".{{sfn|Djurdjevic|2014|pp=35–36}} Gerald Gardner, the founder of [[Gardnerian Wicca]], used much of Crowley's published material when composing the Gardnerian ritual liturgy,{{sfn|Hutton|2012|pp=285–306}} and the Australian witch [[Rosaleen Norton]] was also heavily influenced by Crowley's ideas.{{sfn|Richmond|2012|pp=307–34}} More widely, Crowley became "a dominant figure" in the modern Pagan community.{{sfn|Hutton|1999|p=180}} [[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 [[Scientology and the occult|Crowley's ideas influenced some of Hubbard's work]].{{sfn|Urban|2012|pp=335–68}} The scholars of religion Asbjørn Dyrendel, James R. Lewis, and Jesper Petersen noted that despite the fact that Crowley was not a 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.{{sfn|Dyrendal|Lewis|Petersen|2016|p=39}} For instance, two prominent figures in religious Satanism, [[Anton LaVey]] and [[Michael Angelo Aquino|Michael Aquino]], were influenced by Crowley's work.{{sfn|Dyrendal|2012|pp=369–94}}
+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".{{sfn|Djurdjevic|2014|pp=35–36}} Gerald Gardner, the founder of [[Gardnerian Wicca]], used much of Crowley's published material when composing the Gardnerian ritual liturgy,{{sfn|Hutton|2012|pp=285–306}} and the Australian witch [[Rosaleen Norton]] was also heavily influenced by Crowley's ideas.{{sfn|Richmond|2012|pp=307–34}} More widely, Crowley became "a dominant figure" in the modern Pagan community.{{sfn|Hutton|1999|p=180}} [[L. Ron Hubbard]], the American founder of [[Scientology]], was involved in Thelema in the early 1940s via [[Jack Parsons]], and it has been argued that [[Scientology and the occult|Crowley's ideas influenced some of Hubbard's work]].{{sfn|Urban|2012|pp=335–68}} The scholars of religion Asbjørn Dyrendel, James R. Lewis, and Jesper Petersen noted that despite the fact that Crowley was not a 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.{{sfn|Dyrendal|Lewis|Petersen|2016|p=39}} For instance, two prominent figures in religious Satanism, [[Anton LaVey]] and [[Michael A. Aquino|Michael Aquino]], were influenced by Crowley's work.{{sfn|Dyrendal|2012|pp=369–94}}
 === In popular culture ===
-Crowley also had a wider influence in [[Culture of the United Kingdom|British popular culture]]. After his time in Cefalù, which brought him to public attention in Britain, various "literary Crowleys" appeared: characters in fiction based upon him.{{sfn|Freeman|2018|p=103}} One of the earliest was the character of the poet Shelley Arabin in [[John Buchan]]'s 1926 novel ''[[The Dancing Floor]]''.{{sfn|Freeman|2018|p=103}} In his novel ''[[The Devil Rides Out]]'', the writer [[Dennis Wheatley]] used Crowley as a partial basis for the character of Damien Mocata, a portly bald defrocked priest who engages in black magic.{{sfn|Freeman|2018|pp=106–07}} The occultist [[Dion Fortune]] used Crowley as a basis for characters in her books ''The Secrets of Doctor Taverner'' (1926) and ''The Winged Bull'' (1935).{{sfn|Freeman|2018|p=105}} Crowley was one of the inspirations for the character of Dr. Trelawney in Anthony Powell's ''A Dance to the Music of Time''. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.anthonypowell.org/dance-sources|title=Powell's Sources for Dance Anthony Powell Society|website=www.anthonypowell.org}}</ref> He was included as one of the figures on the cover art of [[The Beatles]]' album ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' (1967),{{sfn|Bogdan|Starr|2012|p=7}} and his motto of "Do What Thou Wilt" was inscribed on the vinyl of [[Led Zeppelin]]'s album ''[[Led Zeppelin III]]'' (1970).{{sfn|Bogdan|Starr|2012|p=7}} Led Zeppelin co-founder [[Jimmy Page]] bought Boleskine in 1971, and part of the band's film ''[[The Song Remains the Same (film)|The Song Remains the Same]]'' was filmed in the grounds. He sold it in 1992.{{sfn|House of the unholy|2007}} Though [[David Bowie]] makes but a fleeting reference to Crowley in the lyrics of his song "[[Quicksand (David Bowie song)|Quicksand]]" (1971),{{sfn|Bogdan|Starr|2012|p=7}} it has been suggested that the lyrics of Bowie's No. 1 hit single "[[Let's Dance (David Bowie song)|Let's Dance]]" (1983) may substantially paraphrase Crowley's 1923 poem "Lyric of Love to Leah".{{sfn|Pegg|2016|p=368}} [[Ozzy Osbourne]] and his lyricist [[Bob Daisley]] wrote a song titled "[[Mr. Crowley]]" (1980).{{sfnm|1a1=Moreman|1y=2003|1p=1|2a1=Granholm|2y=2013|2p=13}} A prophetic quote about the coming of the [[Aeon (Thelema)|New Aeon]] borrowed from Crowley's work ''[[Magick in Theory and Practice]]'' (1911) has been featured as the opening introduction to the video game ''[[Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain]]'' (1996).{{sfn|Bogdan|Starr|2012|pp=95–96}} <!-- PLEASE DO NOT ADD ANY FURTHER INSTANCES OF CROWLEYAN INFLUENCE ON POPULAR CULTURE UNLESS YOU HAVE THIRD-PARTY, ACADEMIC REFERENCES TO BOLSTER SUCH STATEMENTS WITH. AS HAS BEEN DISCUSSED AT THE TALK PAGE, THIS SECTION IS NOT A DEPOSIT FOR ANY AND ALL TRIVIA REGARDING CROWLEY'S SUBSTANTIAL LEGACY ACROSS WESTERN CULTURE, LEAST OF ALL THOSE WHICH ARE INSUFFICIENTLY REFERENCED. IF IN DOUBT, OPEN A DISCUSSION ON THE TALK PAGE TO SEE IF YOU CAN GAIN SUPPORT FOR ADDING INFORMATION. --> Crowley began to receive scholarly attention from academics in the late 1990s.{{sfn|Hutton|1999|p=171}}
+Crowley also had a wider influence in [[Culture of the United Kingdom|British popular culture]]. After his time in Cefalù, which brought him to public attention in Britain, various "literary Crowleys" appeared: characters in fiction based upon him.{{sfn|Freeman|2018|p=103}} One of the earliest was the character of the poet Shelley Arabin in [[John Buchan]]'s 1926 novel ''[[The Dancing Floor]]''.{{sfn|Freeman|2018|p=103}} In his novel ''[[The Devil Rides Out]]'', the writer [[Dennis Wheatley]] used Crowley as a partial basis for the character of Damien Mocata, a portly bald defrocked priest who engages in black magic.{{sfn|Freeman|2018|pp=106–07}} The occultist [[Dion Fortune]] used Crowley as a basis for characters in her books ''The Secrets of Doctor Taverner'' (1926) and ''The Winged Bull'' (1935).{{sfn|Freeman|2018|p=105}} Crowley was one of the inspirations for the character of Dr Trelawney in Anthony Powell's ''A Dance to the Music of Time''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.anthonypowell.org/dance-sources|title=Powell's Sources for Dance Anthony Powell Society|website=www.anthonypowell.org}}</ref> He was included as one of the figures on the cover art of [[The Beatles]]' album ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' (1967),{{sfn|Bogdan|Starr|2012|p=7}} and his motto of "Do What Thou Wilt" was inscribed on the vinyl of [[Led Zeppelin]]'s album ''[[Led Zeppelin III]]'' (1970).{{sfn|Bogdan|Starr|2012|p=7}} Led Zeppelin co-founder [[Jimmy Page]] bought Boleskine in 1971, and part of the band's film ''[[The Song Remains the Same (film)|The Song Remains the Same]]'' was filmed in the grounds. He sold it in 1992.{{sfn|House of the unholy|2007}}  [[David Bowie]] included references to Crowley and his works in many songs, including After All, "[[Quicksand (David Bowie song)|Quicksand]]" (1971),{{sfn|Bogdan|Starr|2012|p=7}} and Station To Station and it has been suggested that the lyrics of Bowie's No. 1 hit single "[[Let's Dance (David Bowie song)|Let's Dance]]" (1983) may substantially paraphrase Crowley's 1923 poem "Lyric of Love to Leah".{{sfn|Pegg|2016|p=368}} [[Ozzy Osbourne]] and his lyricist [[Bob Daisley]] wrote a song titled "[[Mr. Crowley]]" (1980).{{sfnm|1a1=Moreman|1y=2003|1p=1|2a1=Granholm|2y=2013|2p=13}} A prophetic quote about the coming of the [[Aeon (Thelema)|New Aeon]] borrowed from Crowley's work ''[[Magick in Theory and Practice]]'' (1911) has been featured as the opening introduction to the video game ''[[Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain]]'' (1996).{{sfn|Bogdan|Starr|2012|pp=95–96}} <!-- PLEASE DO NOT ADD ANY FURTHER INSTANCES OF CROWLEYAN INFLUENCE ON POPULAR CULTURE UNLESS YOU HAVE THIRD-PARTY, ACADEMIC REFERENCES TO BOLSTER SUCH STATEMENTS WITH. AS HAS BEEN DISCUSSED AT THE TALK PAGE, THIS SECTION IS NOT A DEPOSIT FOR ANY AND ALL TRIVIA REGARDING CROWLEY'S SUBSTANTIAL LEGACY ACROSS WESTERN CULTURE, LEAST OF ALL THOSE WHICH ARE INSUFFICIENTLY REFERENCED. IF IN DOUBT, OPEN A DISCUSSION ON THE TALK PAGE TO SEE IF YOU CAN GAIN SUPPORT FOR ADDING INFORMATION. --> Crowley began to receive scholarly attention from academics in the late 1990s.{{sfn|Hutton|1999|p=171}}
 ==Bibliography==
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 [[Category:Atlantis proponents]]
+[[Category:The Beast (Revelation)]]
 [[Category:Bisexual dramatists and playwrights]]
 [[Category:Bisexual novelists]]
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 [[Category:British esotericists]]
 [[Category:British people of World War I]]
+[[Category:British Plymouth Brethren]]
 [[Category:British psychedelic drug advocates]]
+[[Category:Burials in Hunterdon County, New Jersey]]
 [[Category:Ceremonial magicians]]
 [[Category:Channellers]]
 [[Category:Converts to new religious movements from Christianity]]
+[[Category:Deaths from bronchitis]]
 [[Category:English astrologers]]
 [[Category:English astrological writers]]
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 [[Category:History of magic]]
 [[Category:Human rights writers]]
+[[Category:LGBTQ British activists]]
 [[Category:LGBTQ climbers]]
 [[Category:Members of Ordo Templi Orientis]]
+[[Category:Modern pagan artists]]
 [[Category:Modern pagan novelists]]
 [[Category:Modern pagan philosophers]]
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 [[Category:Prophets]]
 [[Category:Symbolist poets]]
-[[Category:The Beast (Revelation)]]
 [[Category:Thelema]]
 [[Category:Victorian writers]]
 [[Category:Writers from Warwickshire]]
-[[Category:Deaths from bronchitis]]
-[[Category:Burials in Hunterdon County, New Jersey]]

Aleister Crowley: Difference between revisions

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