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Aleister Crowley

1875 – 1947 British occultist, ceremonial magician, writer

The most influential occultist of the modern age, founder of Thelema and author of the creed 'Do what thou wilt'.

Religion
Founder of Thelema; a self-styled prophet of a new aeon.
Affiliations
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn; the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO).

Aleister Crowley claimed to receive the Book of the Law in Cairo in 1904, founding the religion of Thelema. Through his order the OTO and a torrent of writing on 'magick', he shaped nearly every current of modern Western occultism, from Wicca to chaos magic, and earned tabloid fame as 'the wickedest man in the world'.

Works in the library

Connections

  • influenced Anton LaVey — Borrowed ceremonial and rhetorical elements from Crowley while rejecting his mysticism.
  • rival of Arthur Edward Waite — Crowley mocked Waite's mystical style in print.
  • associate of Austin Osman Spare — Briefly involved with Crowley's A A before going his own way.
  • influenced Eliphas Levi — Crowley claimed to be Levi's reincarnation, born the year Levi died.
  • influenced Eliphas Levi — Crowley claimed to be the reincarnation of Levi.
  • associate of Gerald Gardner — Met Crowley late in his life and received an OTO charter from him.
  • associate of Gerald Gardner — Met Gardner late in life and chartered him in the OTO.
  • student of Israel Regardie — Served as Crowley's secretary before pursuing his own path.
  • mentor of Jack Parsons — Crowley was Parsons's spiritual authority as head of the OTO, though he privately doubted Parsons's magical experiments.
  • student of Jack Parsons — Parsons was a devoted follower of Crowley's Thelema and corresponded with him as leader of the Agape Lodge of the OTO.
  • influenced L. Ron Hubbard — Hubbard participated in OTO ritual through Parsons; Crowley dismissed the pair's Babalon Working from afar.
  • rival of Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers — Their bitter feud split the Golden Dawn.
  • rival of Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers — Their feud over authority helped break the Golden Dawn.
  • associate of Theodor Reuss — Chartered Crowley, who later succeeded him as OTO head.
  • successor of Theodor Reuss — Succeeded Reuss as head of the OTO.

In the timeline

Wikipedia