OVERVIEW

I STILL REMEMBER reading my first Crowley book, Magick in Theory and Practice , at the tender and impressionable age of 14. It came highly recommended by the proprietor of the local occult bookstore, who had taken me under his wing. Rushing home on my bicycle and cracking open that sleek, black-covered Dover paperback, I prepared myself to behold the great Mysteries—with a capital, flashing, neon M. And so I read those famous early words:

Witness mine hand:

TO ME A ΘHPION ( ): The Beast 666; MAGUS 9°=2 A A who is The Word of the Aeon THELEMA; whose name is called V.V.V.V.V. 8°=3 A A in the City of the Pyramids; OU MH 7°=4 ; OL SONUF VAORESAGI 6°=5 , and ... ... 5°=6 A A in the Mountain of Abiegnus: but FRATER PERDURABO in the Outer Order or the A A and in the World of men upon the Earth, Aleister Crowley of Trinity College, Cambridge.

I didn't understand a single word of it. Clearly it meant something , but the meaning played a sadistic hide-and-seek game with my consciousness, like one of those fantastic dreams that becomes less coherent the more you awaken. I vowed to decipher this book. This has turned into a lifetime task. There were no beginner's guides. I hope this Concise Guide to Aleister Crowley will help the reader gain a more clear sense of his system.

Crowley had an imposing reputation in life, and since death he casts an even larger shadow. He left his mark in so many different ways that he defies categorization. Most of us would be satisfied to accomplish just one of his many impressive achievements:

• A practicing occultist whose mastery of Western magick and Eastern mysticism was unsurpassed by any of his contemporaries, and who continues to be an icon for many of today's practicing magicians.
• The founder and prophet of the new religious movement of Thelema, best known by its oft-misunderstood catchphrase, “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.”
• A prolific poet whose Collected Works , by age thirty, filled three volumes, and whose last published work, Olla , was subtitled Sixty Years of Song .
• A maverick mountaineer whose numerous innovations and world records in the sport are acknowledged by even his most vocal critics.
• An adventurer whose exploits in the Far East were serialized by Vanity Fair magazine as “A Burmese River.”
• An impresario who took the violin troupe the Ragged Ragtime Girls on a tour of St. Petersburg, Russia.
• A British secret agent who marshaled his literary and occult connections to the service of his country, including (reputedly) the invention of the “V for Victory” sign as a magical antidote to the swastika.
• A ranked chess master who could trounce many players without even looking at the chess board.
• A pioneering entheogenic explorer who conducted psychedelic experiments with mescaline.
• Producer and star of The Rites of Eleusis , a series of ritualistic plays featuring an innovative blend of magick, drama, music, and poetry.
• One of the most unjustly vilified men in the history of journalism, garnering headlines like “The Wickedest Man in the World” and “A Man We'd Like To Hang.”

More mistruth and rumor has circulated about Aleister Crowley than perhaps any other figure in recent history. When the reporter Henry Hall introduced him to readers of the New York World Sunday Magazine , he wrote, “Some said that he was a man of real attainments, others that he was a faker. All agreed that he was extraordinary.” ¹ Crowley openly defied social conventions, challenging people to examine what they really believed and why they believed it. He confronted blind faith with rational skepticism. Yet he likewise challenged the skeptic with scientific illuminism, a systematic approach to spirituality that he described as “The method of science, the aim of religion.” ²

Crowley was extremely well-read and often assumed the same of his readers, so his technical works are often difficult to understand— and easy to mis understand. This makes him a challenging figure to approach as a reader—or, for that matter, as a writer.

These pages offer an overview of Aleister Crowley's life and magick—an introduction for newcomers, and a refresher for old hands. Magick and mysticism are the focus. However, since these are often inseparable from his poetry and other activities, the discussion will be broader. The first chapter presents a portrait of Aleister Crowley. Part I offers a look at the magical and mystical societies he championed, namely A A (the Order of the Star called S.S.), Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O., or Order of Oriental Templars), and Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (E.G.C. or Gnostic Catholic Church). Part II offers a practical approach to a number of Crowley's occult practices. The appendices provide several core documents of Thelema and contact information. The chapters are designed to be read in whatever order interests you most; read it cover to cover, or, if you prefer, skip to the practical material and read the background information later.

In order to get the most out of studying this book, you will need to get up and do the practical instructions in Part II. Magick cannot be understood by simply reading about it. The truth is that these meditations, exercises and practices do produce altered states of consciousness—ways of thinking, seeing, and experiencing the world that are different from your ordinary consciousness. If you don't try these things, you'll never “get” it. We have presented the ritual instructions in Crowley's own words to avoid either interpretation or error. Try it, and you'll experience for yourself that magick works .

Set aside your preconceptions and dismiss the rumors. Crowley was certainly a complex, controversial, and colorful man, but the truth is far more interesting than the legend.

1 Hall, Henry N. “Master Magician Reveals Weird Supernatural Rites.” The World Magazine , 13 December 1914, p. 9, 17.

2 This was the motto of his journal The Equinox , published between 1909 and 1913.