Aleister crowley religion

1. Biography of Aleister Crowley
2. Early Life and Upbringing
3. Education and Spiritual Awakening
4. Exploration of the Occult
5. Religious Teachings and Later Life

Biography of Aleister Crowley

Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley, was an English occultist, kabbalist, poet, writer, artist, and mountaineer. As a prominent ideologist of occultism and satanism, Crowley meticulously cultivated the image of an amoral individual throughout his life.

Early Life and Upbringing

Aleister Crowley was born on October 12, 1875, in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. He was raised in a family belonging to the religious group known as the 'Plymouth Brethren'. His father, Edward, was an engineer but never worked a day in his profession, instead profiting from the family brewery business. Despite his father's efforts to impart the essence of biblical teachings, Crowley became a skeptic. After his father's death from tongue cancer, Crowley inherited a third of his estate and began behaving provocatively, causing distress to his mother, Emily. He turned away from Christian morality and engaged in smoking, masturbation, and sex with prostitutes, from whom he contracted gonorrhea. One day, in a fit of anger, his mother called him the 'Beast 666'. Crowley liked this epithet and carried it with him for the rest of his life.

Education and Spiritual Awakening

After completing his secondary education, Crowley became a student at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1895, where he initially studied English literature. During his time at Cambridge, he served as the president of the chess club and continued his passion for mountaineering. In December 1896, Crowley decided to delve into mysticism and occultism. Some biographers claim that during this period, he had his first homosexual experience, which allowed him to acknowledge his bisexuality. Embracing an active sex life, Crowley contracted syphilis from one of the prostitutes.

Exploration of the Occult

In 1897, Crowley began studying books on alchemy, mysticism, and magic. That same year, he visited St. Petersburg in Russia, where he had intended to learn the Russian language and pursue a diplomatic career. However, a brief illness led him to contemplate the "ephemerality of human existence," and he decided against becoming a diplomat. In 1898, he published his first book of poetry, left Cambridge, and joined the Order of the Golden Dawn.

Religious Teachings and Later Life

In 1900, Crowley arrived in Mexico via the United States, where he continued to practice ceremonial magic and lived with his mistress. In October 1901, he discovered Raja Yoga practices and, a year later, released an essay titled "Berashit" on the benefits of meditation. Crowley founded the religious doctrine of "Thelema" after his wife, Rose, began exhibiting erratic behavior in Cairo, Egypt. He believed that she was in contact with a magical entity, and he conducted a magical experiment, invoking the Egyptian god Horus. According to Crowley, Horus proclaimed the beginning of a new "magical aeon," with Crowley designated as the prophet. Rose continued to act as a medium, and Crowley later heard the words of the text "Liber AL vel Legis" (Book of the Law) and enigmatic messages, some of which were in a cipher, attributed to a servant of Horus named Aiwass.

In 1904, Rose gave birth to a daughter, whom they named Nuit Ma Ahathoor Heka Saifu Jezebel Lilith Crowley. However, the child died of typhoid fever at the age of two. Overwhelmed by grief, Crowley indulged in various vices and underwent multiple surgeries. Later, Rose gave birth to their second daughter, Lola Zazu Crowley.

As an esotericist, Crowley gained the most popularity for creating Tarot cards, which he developed with Frieda Harris. In 1907, he founded the Order of the Golden Star and compiled the "Equinox of the Gods." In 1920, Crowley established the "Abbey of Thelema" in Sicily, where he engaged in debauchery, consumed drugs, and practiced magic until the police intervened. In 1929, he was expelled from France and subsequently married Maria Ferrari de Miramar, a Nicaraguan woman, in Germany. He then released several books, including "The Book of Thoth," and spent the remainder of his life traveling and staying in cheap hotels in London and Hastings. Crowley passed away on December 1, 1947, at a boarding house called "Netherwood" in Hastings due to chronic bronchitis.

Crowley considered Adolf Hitler, the Führer of Germany, as a "magus who failed to understand the true essence of mystery."