madhat51

I just read "The Book of the Law" and so far it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Has anybody else read anything by him?

linear D

I haven't read any of his books but I do like that song about him.

madhat51

Long Live Ozzy


Mr. Crowley, what went on in your head
Mr. Crowley, did you talk with the dead
Your life style to me seemed so tragic
With the thrill of it all
You fooled all the people with magic
You waited on Satan's call
Mr. Charming, did you think you were pure
Mr. Alarming, in nocturnal rapport
Uncovering things that were sacred manifest on this Earth
Conceived in the eye of a secret
And they scattered the afterbirth
(solo)
Mr. Crowley, won't you ride my white horse
Mr. Crowley, it's symbolic of course
Approaching a time that is classic
I hear maidens call
Approaching a time that is drastic
Standing with their backs to the wall
Was it polemically sent
l wanna know what you meant
I wanna know
I wanna know what you meant

Bobby Shalom

He was a total freak. He was addicted to opium, and kind of a huckster. He may well have believed seriously in the occult, but I also think he used it to spread his name and reputation. I read Magick when I was younger, and almost all of his writings are schizophrenically bad. He kept getting arrested and put on trial in Europe and England, he kept skeletons in his apartment, and dabbled in illegal rituals.

One interesting thing I read was in Peston Sturges autobiography. Sturges' mother dated Crowley, and he described having to hang around the guy.

junkie

I read a biography about him a long time ago, I think it was called The Golden Order of Dawn or something like that. It was named after his magickal cult that he started. It was worth the read.

Scorpio

I have a CD with recordings of Crowley reading from texts, and another CD with songs that he's written.

Giantrobo

Dude! I love that song!

superspeck

Ya know,

People think of him as the ultimate evil. He wasn't, he was just a poor British dude who invented new ways to get laid.

However, Diary of a Drug Fiend was one of the most compelling books I've ever read. For years, it was a guidebook for lawmakers to understand the drug addict (which Crowley was, BIG TIME!)

Crowley's reputation is best understood read, not heard (that means you OZZY, but that song is pretty damn cool!)

89981

Has anyone read any of his books such as The Book of law and if so are they any good?

tonyc3742

I've read Diary of a Drug Fiend [found it in my grandfather's bookshelves, believe it or not]. I read it about twelve years ago, so I don't remember details, but the main feeling I got was a very 60's-ish, drug-addled 'us' vs 'them' feeling. Even though it was written in the 20's. Of course it also used the Magick as one more thing separating 'us' from 'them,' and I don't know how much it was based on reality. It was definitely interesting, and I'd like to read it again, but I don't know if I would call it 'good.'

Josh-da-man

Probably the best biography available on Crowley is Do What Thou Wilt: A Life of Aleister Crowley by Lawrence Sutin. I thought it could've been a bit more concise, but it provided a good view of the man behind the myth.

As far as Crowley's writings go, I've read a bit. Most of it is probably going to be incomprehensible to someone who doesn't have at least a rudimentary knowledge of magick.

I have been meaning to read his novel, "Moonchild," for a couple of years now, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

TeeSeeJay

Are the songs better than Anton LaVey's twisted carnivalesque crap?

DodgingCars

Btw, I saw a review of a book recently that suggests that Hubbard was largely influenced by Crowley and that the teachings of Scientology are borrowed a lot from his work as well as the Satanic Bible.

Not sure what the book's name is or how credible it is...

TeeSeeJay

That does sound familiar. A quick google search results in quite a lot of stuff about the Crowley-Hubbard connection, like this site.

It may have been in the introduction of the Satanic Bible that this was mentioned. I can't think of any other occult-related stuff I've read lately.

Jepthah

He was a minor footnote in the history of the occult and esotericism, his reputation inflated by similar hucksters and sensationalists. His "teachings" largely amounted to nothing.

There are many more interesting authors and subjects in esotericism to read, and they actually transmit knowledge that can help a person to think and feel in a new way and assist in inner development, if that's your goal. One of them is in my signature.

SCSIMan

Read this book.

http://www.newfalcon.com/books/perdurabo.htm

Highly recommended.