Aleister Crowley

[beatbo]

I see. I found this article..... Does Mr. Anger say the fact?

This is an excerpt of the part concerning Jimmy. He and Jimmy seemed to be best friends in the mid 70's but.......

Incredibly, Bobby Beausoleil did eventually write the score for a later version of Lucifer Rising after reconciliation with his old flame, though it was composed and performed from inside prison walls. The original composer Jimmy Page (also obsessed with the teachings of Crowley) was sacked by Anger and he too faced a dreaded curse from the magus.

“He’s a multi-millionaire miser,” he recalled with venom. “He and Charlotte, that horrible vampire girl - the druggie that got him on heroin - they’re both junkies. They had so many servants, yet they would never offer me a cup of tea or a sandwich. Which is such a mistake on their part because I put the curse of king Midas on them. If you’re greedy and just amass gold you’ll get an illness. So I did turn her and Jimmy Page into statues of gold because they’ve both lost their minds. He can’t write songs anymore.”

http://www.flickr.com/photos/78045939@N00/1432095224

he made the most boring films with young men who must have been his "flavor of the month". he gives the occult a bad name. sometimes i can't believe jimmy page said hi to this guy. his book "hollywood babylon" was a crock of shit, too.

[Gip]

im interested to know how genuine jimmy's obsession was with crowley. does he still perform ritual magick?

[Black Dawg]

[walter's walker]

im interested to know how genuine jimmy's obsession was with crowley. does he still perform ritual magick?

Jimmy's interest in Crowley was quite serious. His "Equinox Bookstore" put out several limited-edition replicas of Crowley's rarer editions back in the early 70's that today are quite collectable. It remains serious to my knowledge, Mr. Page's collection of Crowley's personal possessions and artifacts is legendary, as is his collection of Crowley 1st Editions, letters and unpublished manuscripts ( many of which aren't that uncommon in certain circles of the students of Crowley's former students). I know several publishers and editors of Crowley's books who are current friends with Mr. Page, and whose friendship goes back 20-30 years or more. Certainly some of those people are also still good friends with the aforementioned Mr. Anger, who remains a fixture in the Underground Film Community, the Underground Music Community, and the Thelemic Magick Community of California (and the World). Some friends of mine had him (Anger) as a guest in Austin, a few years ago.

[Steven McKay]

Sutin's book is excellent, a very, very good read. Colin Wilson did one too which is decent although a little biased. "The Beast Demystified" is totally biased against him and really not worth reading, its just a character assassination. Crowley was a horrible man, but there's no point in a book that ONLY focuses on his bad points, since he had some very interesting ideas as well.

[zepscoda]

Has anyone read a book on or of Aleister Crowley?

I have been thinking of getting one for a long time... If anyone has read his writings can pls tell me his/her opinions? thank you

I highly recomend...."TheBook of Law ", "Magick in Theroy and Practice ", and "The Book of Lies "

[Steven McKay]

I highly recomend...."TheBook of Law ", "Magick in Theroy and Practice ", and "The Book of Lies "

I dont think a beginner to Crowley will get much from the Book of the Law other than a "WTF?"

[walter's walker]

Yes, you'd be much better off with "The Law Is For All" which includes both Liber Al Vel Legis (that's 'The Book of the Law') and the several commentaries that Crowley wrote which are included with it. But you'll still end up with a few WTF's? It's inevitable.

I remember I first found Crowley's "Magick In Theory & Practice" when I was 16, and didn't read Greek, Latin, or Hebrew; I couldn't figure out *half* of what that book said, but I knew it was important, and that I had a lot more to learn before I'd be able to begin to learn it. Thirty-five years later, I can tell you: I was right-- it WAS important, and the studies it took to get me to be able to comprehend what Crowley was trying to communicate had their own life-rewards.

The first Crowley book I'd reccomend is "Magick Without Tears." It is currently out-of-print, but authorized PDFs of the material are available for free download from a variety of philosophy and occult websites. It is a collection of letters from Crowley's A.'.A.'. and O.T.O. students written very late in Crowley's life, wherein he answers their questions in the the most straightforward manner to be found in any of his works. Once you've read that, you'll have a better overview of Crowley's philosophy on the world, on Magick, and a much better idea as to whether or not he's your cup of hemlock. It will also give lie to the rumor that Crowley died a befuddled and feeble old man-- his mind was still as sharp as his sense of humor! :-)