One theory about Jack’s real identity involved an infamous name in Britain. Aleister Crowley, the occultist, black magician and writer, was known in his time as The Wickedest Man In The World. “It is surprising that Aleister Crowley has not yet been proposed as a precocious Jack,” Richard wrote, “an oversight which, doubtless, some future theorist will correct.“
Not for the first time, BBC1's Antiques Roadshow featured an Austin Osman Spare item in yesterday's programme. The significance of its appearance on the UK's premier antiques television show should not be underestimated. Of course, the expert had to mention Spare's interest in the occult, his squalid living conditions and so on, but the piece - available via the BBC's iPlayer application - was very favourable in its artistic assessment.
Oz Fritz reviews Servants of the Star and Snake: Essays in Honour of Kenneth and Steffi Grant from the perspective of an admirer of the great Robert Anton Wilson. It makes interesting reading... Servants of the Star and Snake is a beautifully conceived and executed book with a high aesthetic on par with it's content and subject matter. Praise Thoth! Every article is worth the price of admission though the entrance may not be for everyone.
“A Warning to Australia: DEVIL WORSHIP HERE!” read the headlines, next to the image of a thin woman with unkempt hair, pencil-thin arched eyebrows and a focused scowl. Her name was Rosaleen Norton, “Roie” to those who knew her, a New Zealand-born artist and witch who made her home in Darlinghurst, near Sydney’s Kings Cross, in the 1940s and ’50s scandalising the conservative establishment.
Oz Fritz reviews Servants of the Star and Snake: Essays in Honour of Kenneth and Steffi Grant from the perspective of an admirer of the great Robert Anton Wilson. It makes interesting reading…
Servants of the Star and Snake is a beautifully conceived and executed book with a high aesthetic on par with it’s content and subject matter. Praise Thoth! Every article is worth the price of admission though the entrance may not be for everyone.
One theory about Jack’s real identity involved an infamous name in Britain. Aleister Crowley, the occultist, black magician and writer, was known in his time as The Wickedest Man In The World. “It is surprising that Aleister Crowley has not yet been proposed as a precocious Jack,” Richard wrote, “an oversight which, doubtless, some future theorist will correct.“
LUXOR, Egypt, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) — The first Chinese archeological team in Egypt has officially started on Thursday its excavation work in Montu Temple at the Karnak Temple Complex of monument-rich southern city of Luxor. “This is a very important moment for us,” Jia Xiaobing, head of the Chinese archaeological mission in Egypt, told a press conference held in the open air at the precinct of Montu Temple.
Iconic American filmmaker Kenneth Anger has inspired generations of creative storytellers since the 1950s. He is a unique visionary who drifts from pure poetry within his magical filmmaking to sardonic gossip in his bestselling Hollywood Babylon books. In-between these extremes is a person who never tires of exploring his own creativity.
An O.T.O. Study Guide: Editorial selection by Sekmet Chapter
In 1981, P-Orridge reversed course in the gently trippy Psychic TV, whose danceable songs echoed the occult writings of Aleister Crowley and Austin Osman Spare, and included a tribute to Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones called “Godstar.” P-Orridge imagined the band as the center of a global consciousness raising, and recruited fans to join Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth, a cross between a fan club and a cult, whose members donned paramilitary gear and submitted bodily fluids as part of their initiation.
Half a century before Crowley a hitherto unknown “astrological professor and magician” was at work in Liverpool. England. He was also a herbalist and a galvanist. Like Crowley, he (and his associates, but especially him) were accused of practising and promoting sexual immorality and undermining religious propriety. He developed his own system for crystal skrying involving placing the skrying glass at the centre of “bonds” – diagrams with names of power. The bond for men and women were different indicating an awareness of tantric polarity.
This book is truly a Master’s “gift” to his Chela: the parting of true gnosis in the form of actual and deeply personal EXPERIENCE. Sean draws from his real life adventures, both magickal and mundane (at times within the same breath!) to impart to the reader layers of sacred and hyper-occult knowledge. It is unprecedented! A true modern grimoire, its chapters vary from deeply heartfelt and poignant to surrealist sci-fi, and always imparting technical and workable occult knowledge, and always directly to the core of human experience.
The Hieroglyphic Monad represents a visionary Elizabethan mind seeking to conjure the embodiment of universal knowledge into a single symbol. Written in just two weeks, the text has confounded scholars and general readers alike but this new translation, over a year in production, seeks to provide clarity and context and, in doing so, better convey the sheer ambition of its author. Including an introduction by the the translator, Michael Zellmann-Rohrer of Oxford University, and a specially commissioned essay by Emma Doeve, this brand new edition of the Hieroglyphic Monad will provide greater insight than ever before into one of John Dee’s most famous texts.
“Strange Angel” has been renewed for a second season on CBS All Access. The drama, about rocketry pioneer and occultist Jack Parsons, ended its first season in August. “We look forward to exploring the next chapter of Jack Parsons’ journey,” said Julie McNamara, executive vice president, original content, CBS All Access. “’Strange Angel’ and its talented cast and crew are the epitome of the type of programming we strive for at CBS All Access — daring, imaginative and unconventional.”
In 1936, Parsons along with his colleagues Edward Foreman and Frank Malina initially appear to experience a day of failed rocket launches. Before attempting one last launch, Parsons decides to cast a spell on the rocket, much to the understandable skepticism of Foreman and Malina. The rocket makes it about a 100 feet up before blowing up but in the explosion, Parsons claims to once again see a woman in red…
The Great Beast and The Librarian: Wombourne Library is braced for a night of revelations and spine-chilling horror when authors Ian Thornton and A G Smith team up to bring you a terrifying evening of readings. Ian Thornton, author of the Kirkus star award-winning The Great and Calamitous Tale of Johan Thoms, will introduce and read from his new book, The Deaths and Afterlife of Aleister Crowley, a thrilling novelisation of the life and afterlife of one of Britain’s most controversial historical characters.
Amazon Prime’s original series, Lore, has taken on its share of spooky historical legends. And now as Season 2 approaches, it’s digging even deeper into the strange myths surrounding real-life people. In particular, the upcoming episode of Lore based on the true story of Jack Parsons could get pretty weird, especially if you know about Parsons’ past.
Speakers are: David Rankine on Demonology and the Grimoires, Georgina Allen on Fulcanelli – The Man Who Made the Stone, Sian Humphries on Regardie and the Middle Pillar Ritual, Dr Robert Plimer on Kenneth Grant and the Nightside Tradition, Mike Harris on Working with the Mabinogion, G St M Nottingham on Eliphas Levi and his Magical Legacy…
Behemoth have unleashed another visually stunning music video. In their classic black-and-white style, Behemoth have debuted a clip for “Bartzabel,” which is filled with blasphemy and nudity. It’s a departure from their more recent material; “Bartzabel” isn’t a track filled with blast beats and gargling gutturals, acting more as a mood piece fairly mellow in execution.
The 100th Monkey Press is pleased to announce the publication of the Magical Record of Victor B. Neuburg. On 8 April 1909 Victor B. Neuburg took the Oath of Probationer in the A.A. Aleister Crowley’s newly formed magical order. In June of 1909 Neuburg traveled from Cambridge to Crowley’s home, Boleskine House…
The always-interesting and highly regarded bookseller, Liber-AL.com, is holding an anniversary sale to mark the store’s fourth year. There are over 200 items in the sale, many massively reduced, up to 40% in many cases. Included are many early, rare and/or limited editions mostly related to Aleister Crowley. The sale is running until Tuesday 4th September at which point the prices go back to normal. It’s a genuine opportunity to grab some real bargains.
The latest book from J Edward Cornelius promises to be an enormously helpful resource for students of the life and works of Aleister Crowley. Available now from Weiser Antiquarian.
An interesting update regarding Boleskine House from LAShTAL.COM’s Travel Correspondent, Frater FS: ‘As Frater FS drove by Boleskine, he noticed a large house with exposed bay window built right next to Boleskine House – on its left if you are facing BH. It is in fact a holiday home for let, called Sealladh an Loch, offering 12 rooms. Whole house is just over £1,400 for the week.’
UK tabloid, The Sun, presents a wander through the more controversial parts of Chris Salewicz’s new biography of Jimmy Page. Crowley features, of course, along with drugs and the rest.
There’s a serpent coiling round my neck… The adorning crescent moon in blazing night… The holy river Ganga flowing from my matted hair… Is a God to live in a dog? No! But the highest are of us! Elohim!
Reynor also described the show as intriguing, mystical, and exciting, and said it was interesting to learn about the occult as an Irish native who grew up in Catholic school. He called it the antithesis of his upbringing and believed the show gave him a new perspective on a mysterious belief system. Hopefully, Strange Angel will return for Season 2 so fans can also get a deeper understanding about Jack Parsons’ bizarre and complicated life.
The Hermit invites us to discover wisdom and the progress that comes with study; the card also indicates that the Hermit is a person of integrity, but that he is scared to trust in others and completely express what he is feeling – very much as Jimmy Page was, polite to the point of sometimes being a little boring. The painting of the Hermit on the inner sleeve was by a supposed friend of Jimmy Page’s called Barrington Coleby. There is no record whatsoever of any such person, and there were those who believed the real painter was none other than Jimmy Page himself.
Not for the first time, BBC1’s Antiques Roadshow featured an Austin Osman Spare item in yesterday’s programme. The significance of its appearance on the UK’s premier antiques television show should not be underestimated. Of course, the expert had to mention Spare’s interest in the occult, his squalid living conditions and so on, but the piece – available via the BBC’s iPlayer application – was very favourable in its artistic assessment.
The occult was certainly one of Page’s fascinations. He was still a schoolboy when he discovered Crowley, once dubbed ‘the wickedest man in the world’ by the British press. At the peak of his interest, Page owned Crowley’s books, manuscripts, the robes in which he had conducted rituals, and his former abode, Boleskine House on the shores of Loch Ness.
The fuse is indeed about to hit the powder keg very soon on ‘Strange Angel’ and the episode lays out a lot of groundwork and context that could possibly set the stage in further seasons (if the show does get renewed) to explore Jack’s ultimate meeting and friendship with the likes of Aleister Crowley and L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology. Tensions are high as Jack slowly alienates himself from his loved ones to blindly walk the path of Thelema, which he now believes is the key to realizing his dreams.
Kenneth Anger’s ghost haunts much of modern pop culture. Incongruous and sex-filled music videos,...
We offer a broad selection of rare, out-of-print, antiquarian, and modern fine press books with an emphasis on the magical arts. On this site you will find works by and about Aleister Crowley and others who were involved with The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the O.T.O., and related magical orders.
CROWLEY, Aleister. Charcoal drawing, ca. 51 x 34 cm. View of the Tyrrhenian Sea, probably from the hill behind the abbey of Thelema, Cefalù, Sicily, 1921.
Regular visitors to this site will know just how much I admire Weiser Antiquarian and their always-fascinating book catalogues. This time, though, they have outdone themselves, with two Catalogues announced at the same time. And, believe me, the content is astonishing! Many items have already sold but the catalogues remain – in any case – a fabulous resource for those of us obsessed with the writings of Aleister Crowley.
This work was first published in 1895 in Trinidad and achieved instant obscurity, However, it seems that a bell was rung somewhere as 9 years later, on 8th April 1904 Aiwass instructed Crowley that, as well as the mantras and spells and the work of the wand and the sword, he should learn and teach “the obeah and the wanga”.
Dutch millionairess Trudy Piekaar-Bakker told how disappointed she was in the looters who raided it after the blaze and warned the Curse of Boleskine House would exact retribution on them. The Amsterdam businesswoman who made her fortune in a Japanese car parts business also talked about restoring the burned out shell…
George Pendle is the author of the book Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of John Whiteside Parsons, which if ya haven’t heard has been adapted to series for CBS All-Access, and it’s airing there right now, as you read this.
Making a television show is grueling, expensive and time-consuming, but it isn’t rocket science. Sometimes, though, as Mark Heyman points out, it’s pretty darn close. Heyman is referring to Strange Angel, a new series about the bizarre life of Jack Parsons, known in aeronautical circles as the father of modern day rocketry and to others as the Thelemite occultist who crossed paths with self-proclaimed prophet Aleister Crowley and Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard.
The story of Jack Parsons — the very real rocket scientist upon which “Strange Angel” is based — is a bizarre combination of ego and ambition that quite literally blew up in his face, when a chemical experiment exploded and killed him in 1952 when he was just 37 years old. Parsons was fascinated by all things considered fantastical, whether that be traveling to the moon or the Los Angeles occult scene that eventually became his stomping grounds.
Simon Sayce, who created the iconic Puzzle Box for the film Hellraiser, as well as the mask worn by David Cronenberg’s character Decker in Nightbreed, has died.
Presenting a comprehensive overview of Dee’s life and work, Louv examines his scientific achievements, intelligence and spy work, imperial strategizing, and Enochian magick, establishing a psychohistory of John Dee as a singular force and fundamental driver of Western history. Exploring Dee’s influence on Sir Francis Bacon, the development of modern science, 17th-century Rosicrucianism, the 19th-century occult revival, and 20th-century occultists such as Jack Parsons, Aleister Crowley, and Anton LaVey, Louv shows how John Dee continues to impact science and the occult to this day.
A REMOTE ruin once owned by a notorious occultist dubbed “the wickedest man in the world” has been placed on a list of historic buildings under threat. Boleskine House, which sits on the south-east shore of Loch Ness, was reduced to a burnt-out shell when a fierce blaze ripped through the property in 2015. It was previously the home of infamous “black magician” Aleister Crowley, who scandalised British society in the early 20th century through his experiments with sex, drugs and the occult.
Some very interesting remarks in this article… Suddenly Bishop Michael curry was preaching at me, emphatically, about the power of love. ‘Love is the way.’ My friend, an atheist, tried to interject and be cynical, and I slapped him on the hand and said, ‘You are ruining this for me!’ I’m sure my eyes were wide, like a cherub on a chapel wall. He was emphatic, soulful and best of all, fearless.
Adam Parfrey, whose Feral House publishing company was a resource for underground, extreme and what some may consider “forbidden” knowledge, has died. His death at age 61 was announced on the official Feral House Facebook page. Born in Los Angeles into a show business family – his father was actor Woody Parfrey, whose extensive film and television career was often chronicled by his son via Facebook – Parfrey grew up in the punk culture of the ’70s and ’80s.
Title: The Star In The West – A Critical Essay Upon The Works of Aleister Crowley
Author: Captain [J F C] Fuller
Published: 1907 London and Felling-on-Tyne: The Walter Scott Publishing Co.
Format: Hardback First Edition
Number 65 of an edition that was limited to only 100 copies. Bound in white buckram and with a heavily gilt-stamped occult seal and title on the front cover and title, this numbered copy is also signed by both Fuller and Crowley, as well as being inscribed by Crowley.
Strange Angel is an upcoming American drama web television series that is set to premiere on June 14, 2018 on CBS All Access. The series is based on the biography Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons by George Pendle and was created by Mark Heyman, who is also set to executive produce and write for the show.
Another fascinating article from Nettle’s Garden. In 1896, London, some of the most revered Adepts of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn gathered to perform a ritual written by Aleister Crowley’s teacher, the man who basically introduced Buddhism to the west and institutionalized it in the UK: Allan Bennett. The ritual would make the spirit of Mercury physically manifest before them. Allan Bennett was there as an assistant Magus, the master of the ceremony, Florence Farr, who was a beautiful woman dressed in a white robe adorned with a yellow sash and on her head she wore an indigo nemes – the headcloth of the pharaohs. Around her neck she wore the seal of Taphthartharath, the spirit of Mercury, around her waist was a belt with a holy dagger, in her left hand she held an Egyptian symbol of immortality, and in her right hand, she held a lotus wand.
Prepare to be intrigued — your first look at the upcoming CBS All Access series Strange Angel is here. The drama, inspired by a true story and based on the novel Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons by George Pendle, stars Jack Reynor (Transformers: Age of Extinction) as Jack Parsons, a smart and ambitious blue-collar worker in 1930s Los Angeles. The show follows his exploits from his early days starting out as a janitor at a chemical factory with fantastical dreams that ultimately lead him to create the unknown discipline of American rocketry.
Very excited to hear of the availability of the latest from Antti Balk, author of one of my favourite books, Balderdash. This 646-page work, The Law of Thelema: Aleister Crowley’s Philosophy of True Will, will, I’m sure, be just as compelling.
Coomaraswamy’s acquaintance with infamous English occultist Aleister Crowley would be another interesting incident to expose his colourful life. Indeed both Coomaraswamy and Crowley were two different characters in every way wherein Crowley was loathed by many as a charlatan and a seducer of women, but Coomaraswamy was known for his academic contributions widely.
A well-informed and fascinating article from Nettle’s Garden – The Old Craft… On March 16, 1904, in the King’s Chamber at the Great Pyramid of Giza, Aleister Crowley attempted to show the Sylphs to his wife, Rose Edith Kelly, during the Bornless Ritual. She couldn’t see them, but she entered a trance and repeatedly told her husband: “They’re waiting for you!”
Gérard Aumont was born Gérard Marie Albert Aumont in Gabes, Tunisia on September 13, 1902 to Alfred Charles Jean and Eva Alphonsine (née Mauger) Aumont. He married Paulette Cazaentre in Marseilles on August 10, 1932; they had no children. His nephew is the well-known theatre, film and television actor Michel Aumont.
The vast influence of occultist Aleister Crowley in heavy metal is undeniable. You can throw a stone and hit a band that heavily employs themes of the occult, Satanism, and Thelema, the spiritual philosophy founded by Mr. Crowley himself. In addition to being a renowned ceremonial magician and self-proclaimed prophet, “the wickedest man in the world” was also a revered writer and novelist who produced an abundance of poetry and literature throughout his lifetime. It wasn’t just his teachings or writings about alchemy and magick that made him metal AF, but he also had a rockstar mystique, shocking the masses while indulging in sex and drugs until his death at age 72.
Red Flame 9: Aleister Crowley in the Public's Eye
Frater Shiva: Inside Solar Lodge, Outside the Law
Magick In Theory And Practice :: I-H-O
Aleister Crowley - Magick In Theory And Practice (Gordon Press)
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