Diary of a drug fiend and The book of Thoth seem like the only serious omissions from your list. The Symonds bio is essential (and very trashy indeed); same version i have.
The 2017 Weiser hardback edition of The Book of Thoth is a very nicely bound tight book, thick white pages, heavy in the hand. If your looking for a copy I would thoroughly recommend this edition. Its available on a popular online retailer for a fair price.
Just ordered a few Crowley books as I am in a position to get them delivered to me abroad.
Just exactly which government agency did you topple in order to get books delivered?
I made a mistake. I thought this thread was about how "Every initiate must burn his books at some point," but looking around, I find it (the thread) to be about acquiring books before the burn.
The best book about Aleister Crowley was written by Aleister Crowley. The Confessions is a thick but highly enjoyable read. Crowley's wit and sardonic humor is everywhere to be found. Symonds and Grant's The Great Beast, is a fun read also, but read it with a jaundiced eye. It was the first book about Aleister Crowley I ever read, and it wetted my appetite for more.
The best book about Aleister Crowley was written by Aleister Crowley.
This has always been my opinion. However, follow-up historical authors fill in many gaps. AC did not give the whole story in Confessions, but it is the best place to start.
The bibliophiles will continue to hunt down and (hopefully) purchase every book by every author who reviews Crowley. They are looking for The Lost Word, which they will only find in their own practice ... just like AC said.
Just ordered a few Crowley books as I am in a position to get them delivered to me abroad.
Just exactly which government agency did you topple in order to get books delivered?
I made a mistake. I thought this thread was about how "Every initiate must burn his books at some point," but looking around, I find it (the thread) to be about acquiring books before the burn.
As always, you arouse my interest. What is The Lost Word? What does it refer to? I have read quite a bit about Aleister Crowley (I'm no expert) and I don't recall The Lost Word. I have heard of the Great Work of course, and that ABRAHADABRA if properly pronounced is supposed to rend the universe apart. (Hyperbole no doubt, but intriguing, like a Zen Koan) A mental exercise.
Who are you addressing? It seems like it is me. Proper protocol requires you to address or reply to somebody. There are many people here, and with your post out of sequence due to CS not being able to help himself, you have fallen out of line.
Please address somebody if you want your attention.
That's what everybody wants to know. You will have to join the Masons or the OTO and get to the third degree where The Lost Word is found ... but you can never pronounce it out loud or the Universe will stop.
Yes it did (there may be obscure historical precedents). Then BafometR changed it to something adding up to 93, because the Masons don't have the real Lost Word.
This Word is writ nowhere, except in some letters by AC, and the historians are confused because they have found alternative Words in his writ, so nobody prints it. It is NOT ABRAHADABRA or any other Word written in any Crowley book. I am thinking of auctioning it off at eBay, but if I do, I cannot mention it (any auction) here.
@shivaSorry Shiva, yes it was you I was addressing. I did a little research, apparently there is a book that has been re-published entitled The Lost Word, its hidden meaning: A correlation of the allegory and symbolism of the Bible with that of Free Masonry and an exposition of the Secret Doctrine. By George H. Steinmetz. Amazon books. HB $34.36 PB $22.36.
Diary of a drug fiend and The book of Thoth seem like the only serious omissions from your list.
Thanks Ignant! Ya I had a great hardcover copy of Diary of a Drug Fiend that I threw in the trash ten years ago as I got paranoid thinking it wasn't a good book to carry into Burma lol. I should have kept it. It's worth about $175 now it was white hardcover with dust jacket it looked like this:
There are many people on ebay selling crappy printouts of the book now as it's probably public domain. And the text is available online. But I just ordered a hardcopy again thanks to your suggestion...along with Book of Thoth. Abebooks is very reasonable. I ordered Weiser versions to make sure I get quality.
I am a very big (am I large?) fan of Little Essays Towards Truth...but I am absolutely flabbergasted that the little paperback copy I got for Christmas once perhaps 8 or so years ago is going for over 100$ wtf
Thanks for the suggestion. Again something that's probably available in text form online but i grabbed a copy from abebooks as per your suggestion.
Just exactly which government agency did you topple in order to get books delivered?
None. I haven't sent them yet. Gotta wait for the world to return to some form of normality. Hopefully soon. This covid nonsense has set us back 100 years!
I also just picked up:
Aleister Crowley - The Man The Mage The Poet
Book Price: US$ 30.00
Never heard much about this book but it was much more expensive elsewhere and it has peaked my curiosity in the past. Abebooks again.
The other books i've found in storage are starting to form a theme for where i'm heading with this. I've read some not all of these as they've been stashed away. Huxley i've read back when I was reading books about Jim Morrison and the Doors some 30 years ago. Kool Aid Acid Test never read. It's a garage sale find. A bit torn up.
@Shiva 's Inside the Law is brand new. That should be a fun easy read.
777 is far too advanced for me at this point. But something I should have for reference.
I've got digital copies of many Regardie books including the Golden Dawn System of Magic.
The bibliophiles will continue to hunt down and (hopefully) purchase every book by every author who reviews Crowley. They are looking for The Lost Word, which they will only find in their own practice ... just like AC said.
Ain't that the truth. I will distract myself with physical things for as long as possible..
This reminds me of a quote Edwin Steinbrecher put at the beginning of his book on meditation "The Inner Guide Meditation":
I got paranoid thinking it wasn't a good book to carry into Burma lol.
I am sorry to inform you that this particular train-chain of though is not paranoia. You may have been in a paranoid state, I cannot possibly tell, but this act was more along the lines of rationally-generated survival insurance.
I am in a position to get them delivered to me abroad.
I guess I missed the abroad part. I believe you described this maneuver. It has something to do with having books delivered to a safe, non-Burmese location, from whence they may be delivered Burmaside, or that may never happen and you will retrieve them when you depart Burma location ... or Siam ... or wherever you are, which I will not tell (anyone).
@toadstoolwe What is The Lost Word? What does it refer to?
Ya Baal On
“ According to Francis X. King in The Secret Rituals of the O.T.O., the word is used in two rituals of the Ordo Templi Orientis: the Lodge of Perfection, in which the candidate receives the Fourth Degree (which is called Perfect Magician and Companion of the Holy Royal Arch of Enoch); and the Perfect Initiate (or Prince of Jerusalem) degree, which falls between the fourth and fifth degrees. King prints in his book the lyrics of a song that mentions the word "Jahbulon." “ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jahbulon
The secret of building off of a solid foundation. The word was lost with murdered Hiram Abiff the widows son, chief architect and master of works.
the Perfect Initiate (or Prince of Jerusalem) degree
Yes, this is the correspondence to Paroketh (on a notch lower in the cosmic hologram than the A.'.A.'. version). It is said to represent "annihilation" (in the void. Symbolically, this is the death of the lower self. A resurrected Knight of the RC commences in the 5th degree, if one can only beg, borrow, steal, or gain the favorable glance of a high official.
This is the Word of the 4th degree. It is not the Lost Word. The Lost Word was found in the III*, which is Death (with a token resurrection to Master Magician, who is competent to administer initiations 0* through III*, if he has a Charter from the Supreme and Most Holy king.
The 4th degree is The World After Death (astral/lower mental). The Lost Word that was lost but found again in the III* is found to not work in the IV*, so the candidate has to through another ordeal (the burning ground) to get the Word of the IV*. Then he/she is a member of the Royal Arch. The Royal Arch meets in a Tabernacle tent in the Wilderness. I was there for real, not symbol.
The 4th degree is followed by this Prince of Jerusalem epic, which is a very Templar sort of thing. The candidate is symbolically reduced to Nothing. this ends "The Lesser Mysteries," which relate to the lower self. If this takes hold in daily life, like it's supposed to, the persona will be brought into perfect balance (perfect initiate). A vacuum will be created that allows the 5th degree to shine into.
The Jahbulon word is printed in books. The Lost Word is not. That's why it's lost and nobody can find it, unless they pay their fees and dues in advance and make their way up the stairway to heaven to the third major step. I understand this can be rather difficult these days.
The word was lost with murdered Hiram Abiff the widows son, chief architect and master of works.
The Grand Master Baphomet replaced Hiram with a Sufi who got murdered. Under direction of Saladin, the Wazir (wizard) and the Emir resurrect the dead Sufi ... and install him in Saladin's chair, Master of the Oasis.
This is really powerful stuff if you actually go out in the desert, erect a physical-plane tent for Saladin, unpack the instruments, including the full-size altar (the most difficult of the instruments to haul around), then take some legal LSD, full doses for all, about 45 minutes before the Tibetan femur hits the bell to start the festivities. I have just described one of the two major factors that set Solar Lodge apart from its comparable brethren and sistren who do it differently. The other factor was, you had to do the A.'.A.'. work and pass a test before you got to go on the desert expeditions.
@tigerThank you for your response! My knowledge of Free Masonry is rather scant. Considering Aleister Crowley achieved the Highest Grade in Masonry, 33 Degree that would seem that I am lacking a lot of foundational knowledge. But, that can be remedied.
this act was more along the lines of rationally-generated survival insurance.
Yes as you interact with different cultures you learn to be sensitive to the viewpoints you encounter. Paranoid was perhaps too strong a word. Practical may have been a better choice.
I'm not exactly sure how and when I will be able to ship my books abroad, but I am confident that there will be options available when travel and shipping restrictions relax a bit. I don't have a lot of things (16mm film reels and music masters, a few books and records) but I am determined to no longer pay for storage or burden friends with boxes.
I may be similar to Ignant and you (Shiva) in some respects..or anyone getting older and working with a modest amount of income or savings. I don't like bills! And I have successfully killed off almost every bill I used to pay. No storage bill. No phone bill. No car. My motorbike costs me 100 quid a year (about $15 USD a month) including gasoline! I like to live cheap and frugally.
For anyone interested in saving money Abebooks is a steal compared to Amazon or Ebay as far as I can tell.
I have had many opportunities to buy this superb book. Outwardly it looks great, with a shiny, gold & scarlet cover.
However, when I opened the book it looked to me as if the innards were going to fall out at any minute. I think the pages were glued in rather than being sellotaped sewn in.
Can owners tell me if the book is sturdy enough to last a lifetime?
Can owners tell me if the book is sturdy enough to last a lifetime?
The first edition (red cover, 1974) is an altogether better proposition, I have found, rather than later editions (especially the one with the black cover) whose bindings are as you say are a bit more flimsy.
Can owners tell me if the book is sturdy enough to last a lifetime?
I have one in the black & gold hardcover. I paid $39.95 for it circa 1988 (c) Regardies Foundation, Falcon Press. The pages are sewn. Not a single page has come loose. Solid stuff.
Many thanks to the responders about the integrity of Gems from the Equiniox.
I reckon I saw a display copy in Watkins books on Cecil Court, and it had been displayed for so long that 'twas falling apart. That might be the source of my prejudice.
Another book I forgot about that I think you must read is 'Equinox of the Gods' spelling out his story of the receipt of the book of the law, and also the 'spooky' things surrounding it.
Another book I forgot about that I think you must read is 'Equinox of the Gods' spelling out his story of the receipt of the book of the law, and also the 'spooky' things surrounding it.
Thanks for the reminder. I have seen this book a few times in used bookstores and online selling for a very high price. I just checked and there are a couple of free online versions that are well done (hermetic website for example) I assume it's public domain?
Anyways, i bought the book just now at abebooks for $35 + tax and shipping. New Falcon press edition.
Not bad considering there are many other copies on amazon and abebooks and ebay selling for $100-$300. I'd like physical copies of the main Crowley books if possible so I'm gonna spend the money. I know many people pay many hundreds sometimes thousands of dollars for Crowley books and special editions so I think this is not an extravagant expense.
(hermetic website for example) I assume it's public domain?
All of Crowley's published work are now in the pubic dominion. Hermetic and Sacred Texts were both posting Thelemic texts before the recent shift into the Liberation from Copyrights. They usually contain the reminder: (c) OTO. I dunno if they got permission, or just posted with a (c) OTO ... but that division is no longer hither homeward. Confucius would say, "Water under the bridge flows downsream" (... into the past).
