Freemason Letter On Crowley Status

Book: Freemason Letter On Crowley Status by Aleister Crowley

Letter from the Supreme Council of Freemasonry about Crowley's supposed status in the Masonic Order.

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Aleister Crowley - Freemason Letter On Crowley Status

Jack Parsons And Oto

The Ordo Templi Orientis was co-founded by Theodor Reuss, a member of the german secret service. O.T.O. is a magical group practising tantric sex magic, kabbalistic rituals and drug experimentation. On April 21, 1912, twelve years before the founding of MGM, Aleister Crowley was appointed National Grand Master General of O.T.O. for Great Britain and Ireland. In 1925 Crowley became Outer Head of the Order(OHO).

Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) (Order of the Temple of the East, or the Order of Oriental Templars) is an international fraternal and religious organization. For its teachings and principles of organization, it was the first organization to accept the Law of Thelema, as re-presented by Crowley, which is expressed as ODo what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.O

In the early 1940s the U.S. based O.T.O. Lodge, Agape, was led by 'Jack' Parsons (1914-1952), a Los Angeles based rocket sciententist. Parsons was co-founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JLP) with Ed Forman. Along with Forman and Frank Malina the 'suicide squad' tested rocket fuel in the Mojave desert and developed a successful rocket technology which was taken up by the US Military at the end of WW2. During his early years, when Parsons dreamt of space travel to the moon, he developed a relationship and exchange of ideas with german rocket scientist Wernher von Braun.

The O.T.O. structure is initiatory, with a series of degree ceremonies, which the U.S. Grand Lodge, Ordo Templi Orientis states is similar to that of Freemasonry. The O.T.O. also includes the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica or Gnostic Catholic Church, which is the ecclesiastical arm of the Order. Its central rite, which is public, is called Liber XV, or the Gnostic Mass. O.T.O. claims over 3000 members in 58 countries; about half of these are in the United States.

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The Invocation Of Thoth

Book: The Invocation Of Thoth by Aleister Crowley

An Invocation of the Egyptian God Thoth. Classic invocation of Thoth. With the manifestation of this book, the invocation proves Extremely successful.

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Aleister Crowley - The Invocation Of Thoth

Liber 412 A Vel Armorum

Book: Liber 412 A Vel Armorum by Aleister Crowley

An instruction for the preparation of the Elemental Instruments. See also: Equinox I iv, p. 15

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Liber 837 The Law Of Liberty

Book: Liber 837 The Law Of Liberty by Aleister Crowley

This is a further explanation of the Book of the Law in reference to certain Ethical problems. See also: Equinox III i, p. 45; III x

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Aleister Crowley - Liber 837 The Law Of Liberty

Thelema Is Religion Or Philosophy

No, I don't intend to give you a deep scourging in answering this perennial question. In fact, the question was once again asked a few weeks ago on a Facebook group, and I answered it concisely, and in a manner I thought might be helpful to people wanting to cut to some kind of chase.

So, I will repost it here:

This question gets asked a lot, and the same answers given:

1. Religion.
2. Philosophy.
3. Both.
4. Neither.
5. Something else (additionally or instead)).

So, what gets learned or settled?

What makes something a religion?
What makes something a philosophy?

Greek philosophers were rejecting or avoiding a religious worldview and adopting another brand, which invited skeptical inquiry and disputation.

I think most philosophers would be bothered and find dubious a commandment such as "Do what thou wilt", especially given its alleged origin, a praeternatural entity. They would not only want to know why such a commandment is correct for humans to follow, but they would question its authority per se.

Crowley of course answered that objection. He said if Aiwass said do something, it doesn't matter what you think about it. It's the Law.

And that isn't a philosophical attitude. It's religious.

Thelema is fundamentally a religion. It does incorporate a lot of aspects of Nietzschean philosophy (as Crowley understood that), but the only reason these have any authority in Thelema is because they align with something Aiwass said about the nature of the Law.

Someone asked in reply what I could cite in support of Aiwass saying do what you're told.

And I replied:

"Magick Without Tears", in a letter entitled "Morals of Liber AL" (Crowley is answering regarding moral "difficulties" of Liber AL):

"You disagree with Aiwass—so do all of us. The trouble is that He can say: 'But I'm not arguing. I'm telling you.'"

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Liber 335 Adonis An Allegory

Book: Liber 335 Adonis An Allegory by Aleister Crowley

Adonis an Allegory. A short play. Set in the hanging gardens of Babylon in classical times with classical characters. An account in poetic language of the struggle of the human and divine elements in the consciousness of man, giving their harmony following on the victory of the latter.

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Liber 067 The Sword Of Song

Book: Liber 067 The Sword Of Song by Aleister Crowley

Two Poems. A critical study of various philosophies. An account of Buddhism. 1925. See also: Collected Works, Vol. ii, pp. 140-203.

One of Crowley's most significant early works, it was the first work in which Crowley publicly identified himself as 'The Beast.' Referred to by Richard Kaczynski as 'Crowley's first great talismanic book,' it is a handsomely produced work. The first half of the book comprises the poems 'Ascension Day' and 'Pentecost', works after Robert Browning's Christmas Eve and Easter Day, along with notes and Introductions. They are followed by three Appendices, each a work in itself: 'The Three Characteristics,' a parody of a Buddhist 'Jataka story', featuring characters that are obviously Allan Bennett and Crowley himself, Ambrosi Magi Hortus Rosarum, an allegorical account of the aspirant's journey, and the essay, 'Berashith. An Essay in Ontology with Some Remarks on Ceremonial Magic.' A final essay, 'Science and Buddhism' is followed by an Index and short Epilogue. 'The sword of Song' is the classic Crowleyan mixture of serious philosophy, humour, and vulgarity ('Ambrosi Magi Hortus Rosarum' has hanging line notes, which spell out the words 'quim,' 'arse,' 'frig,' 'puss,' and 'cunt.')

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Gargoyles

Book: Gargoyles by Aleister Crowley

Gargoyles, Being Strangely Wrought Images of Life and Death by Aleister Crowley. Bound holograph manuscript with revisions in the hand of Aleister Crowley. Also printed in The Collected Works of Aleister Crowley, Vol. III, Page 84, Society for the Propagation of religious Truth, Boleskine, Foyers, Inverness, 1907.

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Crowley Spiritual Retreat In The Wilds Of China

Nevertheless, the magus continued his world travels and adventures. For several months during 1905-1906 he undertook a dangerous trek on pony through the wilds of southern China. Amazingly, Rose joined him. Even more amazingly, they brought their one-year old daughter! For Crowley the journey became a lengthy, intense spiritual retreat. For it he sought inspiration from two major sources. The first was a grimoire (magical book) titled The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Malin the Mage, which had been translated from French by Mathers and included diverse prayers, ceremonies, and magical techniques. The second was the “Bornless Ritual”, an invocation (purportedly of ancient origins) used by Golden Dawn members.

Crowley’s goal was what the Abra-Malin grimoire and Golden Dawn members called “Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel”, i.e., mystical union with one’s Guardian Angel (or “Higher Self”). During the journey he doggedly performed the invocation daily. Even after the journey he continued to perform it regularly. Finally, after approximately three months he began to enjoy results. He reported in his diary in May 1906, “Vision quite perfect; I tasted the sweet kiss and gazed in the clear eyes of the Radiant One [i.e., his Guardian Angel or Higher Self]. My own face became luminous.” Such was Crowley’s determination, dedication, and self-discipline with regard to spiritual development.
The Crowley family

Following the trek through China, Crowley left Rose and Nuit in India. The plan was for him to return to England via the Pacific and United States, and Rose and Nuit to return via a more direct route which would include the Suez Canal and Mediterranean. Arriving home, Crowley learned that his daughter had died of typhoid in India and Rose had descended into alcoholism. Crowley, grief stricken, unfairly blamed the death on his wife. Nevertheless, in the summer of 1906 Rose gave birth to the couple’s second child, Lola Zaza (see illustration, above). However, their marriage was doomed. For years Crowley had been having affairs, which took their toll on Rose. He agreed to allow her to divorce him on grounds of adultery. Their marriage ended in 1909.

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The Stratagem And Other Stories

Book: The Stratagem And Other Stories by Aleister Crowley

The Stratagem and Other Stories, a small book of short stories written by aleister crowley (1875-1947), occult magician, poet and self-proclaimed prophet of a new AEON., Including "The Strategem", "The Testament of Magdalen Blair", "His Secret Sin". The Testament of Magdalen Blair paints a particularly gruesome picture of what happens to human beings after they die. Indeed it is so nasty that it has been described in the Penguin Encyclopaedia of Horror & Supernatural as "one of the most horrible stories ever written."

The book was originally published in 1929 and one of a series of Crowley's works to be published on the new Mandrake Press label after a difficult period in which Crowley found it difficult to publish due both to financing and notoriety. The works published by Mandrake Press in 1929 were The Confessions of aleister crowley volumes I and II, and Moonchild.

Crowley hardly ever published collections of short stories, but the title story received such a good review from British novelist Joseph Conrad when he published it in The English Review that he thought it was a possible calling to conventional fame. "The Testament to Magdalen Blair" is the longer of the three and was originally published in "The Equinox" volume I, no.9 in 1913. It tells the haunting story of a psychic woman who delves into the dying, subconscious psyche of her husband and bears resemblance to Edgar Allan Poe's "Mesmeric Revelation" and "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar". The third short story, "His Secret Sin", was first published in "The Equinox" volume I, no.8 in 1912 and has a pervert absconding a photograph of the Venus de Milo.

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Liber 175 Astarte Vel Liber Berylli

Book: Liber 175 Astarte Vel Liber Berylli by Aleister Crowley

An instruction in attainment by the method of devotion, on Bhakta-Yoga; how one may unite oneself to any particular Deity. Both Magical and mystical methods are given. Equinox I vii, p. 37

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Liber 111 Aleph

Book: Liber 111 Aleph by Aleister Crowley

An extended and elaborate Commentary on "The Book of the Law", in the form of a letter from the Master Therion to the son of mankind. Contains some of the deepest secrets of Initiation, with a clear solution of many cosmic and ethical problems. This is Equinox III vi

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Babylon And Ishtar

Perhaps the earliest origin is the ancient city of Babylon, a major metropolis in Mesopotamia (modern Al Hillah in Iraq). Babylon is the Greek variant of Akkadian Babilu (bab-ilu), meaning "Gateway of the god". It was the "holy city" of Babylonia from around 2300 BC, and the seat of the Neo-Babylonian empire from 612 BC.

One of the goddesses associated with Babylonia was Ishtar, the most popular female deity of the Assyro-Babylonian pantheon and patron of the famous Ishtar Gate. She is the Akkadian counterpart to the Sumerian Inanna and the cognate to the northwest Semitic goddess Astarte. The Greeks associated her with Aphrodite (Latin Venus), and sometimes Hera. Ishtar was worshipped as a Great Goddess of fertility and sexuality, but also of war and death, and the guardian of prostitutes. She was Also Called the Great Whore and sacred prostitution formed part of her cult or those of cognate goddesses. Many have associated Ishtar with the figure in the Book of Revelation of Babylon the Great, Mother of Harlots and Abominations.

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Modern Thelemic Organizations

Thankfully there are existing organizations in this day and age where Thelema and the teachings of Crowley are essential. Here are some of the primary organizations and Orders…

• O.:T.:O.: (Ordo Templi Orientis; Order of the Temple of the East; Order of the Eastern Templars)
• A.:A.: (Argentum Astrum)
• Ecclesiastic Gnostic Church
• Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn
• Temple of Thelema
• College of Thelema
• The Fraternity of the Hidden Light

These groups still exist and can be found online and possibly in your local cities.

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Greg Wotton - Suffering A Thelemic Perspective
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Olla An Anthology Of Sixty Years Of Song

Book: Olla An Anthology Of Sixty Years Of Song by Aleister Crowley

The last book Crowley published before his death. An Anthology of Sixty Years of song by Aleister Crowley. Poetry. Aleister Crowley's best poems selection.

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Essential Thelemic Practices

Within the system that Crowley developed, the core task for the adept is the discovery and manifestation of Will, defined at times as a grand destiny and at other times as a moment to moment path of action that operates in perfect harmony with Nature. This Will does not spring from conscious intent, but from the interplay between the deepest Self and the entire Universe. Therefore, the enlightened Thelemite is one who is able to eliminate or bypass the consciousness-created desires, conflicts, and habits, and tap directly into the Self/Universe nexus. Theoretically, at this point, the Thelemite acts in alignment with Nature, just as the stream flows downhill, with neither resistance nor "lust of result."

The ability to accomplish this Great Work requires a great deal of preparation and effort, according to Crowley's system. The programme consists of several key elements, including a thorough knowledge of the Hermetic Qabalah (especially the Tree of Life), disciplined concentration (i.e. meditation), the Development of one's Body of Light (or astral body) (in order to experience other spiritual realms) and the consistent and regular Invocation of certain deities or spiritual beings.

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Thelemic Holy Days

Part of the spiritual discipline of a Thelemite consists in the coordination of his personal, individual, terrestrial life with the great cosmic cycles that regulate the life of the earth and humanity. Accepting the Law of Thelema is itself such an act of coordination or alignment with the cosmic cycle known as the precession of the equinoxes. Crowley implies that the New Aeon of Horus, the Crowned and Conquering Child, which began with the self-revelation of Aiwass at the Vernal Equinox, 1904 e.v., corresponds to the advent of the astrological Age of Aquarius. By aligning one's personal life with the universal life mediated by these cycles one becomes a vehicle of the manifestation of the universal life, thus making oneself a channel of higher spiritual forces which in turn accelerate one's natural spiritual evolution and affect the karma of the planet.

Other cycles with which the Thelemite aligns his life are the diurnal motion of the Sun, specifically, sunrise, noon, sunset, and midnight; the diurnal rising of the star or constellation rising in his horoscope; the diurnal rising of the lunar orb; the monthly lunar cycle, especially the new and full moons; the monthly entry of the sun into the signs of the zodiac; the annual solar cycle of the equinoxes and solstices; and an annual calendar of holy days prescribed in the Book of the Law, as follows:

The First Night of the Prophet and His Bride, corresponding to the consummation of the marriage of Aleister Crowley and Rose Edith Crowley on August 12, 1903 e.v.;
The Writing of the Book of the Law, on April 8, 9, and 10, 1904 e.v.; and
The Supreme Ritual, commemorating the successful Invocation of Horus on March 20, 1904 e.v.

All these times are celebrated by means of rituals, in which energy is generated, and feasts, in which energy is both discharged and absorbed. In addition, Aiwass' directs that the birth, puberty, and death of Thelemites and their children are to be celebrated. Many Thelemites also observe the "quarter-days" of the wiccan religion, viz., Samhain (November 1 eve), Imbolc (February 1 eve), Beltaine (May 1 eve), and Lammas (August 1 eve). Finally, the Book of the Law alludes to a mysterious feast of Tahuti, which has never been satisfactorily explained.

The Problem of Aleister Crowley's Reputation:

Many criticisms of the Law of Thelema are based on a moral critique of the personal character and conduct of Aleister Crowley. These accusations generally resolve themselves into seven basic assertions: that he was a pornographer, traitor, sexual deviant, sado-masochist, womanizer, drug addict/alcoholic, or even psychotic. Each of these accusations can be discussed in the context of the evidence. It is certainly true that Crowley published or wrote pornographic poems and stories, and was extremely interested in extreme sexual experimentation; that he wrote apparently pro-German propaganda in America during the First World War;

that he engaged in sexual relationships with both men and women; that he engaged in physically and psychologically abusive sexual relationships; that he professed contempt for women; that he drank heavily and became severely addicted to heroin in middle-age; and that he experienced ASCs, generally induced rather than spontaneous.

Strictly speaking, however, the truth or falsehood of any of these claims is unrelated to the truth or falsehood of the Law of Thelema, just as the truth or falsehood of the Tractatus Philosophicus is unrelated to the fact that Wittgenstein was an homosexual. As every first year philosophy student learns, truth or falsehood is not a moral quality or a function of the personal psyche, and it is quite possible for a morally mean or even psychologically dysfunctional person to experience and express insights that are both beautiful and true.

The history of Western civilization provides numerous examples, many of whom are studied in universities. Crowley himself regards the pursuit of spiritual realization as a science, in which moral considerations are either secondary or entirely irrelevant. Crowley himself writes, "Since the ultimate truth of teleology is unknown, all codes of morality are arbitrary. Therefore the student has no concern with ethics as such." Philosophically, then, aleister crowley is an amoralist.

Nevertheless, the Law of Thelema does imply an ethical teaching. The doctrine of the Black Brothers itself implies a kind of moral judgement. The essential ethical teaching of the Law of Thelema is that each and every individual has an absolute and inalienable right to pursue his own True Will without restriction by others, and that no one has the ethical or moral right or duty to compel another to pursue any other path, or even the capacity to criticize them. A Thelemite who knows his True Will can however guide others in accordance with universal principles, but the relationship should not be one of imitation. If Aleister Crowley violated his own or any other individual's True Will at any time, he simply violated his own law and paid the karmic price, but this does not invalidate the Law itself.

Great art and true philosophies are both created by scoundrels, but we balk when a scoundrel creates a true religion. The imitative tendency, which Crowley despised, is deep. Since imitating the moral example of a founder is not the ethical teaching of the Law of Thelema, every Thelemite is free to imitate Aleister Crowley's personal lifestyle or not as they choose, although Crowley himself advises against it, warning that those who try to do so will be possessed or obsessed by the "vision of the demon Crowley" (Crowley, who was an amateur artist, even drew a sketch of this particular demon). Unfortunately, as the history of the Law of Thelema shows with great clarity, Crowley's advice was accurate, and numerous heedless Thelemites have been devoured as a result.

The True Will represents the inertia of the universe, and is irresistible (if not, that simply proves that it is not the True Will). However, no one may restrict the True Will of another, unless another chooses, without coercion, to be so restricted.

Aleister Crowley should be understood as a natural phenomenon, without moral judgement. A prophet is himself merely a symptom of the zeitgeist. A storm is not "evil." Aleister Crowley was a storm, which may yet sink the ship of the Judaeo-Christian civilization that he despised.

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The Tao Teh Ching

The Tao Teh Ching, roughly translated as The Book of the Way and its Virtue (see below on translating the title), is an ancient Chinese scripture. Tradition has it that the book was written around 600 BCE by a sage called Laozi (also spelled Lao Tzu, Lao Tse, Laotse, "Old Master"), a record-keeper in the Emperor's Court of the Zhou Dynasty. A careful reading of the text, however, suggests that it is a compilation of maxims sharing similar themes. The authenticity of the date of composition/compilation and the authorship are still debated.

This short work is one of the most important in Chinese philosophy and religion, especially in Taoism, but also in Buddhism, because the latter – an Indian religion – shared many Taoist words and concepts before developing into Chinese Buddhism. (Indeed, upon first encountering it, Chinese scholars regarded Buddhism as merely a foreign equivalent of Taoism.) Many Chinese artists, including poets, painters, calligraphers and even gardeners have used the book as a source of inspiration. Its influence has also spread widely outside the Far East, aided by many different translations of the text into western languages.

Many believe that the Tao Teh Ching contains some universal truths which have since been independently recognized in other philosophies, both religious and secular. Each modern language interpretation (including even interpretation of the three-character title, of which there are dozens) differs at least slightly and occasionally profoundly from the next. Depending on how one reads them, some chapters could have three or more interpretations, ranging from practical wisdom for the common man to advice intended for kings to even the odd medical recipe.


There is also an interpretation of this Chinese classic by Aleister Crowley out there.

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The Law Of Thelema

The Law of Thelema was revealed to the world by a praeterhuman Intelligence calling himself Aiwass in Cairo, Egypt in March and April, 1904 e.v. Aiwass appeared first to Rose Edith Kelly nee Crowley, in an altered state of consciousness (ASC), and subsequently to the British poet and magical adept, Aleister Crowley (born in Leamington, England on October 12, 1875 e.v.).

Aiwass proceeded to demonstrate his objective existence independently of the psyches of both Crowley and Rose, by leading them to the stele of Ankh-af-na-khonsu, a Theban Egyptian priest of the 8th century B.C.E., in the Boulak Museum, where they had never been. He then dictated a sacred text to Crowley called the Book of the Law. For five years thereafter Crowley resisted the Law of Thelema and the mission of Thelemic prophet laid upon him by Aiwass, regarding the Cairo Working, as it is called, as an "astral vision" (i.e., a purely imaginative - but not "imaginary" - experience).

However, Crowley's subsequent attainment of the grade of Master of the Temple in the Supreme College of the Great White Brotherhood resulted in his acceptance of the Law of Thelema and of his own prophetic role as described in the Book of the Law. Crowley proclaimed himself as the prophet of a new eon for humanity for the first time in his long mystical poem, Aha! (1909), which has been compared in beauty and profundity to the Bhagavad-Gita. Thereafter he signed his correspondence and formal instructions with the two main slogans of the Book of the Law, ;Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law" and ;Love is the law, love under will."

Crowley founded a magical society, the A. ..A. .., took over the leadership of another, the O.T.O., and wrote a series of formal instructions promulgating the Law of Thelema, as well as teaching Scientific Illuminism and Magick. Many of these formal instructions were published during his lifetime in his Equinox periodical and elsewhere. Crowley believes that the Law of Thelema resolves all spiritual quandaries, harmonizes science and religion, and supersedes all historical dispensations, establishing a new cultural epoch for humanity, which he calls the New Aeon of Horus, the Crowned and Conquering Child. According to Crowley, the New Aeon will endure for at least several hundred years, possibly for as long as two thousand years.

During his lifetime Crowley succeeded in attracting a small following, mainly in Germany and America, of no more than one or perhaps two hundred souls (counting all those who adhered to Crowley at any time, for any length of time; a much smaller number remained faithful to Crowley at the end of his life). Crowley lost many followers due to his troublesome personality and libertine lifestyle, especially after he came to the attention of the British tabloid press following the First World War. After his death, Crowley left behind him a disorganized and demoralized O.T.O. movement which has since split up into several competing factions, notably the American Caliphate founded by McMurtry, the Swiss O.T.O. founded by Metzger, the English O.T.O. under the leadership of Kenneth Grant, and a Brazilian O.T.O. founded by Marcelo Ramos Motta. A very few members of the original A. ..A. .. also carried on the work in a very limited way, but the A. ..A. .. organization qua organization did not survive Crowley, at least not openly.

A larger number of revivals of the O.T.O., A. ..A. .., and other self-professed Thelemic groups, without any clear historical link to Crowley, with various, sometimes divergent points of view, have also come into existence since a revival of interest in Crowley's work associated with the counterculture revolution of the 1960s and 1970s. Today the Law of Thelema has attracted several thousand adherents worldwide, as well as a larger following of curiosity seekers, including several prominent rock stars. The Law of Thelema has a strong presence on the Internet, and many of Crowley's writings are available online. Crowley first editions are in demand, and fetch high prices in the rare book market.

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