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 He was born Edward Alexander Crowley on 12th October 1875 in Warwickshire, he was a British occultist, writer, philosopher, and mystic. He gained much notoriety during his lifetime, and was infamously dubbed "The Wickedest Man in the World."Crowley's had many other interests, he was a chess player, mountain climber, poet, painter, astrologer, hedonist, drug experimenter, and a social critic.
Both of his parents Edward and Emily were Exclusive Brethren, a radical wing of the Plymouth BrethrenCrowley grew up in strict religious household and was only allowed to play with children whose families followed the same faith. His father was a fanatical preacher; he travelled around Britain giving out leaflets. He also did daily Bible studies and private tutoring were a regular occurrence in "Alick's" childhood. After the death of his sister, Grace Mary Elizabeth, who only lived for five hours. Crowley was taken to see the body, this incident made an impression on him. He did not see why he should be there. The child was dead and it was none of his business. This attitude stayed with him. The only funeral he attended was his fathers, which he did not mind doing, as he felt himself to be the real centre of interest. After the death of his father in 1887, he drifted from his religion despite his mother's efforts at keeping him in the Christian faith. When he was a child, his constant rebellious behaviour displeased his mother to so much she would chastise him by calling him "The Beast". He objected to this as it was being sinful was what he saw as life's most worthwhile and enjoyable.
In 1895, he went to Trinity College, Cambridge, after approval from his tutor, he switched from to English literature,] His three years at Cambridge were happy ones, due in part to coming into a large inheritance left by his father. Here he finally broke with religion, by not attending chapel which was then compulsory.
In December of 1896, Crowley decided to pursue occultism and mysticism and began to read books by alchemists, mystics and magic. During the year of 1897, he began to see worldly pursuits as useless. A year later, he published his first book of poetry Aceldama, and left college, he met Julian L. Baker who introduced him to Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
He decided to change his name because he hated being called Alick, partly because he did not like the sound and sight of the word, partly because it was what his mother had chosen to call him and Alexander was too long. He chose Aleister which was a Gaelic form of Alexander. The spelling A-L-E-I-S-T-E-R was said to by his Cousin Gregor, to be correct.
Involved in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, he first studied mysticism with William Butler Yeats and Arthur Edward Waite. His friend Allan Bennett, introduced him to Buddhism, while Samuel who was acting leader of the Golden Dawn organization, acted as his mentor in western magic he would later become ene,ies with Samual. This was due to several decades after Crowley's participation in the Golden Dawn, Mathers claimed copyright protection over a ritual and sued Crowley for infringement after Crowley's performed the display in public. During the trail both Samuel and Aleister claimed to have armies of demons and angels to help them with their case. They both also carried complex Seal of Solomon amulets and talismans. He did not part with Mathers until 1904, Crowley lost faith in this teacher's abilities soon after the 1900 schism in the Golden Dawn.
In 1903 he married Rose Edith Kelly. Whilst on holiday in 1904, in Cairo,an event led to his founding of the religion known as Thelema. Rose and Aleister had a daughter, in July of 1904, Crowley named her Nicole Ma Ahathoor Hecate Sappho Jezebel Lilith Crowley, Unfortunately she died in 1906, They had another daughter, Lola Zaza, in later that year, and Crowley devised a ritual of thanksgiving for her birth. Aleister and Rose divorced in 1909.
Crowley was notorious during his lifetime, he was frequently attacked in the tabloid press, which labelled him "The Wickedest Man in the World" much to his amusement. After founded an organization which was based on his personal philosophies, the Abbey of Thelema, he was expelled from Italy. One of his main faults was his inability to understand that others were not as educated as he was. It was always clear, that he delighted in scaring those who did not understand him.
In 1907, Crowley's interest was re ignited by two events. The first was the creation of the Silver Star and the second was the composition of the Holy books of Thelema. In 1910, Crowley performed with members of the A∴A∴ his series of dramatic rites, the Rites of Eleusis. Along with Leah Hirsig, Crowley in 1920 founded the Abbey of Thelema in Cefalù, Sicily.The school was given the designation "Collegium ad Spiritum Sanctum", The College of the Holy Spirit. The general programme followed the A∴A∴ course of training, daily classes included a study of Crowley's writings, regular yogic and ritual practices (these were recorded), and domestic labour. Mussolini's Fascist government expelled Crowley from the country at the end of April 1923.
In 1924, Crowley visited Gurdjieff's Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man. He called the fouder Gurdjieff a "tip-top man" in his diary, even though they did not meet. But privately he criticized some of the practices and teachings, but doubted the disciple Pindar about what he said about Gurdjieff. Some say that he did later meet Gurdjieff -who firmly repudiated Crowley, but there was no mention of a confrontation.
Crowley married Maria de Miramar on August 16 1929, while he was in Leipzig. Though they never divorced, they separated by 1930
After losing a court case in 1934, Crowley was declared bankrupt after trying to sue the artist Nina Hamnett for calling him a black magician in her 1932 book, Laughing Torso. On the day of the verdict Patricia "Deirdre" MacAlpine approached Crowley and offered to bear him a child, this they did and he named the boy Aleister Ataturk. She sought no role in Crowley's life and rarely saw him after the birth, "this is what suited them both.
Crowley often used drugs and kept record of his experiences with laudanum, opium, cocaine, hashish, alcohol, ether, mescaline and heroin. While in Paris during the 1920s, Crowley experimented with Anhalonium lewinii (scientific name for the obsolete mescaline-bearing cactus peyote). He developed his drug addiction after a doctor prescribed heroin for his asthma and bronchitis.
He was also known for his racist remarks against many people from different backgrounds to him and for being sexist; he always believed women were secondary to men.
Aleister Crowley died in Hastings on 1 December 1947 at the age of 72 from a respiratory infection. After being prescribed morphine for his asthma and bronchitis many years prior, He had become addicted to heroin. He and his last doctor died within twenty-four hours of each other; newspapers would claim that Crowley had put a curse on him after he refused to continue his opiate prescription. There were many different accounts to his last moments but the one that is thought to be true by his biographer Gerald Suster which he received from a "Mr W.H." a worker at the house, Crowley died after pacing about his living-room. But this as always been disputed by Patricia "Deirdre" MacAlpine, who visited Crowley with their son who said Crowley remained bedridden for the last few days of his life, but was in good spirits and conversational.
Some of his most influential books include:
The Book of the Law
Magick (Book 4)
The Book of Lies
The Vision and the Voice
777 and other Qabalistic writings
The Confessions of Aleister Crowley
Magick Without Tears
Little Essays Toward Truth
The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King (translation of original text)
The General Principles of Astrology (with Evangeline Adams, Hymenaeus Beta, and others)
Crowley also wrote fiction, including plays and later novels, most would not be easily recognised outside occult circles
Moonchild
The Scrutinies of Simon Iff
Golden Twigs
Diary of a Drug Fiend
The Fish (unfinished)
Simon Iff Abroad (unpublished)
Simon Iff in America (unpublished)
Simon Iff, Psychoanalyst (unpublished)
The Stratagem and other Stories
The Testament of Magdalen Blair
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