Biography of the Master of the Occult Aleister Crowley Part 2

About the master of the occult Aleister Crowley follower of first mysticism then the black arts, his biography and history.

ALEISTER CROWLEY (1875-1947). Occultist.

In 1923, the dictator Mussolini ordered Crowley expelled from Sicily. "This was a stab in the back indeed. Was his life's work ruined? He must consult the Yi King. What course should he adopt? . . . The Chinese sticks were laid out on the table. What was the general symbol for the present situation? Hexagram XLVII. Constraint. And what was the best course of action to adopt? Prepare to move. Be steady. Prepare to reconstruct. Seek relief from friends. Accept substantial assistance. Turn the situation to advantage by increasing sympathizers. "There should be an unexpectedly large number of such ready to help us."

"Should they make a direct protest to the Minister of the Interior? If so, what should they say? The Chinese oracle was unfailing. Thwan. Yes. They should state their case systematically. Press the matter. Beware of divided counsels. Retire in order to advance. Refute all falsehoods about themselves. Make it clear that they represent a widespread and important movement.

"Should they make an appeal to their national Ambassadors in Rome? Yes, but don't expect much result.

"Meanwhile where should The Beast go? The Oracle told him to cross the water. Africa would be very favorable. What part of Africa? The coast or some well-watered spot, but isolated, difficult of access, and where there is indifference to public affairs."

And so, following the advice of his Yi King, Crowley moved to a suburb of Tunis.

But Crowley was far more than a writer and a delver into the I-Ching.

He was also, incredibly, a mountaineer. He climbed Mount Popocatapetl in Mexico, and made the 1st assault on K2 in the Himalayas, reaching the 20,000' level. In 1905, he was a leader of the expedition that tried to climb Kanchenjunga in Tibet, an effort that ended in the death of 5 men. Crowley was forever traveling. At 30, he went from India to Burma, and then hiked through a great part of China. Later, he turned up in Greenwich Village to paint dwarfs, tattooed ladies, and black women, and to lecture in New York.

He hated Christianity, and founded his own religion. He believed in "the worship of the sun and of man's organ of creation, and of sexual union as the highest form of religious &M secration." He founded the Abbey of Thelema in Sicily, and with his women and followers practiced pagan and sexual rites. In Italy and France, he performed black magic masses and conducted sexual orgies, and for this activity he was expelled from both countries.

His followers considered him the Messiah. Crowley's creed expounded the following commandments: "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law. . . . Every man and every woman is a star. . . . The only sin is restriction."

Crowley was into drugs, ultimately on heroin. His 1st 2 wives wound up in insane asylums. Of his dozens of mistresses, 5 committed suicide. The British press reviled him as "The Beast" and "The Wickedest Man in the World!" His admirers worshiped him as a mystical genius. He died on December 1, 1947, at the age of 74, in Brighton, England, where he was cremated.

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