Aleister Crowley

The Works of Aleister Crowley Vol. 3

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

This book contains early works written by Crowley between 1904-1907 and is Volume Three of a three-volume set. His earliest works, written between 1887-1897, were almost entirely destroyed by authorities due to their offensive nature. In writing the material that appears in this set of books, Crowley toned things down and moved away from the more graphic sexual themes he had been primarily focused on. He concentrates mainly on mystical poetry in this volume, along with an Epilogue containing a scathing indictment of religion. In total we have five poetry sections, two plays and the final essay called Eleusis in the Epilogue and Dedication to all three volumes. Two Appendices close out the work with Notes and an Index to all three volumes. This third volume contains a more flamboyant tone, which carried over into his next great achievement, The Equinox. Almost half this volume contains the poem Orpheus: A Lyrical Legend, which glorifies mythical characters with complex rhyming schemes that mirror his later incantations to various gods. The more one understands Crowley's magickal terms, the more will be gained from the poetry found here.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Book Tree
• Seitenzahl: 260
• Erscheinungstermin: 7. April 2012
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 229mm x 152mm x 16mm
• Gewicht: 427g
• ISBN-13: 9781585093526
• ISBN-10: 1585093521
• Artikelnr.: 35533386

Autorenporträt

Aleister Crowley was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the prophet entrusted with guiding humanity into the Æon of Horus in the early 20th century. Born to a wealthy Plymouth Brethren family in Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, Crowley rejected this fundamentalist Christian faith to pursue an interest in Western esotericism. He was educated at the University of Cambridge, where he focused his attentions on mountaineering and poetry, resulting in several publications. In 1898 he joined the esoteric Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, where he was trained in ceremonial magic by Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers and Allan Bennett. Moving to Boleskine House by Loch Ness in Scotland, he went mountaineering in Mexico with Oscar Eckenstein, before studying Hindu and Buddhist practices in India. He married Rose Edith Kelly and in 1904 they honeymooned in Cairo, Egypt, where Crowley claimed to have been contacted by a supernatural entity named Aiwass, who provided him with The Book of the Law, a sacred text that served as the basis for Thelema. Announcing the start of the Æon of Horus, The Book declared that its followers should adhere to the code of "Do what thou wilt" and seek to align themselves with their Will through the practice of magick. After an unsuccessful attempt to climb Kanchenjunga and a visit to India and China, Crowley returned to Britain, where he attracted attention as a prolific author of poetry, novels, and occult literature. In 1907, he and George Cecil Jones co-founded a Thelemite order, the A¿A¿, through which they propagated the religion. After spending time in Algeria, in 1912 he was initiated into another esoteric order, the German-based Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), rising to become the leader of its British branch, which he reformulated in accordance with his Thelemite beliefs. In 1920 he established the Abbey of Thelema, a religious commune in Cefalù, Sicily where he lived with various followers. His libertine lifestyle led to denunciations in the British press, and the Italian government evicted him in 1923. He divided the following two decades between France, Germany, and England, and continued to promote Thelema until his death.