Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley (1875–1947) was an English occultist who founded the religion of Thelema, centered on the principle "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law." He styled himself "the Great Beast 666" and cultivated notoriety through ceremonial magic, drugs, and sexual transgression.
His influence persists in modern occultism and popular culture: Crowley appears on the cover of Sgt. Pepper's.
The name sometimes serves as shorthand for theatrical Satanism or esoteric excess.
Occult arts, archaic spelling
- Golden DawnVictorian occult fraternity
- ThothEgyptian god of wisdom
- 93Integer past ninety-two
Ceremonial set of actions
- invocationCalling upon higher authority
- banishingForcing permanent departure
- pentagramFive-pointed mystical star
- sigilMagical or heraldic symbol
altar · robes · chalice · censer · talisman · amulet · conjuration · incantation
Esoteric Greco-Egyptian spiritual tradition
- KabbalahJewish esoteric tradition
- gnosticismPrivileging inner revelation
- tarotDivination card set
- alchemyMystical metal transformation
divination · Tree of Life · initiation · adept · secret doctrine · mysticism · esotericism · correspondences
Morally offensive or shocking
- controversialCausing public dispute
- provocativeMeant to provoke response
- transgressiveViolating accepted boundaries
- blasphemousDisrespectful toward the divine
debauched · tabloid · infamy · expelled · banned · drugs · libertine · shocking
Writer of verse
- writerCreator of texts
- ConfessionsTitled personal revelations
- 777Winning slot combination
- essaysShort nonfiction prose pieces
playwright · Cambridge · mountaineer · chess · painter · polymath
magick
Occult arts, archaic spelling
- Golden DawnVictorian occult fraternity
- ThothEgyptian god of wisdom
- 93Integer past ninety-two
ritual
Ceremonial set of actions
- invocationCalling upon higher authority
- banishingForcing permanent departure
- pentagramFive-pointed mystical star
sigil · altar · robes · chalice · censer · talisman · amulet · conjuration · incantation · elemental
Hermeticism
Esoteric Greco-Egyptian spiritual tradition
- KabbalahJewish esoteric tradition
- gnosticismPrivileging inner revelation
- tarotDivination card set
alchemy · divination · Tree of Life · initiation · adept · secret doctrine · mysticism · esotericism · correspondences · symbolism
scandalous
Morally offensive or shocking
- controversialCausing public dispute
- provocativeMeant to provoke response
- transgressiveViolating accepted boundaries
blasphemous · debauched · tabloid · infamy · expelled · banned · drugs · libertine · shocking · outrageous
poet
Writer of verse
- writerCreator of texts
- ConfessionsTitled personal revelations
- 777Winning slot combination
essays · playwright · Cambridge · mountaineer · chess · painter · polymath
Aleister CrowleyBilly Graham
American televangelist, presidential confidant
Aleister CrowleyMother Teresa
Canonized Albanian missionary
Mahatma Gandhi · Mr. Rogers · Albert Schweitzer · Dalai Lama · Jimmy Carter