He was banned from Italy by Benito Mussolini, labeled the “Wickedest Man In The World” by the press, and adorned the cover of a famous Beatles album. Born into strict Christianity, he grew up to build his own religion based on sex, drugs, and the occult. From the snowy peaks of K2 to a mysterious temple in Sicily, his life was a whirlwind of controversy, scandal, and extreme behavior. This is the true story of Aleister Crowley.
Rejecting Religion for the Occult
Edward Alexander Crowley was born on October 12, 1875, into a wealthy family of devout Christians. Following the death of his evangelist father when Crowley was 11, he abandoned the religion entirely. He began smoking, visiting prostitutes, and arguing against biblical teachings, earning the nickname “the Beast” from his own mother.
In 1895, at age 20, he legally changed his first name to Aleister and enrolled at Cambridge University. Three years later, he joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a group dedicated to studying the paranormal. Crowley hired a senior member to tutor him in ceremonial magic and ritualistic drug use. However, the group’s upper leadership refused his advancement because of his libertine lifestyle and bisexuality.
Mountaineering and a New Religion
Leaving Europe, Crowley traveled to Mexico, Japan, Hong Kong, Ceylon, and India. He practiced Hindu meditation and accompanied a 1902 expedition attempting to climb the K2 mountain. Later that year, he moved to Paris and married Rose Kelly. In 1904, Rose informed him that the Egyptian god Horus was waiting for him.
Through meditation, Crowley heard a messenger named Aiwass. He transcribed these messages into The Book of the Law, establishing a new religion called Thelema. Its core teaching was “Do what thou wilt”. In 1907, he founded a new occult order named the A∴A∴.
Exile From Mussolini’s Italy
Crowley’s personal life deteriorated as his daughter Lilith died of typhoid in 1906 and he divorced Rose in 1909. He drifted between cities during World War I, continuously publishing occult literature. By 1920, Crowley established the Abbey of Thelema in Sicily to serve as his headquarters. There, he and his followers engaged in drug use and bizarre rituals. In 1923, an Englishman died at the Abbey under mysterious circumstances. Mussolini’s government responded by banning Crowley from Italy, forcing the headquarters to shut down.
Final Years and Pop Culture Impact
Crowley remarried in the late 1920s to Maria Teresa Sanchez. During World War II, he offered his services to the Naval Intelligence Division, but he was turned down. On December 1, 1947, Crowley died of chronic bronchitis at age 72. His funeral, attended by a few friends, was dubbed the “Black Mass”. After his death, his motto appeared on Led Zeppelin’s third album, David Bowie referenced him in a song, and Ozzy Osbourne wrote “Mr. Crowley” about him.