Aleister Crowley Research Paper

By Gavin Partida

Since the dawn of humanity, we have always wondered where we came from. We began to develop systems of theories to attempt to answer these “unanswerable” questions of life. Not only did our ancestors try to answer these questions, they also came up with a set of rules and values within the systems. These systems are known as religions. Billions of people are affiliated with some sort of religion, and most of these religions have existed for thousands of years. New religions are constantly forming, but there seems to be a problem with these newer religions. People view these systems not as religions, but as “cults.” Cults usually have negative connotations and are frowned upon, yet there is no fundamental difference between a  religion and a cult. They are both systems of beliefs and values centered around a deity or deities. Cults have done much to earn their negative reputation, but that does not necessarily mean that all cults are negative. Most people’s perception of cults are dominated by “superstars” of the occult, such as Jim Jones, Charles Manson, and Marshall Applewhite. However, if we look deeper into cults, we can see that religions and cults are essentially the same things and that not every cult should be labeled as negative and even sinister. This can best be shown by looking at the system of faith known as Thelema.

Thelema’s negative attention stems mostly from it’s founder, Aleister Crowley. Crowley was an interesting character, to say the least and was aptly nicknamed “The Wickedest Man in the World”. Crowley was a man ahead of his time, and was not afraid to challenge the traditional and strict societal standards of England at the turn of the century. “Crowley was also a bisexual, a recreational drug experimenter and social critic. In many of these roles he ‘was in revolt against the moral and religious values of his time”(“Aleister Crowley - Crystalinks.”).  As he grew older, he became a prominent figure in the community of occults when he joined The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The Golden Dawn was an extremely prominent cult that practiced magic and rituals. This was Crowley’s first taste of the supernatural and would eventually lead him to found his own sets of faiths and ideals. He was most famous for his founding of Thelema, which was founded in only three nights while on his honeymoon in Cairo with his new wife in 1904. His wife allegedly became possessed by some sort of angel known as Aiwass and Crowley wrote down what she said. He began to preach the scripture Aiwass dictated to him and thus, Thelema was born.

When we look at other systems of beliefs that are more widely accepted and respected, we find many differences, but also many similarities. Take Christianity, for instance. Both Christianity’s and Thelema’s system of ideals are found in scriptures that were written after the authors came in contact with a higher power. The Bible was written by prophets who came into contact with God, and the disciples of Jesus, God’s son. The Book of the Law was written by Aleister Crowley, after coming into contact with the angel Aiwass. “Behold! It is revealed by Aiwass the minister of Hoor-paar-kraat (Crowley, Aleister).” This basically means that Aiwass is the minister, or representative, of Hoor-paar-kraat, or a rendition of the Egyptian god, Horus. This is easily paralleled when looking at the Bible’s mentions of angels.  “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”(Bible). Both of these quotes mention “ministers” of a higher power. When you look at the dogma of each religion and cult, there really is no fundamental difference. The differences come with the deities, scriptures, and most importantly, values. Thelema’s main values consist of Free Will, whereas Christianity’s main values come in the Ten Commandments. Cults and religions have no real fundamental differences, they only major difference is the societal view upon the belief.

Thelema differs from other cults in it’s individual based ideals.When the word “cult” comes up in a conversation, it is usually followed by mentions of Charles Manson, Heavens Gate, and Jim Jones. All of these cults resulted in murders or suicides. Jim Jones and the Jonestown massacre, for instance. Jim Jones gained a huge following in the US in the church he founded known as the People’s Temple, but because of his egomaniacal intentions, received a lot of negative attention. Jones compared himself to Jesus Christ, saying that he was his people’s savior. Jones, along with a large group of followers, relocated to the jungles of Guyana, where he promised the formation of a “utopian society.” It was here where the massacre occurred. “The same day as the murders at the airstrip, Jones told his followers that soldiers would come for them and torture them. He ordered everyone to gather in the main pavilion and commit what he termed a ‘revolutionary act.’ (History.com Staff).” This so called “revolutionary act” was convincing his followers to drink cyanide laced kool-aid. It is completely understandable, after hearing about horrible incidents such as this one, as to why most people would be hesitant to look deeper into a system of faith that has been labeled as a “cult.” However, Thelema completely surpasses the People’s Temple in any spiritual value. The People’s Temple, Manson Family, and other cults were the products of the twisted visions of sick and egotistical men, who desired to be worshiped as Gods, where Thelema was founded as a way for the spiritually oppressed to express themselves and live their lives to satisfy their own Free Will.

The main set of values behind Thelema comes from the scripture Crowley wrote from Aiwass’s possession. He named this scripture Liber Al Vel Legis Sub Figura CCXX As Delivered by XCIII= 418 to DCLXVI, but the name was soon simplified to The Book of the Law. The main rule behind Thelema is summed up in one sentence from the scripture: “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law” (Crowley). This means that everyone is entitled to their own destiny and purpose, and should only make decisions and aspire to fulfil this purpose. According to Thelema, instead of living to make, money, friends, or gain power, one should live to fulfil their “True Will,” or what they truly desire to live for, regardless of anything else. Another main concept behind Thelema is love. “Come forth, o children, under the stars, and take your fill of love!(Crowley, Aleister).” Aleister Crowley was a firm believer in free love, and the expression of such. The Book of the Law preaches for everyone to live their lives based off of these two principles, and puts them at the most important priorities in one’s life. Thelema focuses more on an individual's true desires, rather than the benefit of the faith. Although Thelema is an extremely positive faith, it is still considered by many to be a cult rather than a religion. This is caused by the anti societal nature of Thelema. Society places immense value on monetary earnings, physical appearance, and power, the very things that Thelema denounces. Society also pushes people to work towards benefitting itself, rather than the individual, another thing that Thelema denounces. Society tends to push out, or alienate beliefs such as Thelema, resulting in Thelema’s cult labeling.

Thelema has stood the test of time and still remains to be a very prominent faith today, despite the cult labeling. Aleister Crowley, like most people who were ahead of their time, was harshly criticized and berated for his anti societal views and values. Although he was deemed as “the wickedest man in the world” and did seem a bit eccentric, he preached the ideas of Free Will, Free Love, gender equality, and many other things that we view in such high regard in  today’s society. Thelema was his medium for his vision. Thelema was found on interesting grounds to say the least, but it certainly does not deserve to be discredited any more than any prominent religion. Religions and cults differ in the details and societal views, but their fundamental structures are essentially the same. Thelema and Aleister Crowley have been given bad wraps because of the other members of the occultist community. Cults and religions have been clashing since the very moment humans began creating systems of faith, but at the end of it all, they both attempt to answer the same “unanswerable” questions that have been stuck in humanities mind for millions of years.