Aleister Crowley: Mystic or charlatan?
Aleister Crowley: Mystic or charlatan? If Crowley’s displays of conviction are anything to go by – he was leading spiritual light. He would of course mockingly step aside and could not resist poking fun at those in authority. He sent a poem to a church led collection of poetry, the lyrics much admired until the clerics realised that if you read the first letter of the first word reading vertically down the page – it spelled ‘FUCK OFF’. On the other hand, one of Crowley’s poems is in the Oxford Book of Mystical Verse.
Crowley wanted to have a contested view of himself. As the Joker, he loved the attention it gave.
Seeing through that – the leading Portuguese poet of the day - Fernando Pessoa – was significantly influenced by Crowley. This is an endorsement not to be ignored.
Reading Magick Theory and Practice repays the effort. But you can never quite tell when he is the Joker, so you should be wary. But when you read his poetry, there you find Crowley in all of his aspects.
Let Paul Newman be your guide in his