I can’t really go on without first mentioning Edward Alexander Crowley [1875-1947], who was born in Leamington Spa into a wealthy Victorian family, and educated at Malvern and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he changed his name to Aleister.  He was without doubt an unashamed ridiculer of Christianity, as he often mocked the virtues of the religion.  Crowley was regarded by some as amusingly witty, but a bit glitzy and flash, though it must be said, he was an early champion to some, and advocate of the arts, drugs, sex, music and dance.  It’s also known he was a smack-head heroin addict, and loved a puff of the old wacky-backy. 

    No doubt he experimented with hallucinogenic drugs such as magic mushrooms and nutmeg, which is commonly termed today as a “Nutmeg High”, and still practised by some youngsters today.  Nutmeg was used in prisons by some inmates looking for a way to get high, though when I was last in one of those places, the kitchens kept it well under lock and key.  In fact you had to sign a poisons book if you were instructed to collected it and use it as a spice in certain recipes.  Crowley most probably also delved into mescaline, - which can be obtained from cactus, and also causes hallucinations.  In certain circles Crowley was viewed by some as a tantalising bizarre occult leader, perhaps because he was off his face half the time, - who was a visionary, a sexual adventurer and misogynist, - though a lover of women sexually. 

     Rumours and accusations abound saying Crowley was a paedophile, with a tendency towards young males as opposed to young girls, and even had incestuous relations with his own children.  Though I must admit I haven’t found evidence of this, other than accusations by people who can’t actually prove it, - though again it must also be said, how can you?  As what I’ve  realised whilst researching this Crowley business, - that it’s exactly that, - a business and a big one at that, - as there seems to be many sons of Aleister Crowley, or they either knew him, was a gay lover, was sexually abused by him, or bore his children, whilst some people are going as far to actually say they were, or are reincarnations of him, - whilst meanwhile, many a book has and still is being sold in the process, and on the back of his infamy.  Though nothing surprises me the depths of depravity certain people would go to whilst under the influence of drink and drugs, and then dabbling with the occult, and what I now know about what many people do actually get up to whilst practicing the occult, then it’s only fair to say, anything can and does happen in these circumstances.

     It’s been said Crowley was the inspiration for many an author such as W. Somerset Maugham, who dedicated a novel called; The Magician to him, because of his chilling figure of excessive indulgence and religious mockery, and not doubt because of the kind of garb he’d wear, - silk hooded gowns and wizard style hats etc.  His unconventional behaviour, attitudes and remarks is what seems to have earned him the title; enfant terrible - of the Edwardian avant-garde of London and Paris, - he was even branded in the press as: the Wickedest Man in the World, who sounds like he would have been right at home among those Eton-ion or Yale boys of the Bullingdon and Skull & Bones clubs. During WWI, he gradually moved around various arty-farty cultural exiled communities in New York, then among those termed the Lost Generation in Paris during the 1920’s, and onto the decadent quarters of Berlin in Christopher Isherwood’s Mr. Norris of the 1930’s.  It was said about Isherwood: There he fully indulged his taste for pretty youths.  He went to Berlin in search of boys and found one called Heinz, - who no doubt came in 57 other varieties -, who became his first great love.  It seems to be that whoever crossed paths with Crowley, turned out to be a memorable event, as already said, he quite often crops-up in many works of literature, or is mentioned in peoples memoirs, and in some cases record sleeve covers.  He became the basis for the fictional character and villain in fellow Freemason Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale.

     Though Crowley without doubt is best known today for being the author of many influential textbooks on the subject occultism, he is also acknowledged as being the first Englishman to establish a religion known as Thelema, which he founded in 1904, and who is regarded as its prophet.  Those who follow the path of Thelema are called Thelemites.  Its foundations are based on ancient Egyptian religious practices and beliefs, - and is today a recognised faith around the world, and predominately practiced by many other Freemason’s.  Students practice Crowley’s religious philosophy of Thelema [the Greek word for will.], in which Crowley summarised as: “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law”, and “Love is the law, love under will”, both quotations are from his; The Book of the Law. ^[2]  This book is the founding text of his religion of Thelema, and was allegedly dictated to Crowley in Egypt on the 8th, 9th and 10th of April 1904, when Crowley said he received a communication from a praetor-human [spiritual source] intelligence calling itself Aiwass or Aiwaz, pronounced; eye-was, as in; “eye-was walking down the road one day!”- I’m only joking, and hope you can forgive my triviality at times, as some of the subjects I’m covering, can be so out-there, and out of the realms of my normal thinking, I feel the need to pinch myself to help remind where I really am, - and perhaps more importantly where I really come from, i.e., an ordinary bloke, not normally into such deep subject matter. - Though I think it’s important for those who know nothing about Crowley and the occult in general, to know so, as it may help you understand perhaps why the occult is more widespread than you perhaps you might have thought it was.

     It's alleged, Aiwaz said to Crowley, that they were the minister of the Egyptian god Hoor-pa-Kraat, an aspect of the Egyptian Sun God Horus.  Aiwaz revealed that Crowley was to be the prophet of a new aeon or era for mankind: the Aeon of Horus.  Aiwaz proceeded to dictate to Crowley three chapters of a book later to be called The Book of the Law. - The book discloses the pattern of a coming age, a 2,000 year reign: A time of great force, fire and blood.  A period of unparalleled freedoms and rampant chaos, - a time not unlike our present age!  Ra-Hoor-Khuit or Ra-Hoor-Khut ^[3] is the speaker in the third chapter and states; - “Now let it be first understood that I am a god of ‘War and of Vengeance’. - I am the warrior Lord of the Forties: the Eighties cower before me, & are abased. I will bring you to victory & joy: I will be at your arms in battle & ye shall delight to slay.  Success is your proof; courage is your armour; go on, go on, in my strength; & ye shall turn not back for any! - Fear not at all; fear neither men nor fates, nor gods, nor anything. - Money fear not, nor laughter of the folk folly, nor any other power in heaven or upon the earth or under the earth.  Nu is your refuge as Hadit your light; and I am the strength, force, vigour, of your arms. - There is no law beyond Do what thou wilt”. - Within Thelema, Ra-Hoor-Khuit is called the Lord of the Aeon - time.

 Extract from Trapped in a Masonic World - http://www.trappedinamasonicworld.co.uk

[1]"VampireFreaks.com Cult: Duty_of_Thelema." a href="http://vampirefreaks.com/cult/Duty_of_Thelema%3E">http://vampirefreaks.com/cult/Duty_of_Thelema>;.

[2] "S Y N T H E S I S - Crowley, Sumeria and the Fallen Angels." a href="http://www.rosenoire.org/articles/fallen_angels.php%3E">http://www.rosenoire.org/articles/fallen_angels.php>;.

[3] "Heru-ra-ha - a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search?search=Heru-ra-ha%3E">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search?search=Heru-ra-ha>;.