- "This man, Aleister Crowley, has a – how shall I put it? – UNIQUE future ahead of him. He will become one of the most influential occultists of his time. "
- ―William Robert Woodman.[src]
Aleister Crowley (1875 – 1947) was an English ceremonial magician and novelist. As a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, he referred to himself as the Beast and became one of the most influential occultists of his time, eventually founding his own religion.
Biography[]
In 1898, [citation needed] Aleister Crowley was initiated into the Outer Order of the Golden Dawn. Within a short time, he sought entry into the Inner Order, believing that he had already proven his talents. When he met with Florence Farr at the Isis-Urania Temple in London, however, his demands were rejected on account of his capricious character. Farr's fears were reinforced by Crowley's violent outburst, nearly striking her with his fist before stifling it into a maddened laughter.[1]
Having failed with Farr, Crowley travelled to Paris to convince Samuel Liddell Mathers, the Imperator of the Order. His arrival at the sanctum of the Anathoor temple interrupted a chess game Mathers had been playing with the spirit of William Robert Woodman, a co-founder of the Order who Mathers had murdered in 1891. Although Woodman was normally invisible to humans, Crowley saw him the instant he entered the room. He kept this perception to himself, and the meeting proceeded as though Woodman was not present. Mathers needed little persuasion. At this stage, he had alienated many of the Hermeticists through his autocratic leadership, and he was keen on gaining new allies. Crowley was initiated as an Adeptus Minor of the Inner Order on the spot.[1]
Crowley kneeling for his initiation.
In Woodman's retelling of this event through the Animus, Crowley's initiation catalyzed a tremendous schism of the Order which, along with Mathers' pride, spelled the beginning of its end. Crowley would nonetheless go on to become one of the most notorious occultists of the era and even establish his own religion.[1]
Personality and traits[]
- "I have learned everything I could! I demand to be allowed into the Inner Order!"
- ―Aleister Crowley screaming at Florence Farr[src]
In his lifetime, Aleister Crowley was dubbed "the wickedest man in the world" by the media. His obsession for the occult led him to devour his studies with the Hermeticists voraciously, a passion fuelled by his ambitions to join the privileged ranks of the Inner Order. Crude and volatile, he did not care to contain his impatience, for within a few years of his initiation, he was already demanding his promotion from the Order of the Golden Dawn's leadership. William Woodman deemed him to be a "ticking time bomb", a sentiment echoed by many in the Order, who also perceived his thirst for power. His violent tantrum to Florence Farr's rejection on these grounds invoked "the Beast", an alias he prided in as though he was fond of indulging in his animalistic aggression.[1]
Crowley raging at Farr
Despite his arrogance, Crowley's rapid ascent among the Order was not wholly unfounded. Apart from Samuel Mathers and his wife, the Seeress Moina, he was the only one who could see the spirit of William Woodman—actually the consciousness of the Isu Consus—a feat which spoke to some veracity of his abilities. He claimed to have been the reincarnation of Rodrigo Borgia and Edward Kelley,[1] two individuals whose lives were also dominated by their obsession with the "magic" of Those Who Came Before.[2][3]
Appearances[]
- Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy
- Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (mentioned only)
References[]
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