In Defense of the Great Beast; Aleister Crowley

"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, love under will."

I grew up around Christians that completely opposed anything not doctrinal Jesus. In addition, I had a passion to study every metaphysical topic I could come across beginning from my earliest memory. Nonetheless, astrology, tarot, anything occult held a sense of "evil" because of my Christian education. But, not being satisfied with doctrinal Christianity, and actually ending up despising the followers, gave me emotional permission to proceed where others dare not.  

​Aside from typical religious doctrine, it was Paramahansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi and Black Elk Speaks that opened my door to real mysticism. I knew then that spirituality was meant to be experienced, not just a belief a system. However, it was finding the works of Aleister Crowley around my mid-Catholic High School years (around 2001), that really opened the floodgates.

To begin with, and even his students would agree, Crowley was a pompous asshole. He wanted attention and his arrogance was shown in every which way possible. Ethnically Indian, Crowley would study esoteric works of the East, and on the same coin, talk significant shit about "Hindoos" for not being able to recognize the import of their own philosophies. Given the significance of Crowley's work, I simply ignored his melodramatic personality to pierce into deeper wisdom. One that I recognize now as a blend of esoteric Hermetic (Egyptian), Qabalist (Jewish), and Eastern mysticism. It is only in studying these different topics does Crowley's work begin to make sense, where he is known to write in a sexually-poetic cryptic fashion. Nonetheless, I too recently have felt the qualms that Crowley has felt when looking at the masses and thinking, "if you only understood the symbolism behind your rituals". 

Like most self-proclaimed satanists, these occultists are really just Anti-Doctrinal Christianity as opposed to pro-evil or pro-satan. Crowley got fed up with the blind-faith and hypocritical conduct of his fellow Christians to the point where he needed to follow his own path, which included destroying his prior path of Christianity. In addition, there is the recognition that most forms of Christianity are simply Constantine's  attempt to save the Roman empire from being overtaken by "occult" Christian groups (Cathars/Gnostics), hence, the Roman Catholic Church.(Do you think Pontius Pilate really washed his hands, or is that what the Romans, I mean Catholics told us?). Nonetheless, in his seeking and public persona, he frightened people as evidenced by numerous news publications. Those without eyes to see or ears to hear, of course, quickly dismissed him as "evil". 

Now, I'm not defending Crowley's conduct. He may have committed heinous acts that I cannot presently understand or accept, and many stories may be false, but I hold high respect for any individual who goes against the collective-norm in search of Truth. Unlike many individuals that I've found in my pursuit, who seem to learn very little but act like a master, Crowley dived into it all and let the world know that "there are more things in heaven and earth, than are dreamt of in our philosophies". Yes he wanted to keep inflating his ego, but by far, Crowley was a sincere seeker of wisdom as shown through his efforts and encrypted in his writings. In contrast, I feel that sincerity among spiritual adepts is hard to find, where ego/power is what is sought after, not wisdom.

As an example, Crowley's axiom, his mission statement, is often quoted as a reason to commit evil. The statement being "Do What Thou Will Shall Be The Whole Of The Law", is a derivative of other esoteric sources and is continued in other esoteric traditions. However, the masses believe Crowley's statement to mean essentially "you can do anything you want; anything goes". Hence, Crowley is often depicted as a de-moralist and a threat to religious/political order. Nonetheless, those within the esoteric understand the importance of the concept of "Will", which is only discovered after communion with the Holy Guardian Angel. The "Will" is basically divine will, or the divine masculine counter-part to the divine feminine. Therefore, it's not doing what you want, it's following a higher order, the Higher Self. 

In a spiritual secret society, the primary relationship one is forming is with one's own Higher Self. -James Wasserman, The Mystery Traditions

Crowley's axiom is often stated with that one line shown in the preceding paragraph. However, that statement is really two lines, which the anti-Occultists completely ignore. The second line is "Love Is The Law Love Under Will". Another words, Love and Will are intertwined. If one is acting (will) completely out of love, then where does evil fit? Crowley's axiom is essentially the meeting of the divine masculine (Will) with the divine feminine (Love), recognized by those with eyes to see and ears to hear. 

To conclude, I don't accept everything Crowley says and does, and only take what resonates with me. However, I find that as I age in growth, Crowley makes even more sense. I now attempt to look beyond a "teachers" ego-identity and look at the information, for the information is the real Gu-Ru (the destroyer of Ignorance) not the individual ego-identity vehicle giving the information that we often end up praising. I take what resonates and leave what doesn't. With Crowley, he's been a big aspect of my own growth and I have to recognize the catalyst he has been for my own spirituality. Needless to say, spending a few hours with the works of Crowley has been more enlightening and satisfying than thirteen (13) years (including Kindergarten) of Christian education, which I found the followers to be just as pompous and arrogant as Crowley, but simple-minded. Nonetheless, I know my path. Like Crowley, I am here to seek wisdom (Sophia), not follow blind-faith.