Aleister Crowley: Biography

1875
  • Born at Leamington Spa at 36 Clarendon Square, Warwickshire on 12 October. Parents members of The Plymouth Brethren, a fanatical Christian sect.
  • Mother: Emily Bertha
    Father: Edward Crowley
    		•
    1887
  • His father, Edward Crowley, dies.
    		•
    1895
  • Matriculation at Trinity College, Cambridge.
    		•
    1896
  • First mystical experience on a visit to Stockholm. He writes;"I was awakened to the knowledge that I posessed a magical means of becoming conscious of and satisfying a part of my nature which had up to that moment concealed itself from me. It was an experience of horror and pain, combined with a certain ghostly terror, yet at the same time it was the key to the purest and holiest spiritual ecstasy that exists".
    		•
    1898
  • His first published poem, Aceldama.
  • Meets Gerald Kelly.
  • Leaves Cambridge.
  • Writes White Stains.
  • Meets George Cecil Jones and is initiated into the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
  • Adopting the magical name Frater 'Perdurabo', Latin for "I Will Endure", 
    		•
    1899
  • Meets Allan Bennet of the mentioned Order, and becomes his chela.
  • Meets Mathers, the Chief of the Order.
  • Buys Boleskine House on the Shores of Loch Ness in Scotland.
  • Performs Abra-Melin Operation.
    		•
    1900
  • Conflicts and schisms in the Order.
  • Mathers initiates Crowley into Adeptship in Paris.
  • Crowley is expelled from the Golden Dawn (due to the efforts of William Butler Yeats)
    		•
    1900
  • He leaves for Mexico.
    		•
    1901
  • In Mexico, he writes Tannhauser and Alice: An Adultery, becomes a 33* Mason , continues scrying experiments, tries Enochian magic, devises a Ritual of Self- Initiation, and claim the grade of Adeptus Major.
    		•
    1902
  • Leaves for Ceylon and practises Yoga under Allan Bennet, who had become a Buddhist Monk. Dhyana.
    		•
    1901 - 1902
  • Wanderings in India
    		•
    1902
  • Visits Bennet in Burma.
  • Leaves for Paris. In Paris meets Sommerset Maugham who mocks him in the character of Oliver Haddo in one of his earliest novels, The Magician.
  • Collaborates with Auguste Rodin, and produces Rodin in Rime.
    		•
    1903
  • Returns to Boleskine.
  • Completes Snowdrops from a Curate's Garden.
  • Establishes his publishing house the Society for the Propagation of Religious Truth.
  • Marries Rose Kelly, the sister of Gerald Kelly.
    		•
    1903 - 1904
  • Honeymoon travels to Paris, Naples, Cairo and India; return to Cairo.
  • Completes The Sword of Song, The Argonauts, The Book of the Goetia of Solomon the King.
    		•
    1904    8 - 10 April
  • The Book of the Law dictated to Crowley by Aiwass
    		•
    1905 - 1907
  • The Collected Works of Aleister Crowley published.
  • Completes Oracles and Orpheus.
    		•
    1906
  • Travels through Southern China.
  • Completes Gargoyles.
  • Augoeides Invocations.
  • Attains Nirvikalpa Samadhi and completes Abra-Melin Operation.
  • Writes 777.
  • Acknowledged a Master by George Cecil Jones.
    		•
    1907
  • Reception of The Holy Books commences.
  • Completes Konx Om Pax.
  • A.'.A.'. (Astrum Argentium or Silver Star) founded.
  • Meets and becomes friend with Captain J.F.C. Fuller
  • Visits Marocco.
    		•
    1908
  • Walks across Spain and Marocco with Vicor Neuburg, the poet.
  • Performs 'John St. John' Operation in Paris.
    		•
    1909 - 1913
  • Publishes the first ten numbers of The Equinox.
    		•
    1909
  • The A.'.A.'. opened to new members.
  • Divorces Rose Kelly.
  • The Vision and the Voice received in Sahara with Neuburg.
  • Crowley accepts the grade of Master of the Temple.
    		•
    1910
  • Meets Leila Waddell
  • The Rites of Eleusis performed at Caxton Hall.
    		•
    1911
  • Jones, Fuller and others break with Crowley.
  • Another visit to Sahara with Neuburg.
  • Meets Mary d'Este Sturges.
  • Abuldiz Working.
    		•
    1912
  • Book Four published as result of that Working.
  • Theodor Reuss initiates Crowley into the Ordo Templi Orientis, and appoints him head of the British Branch, the M.M.M (Mysteria Mystica Maxima).
    		•
    1913
  • Visit to Moscow with the 'Ragged Rag-Time Girls'. Writes The Gnostic Mass there.
  • The Book of Lies published.
    		•
    1914
  • The Paris Working with Neuburg.
  • October 1914: Move to New York.
    		•
    1915
  • Work on Astrology with Evangeline Adams.
  • Work with Charles Stansfield Jones ,Frater Achad,in Vancouver.
  • Claims the Grade of Magus, Prophet of the New Aeon.
    		•
    1916
  • Magical Retirement in New Hampshire.
    		•
    1917
  • Becomes editor of The International.
  • Takes up painting.
  • In May of 1917, Crowley's Lodge in England was raided and closed down by the police, allegedly over charges of "fortune telling" against one of the members. However, Crowley's work for Viereck's anti-British publication The Fatherland may have caused the authorities to suspect Crowley's Lodge of unpatriotic activities. All Lodge records were seized. Crowley was forced to temporarily resign the Grand Mastership in favor of C.S. Jones to ease the situation for the remaining members. The Lodge was never completely restored. 
    		•
    1918
  • Liber Aleph completed.
  • Amalantrah Working with Roddie Minor.
  • Magical Retirement on Oesopus Island.
  • Publishes his version of Tao Teh King.
  • Meets Leah Hirsig (the Scarlet Woman).
    		•
    1919
  • The Blue Equinox (The Equinox, VolumeIII,No.1) is published.
  • December: Return to England with Leah.
    		•
    1920
  • Abbey of Thelema founded in Cefalu, Sicily. Visits from Jane Wolfe, Frank Bennet, C.F. Russel, Raoul Loveday and his wife Betty May.
    		•
    1921
  • Claims the Supreme Grade of Ipsissimus.
    		•
    1922
  • Publication of Diary of a Drug Fiend.
  • New campaign of newspaper assaults on Crowley.
    		•
    1923
  • Crowley expelled from Sicily by Mussolini.
  • Crowley leaves for Tunis and completes The Confessions.
    		•
    1924
  • 'The Supreme Ordeal' of the Ipsissimus Grade in Paris.
    		•
    1925
  • Invited by Heinrich Tränker to Thuringen in Germany to become International Head of the OTO.
    		•
    1926 - 1928
  • Travels in France, Germany and North Africa.
    		•
    1928
  • Israel Regardie joins Crowley and becomes his secretary.
    		•
    1929
  • Crowley expelled from France.
  • Magick in Theory and Practise published.
  • Crowley marries Maria de Miramar in Germany.
    		•
    1930
  • First two volumes of The Confessions published.
    		•
    1930 - 1936
  • Is visited and supported financially by Karl Germer who to succeed Crowley as OHO of the O.T.O.
    		•
    1930 - 1934
  • Wanderings in Germany and Portugal.
    		•
    1932
  • Crowley and Regardie part company.
    		•
    1934
  • Crowley loses libel suit against Nina Hamnett over the book
    		•
    1935
  • Crowley made bankrupt.
    		•
    1936 - 1938
  • Visits to Germany. Meets Aldous Huxley.
    		•
    1937
  • Publication of The Equinox of the Gods.
    		•
    1938
  • Eight Lectures on Yoga.
    		•
    1940 - 1945
  • Is visited by Grady Louis MacMurtry on a regular basis. McMurtry is later to succeed Germer as OHO of the O.T.O.
    		•
    1944
  • Publication of The Book of Thoth with Torot Cards designed by Lady Frieda Harris.
    		•
    1945
  • Crowley retires to 'Netherwood', Hastings and works on Magick without Tears.
    		•
    1947
  • Completes 'Olla', his third anthology of poetry.
  • Crowley dies on the 1 December.
  • Crowley is cremated in Brighton. Among the persons present were Gilbert Bayley, who knew Mudd and frater Achad,Sorores Tzaba and Ilyarun, Gerald Yorke, Kenneth Grant and his old friend Louis Wilkinson who read 'Hymn To Pan', the 'Collects and Anthems' from 'The Gnostic Mass' and selected passages from The Book of the Law.


    The Brighton Council afterwards delivered a protest in regards to the contents of the Last Ritual:   "We shall take all necessary steps to prevent such an incident occuring again".
    		•