Aleister Crowley
A self-proclaimed prophet who founded the religion of Thelema, he challenged Victorian morality with his radical philosophy of 'Do what thou wilt.'
1875–1947 (age 72)·English occultist·Birthday: October 12·The Gilded Age
Biography
Born into a wealthy, devoutly Christian family, Aleister Crowley spent his life in vehement rebellion against his upbringing. After a brief, intense involvement with the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, he broke away to forge his own spiritual path. In 1904, while in Cairo, he claimed to have received a sacred text, 'The Book of the Law,' from a non-human entity named Aiwass. This event birthed Thelema, a new religious movement centered on individual will as the supreme law. Crowley's life was a whirlwind of esoteric writing, poetry, mountaineering expeditions, and scandalous behavior across Europe and the United States. He established the Abbey of Thelema in Sicily as a commune for practicing his rituals, which often involved sex and drugs as tools for transcendence. Hounded by the press as 'the wickedest man in the world,' he died in relative obscurity, yet his ideas profoundly influenced later counterculture and modern occultism.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Aleister was born in 1875, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Aleister Was Born
The biggest hits of 1875
Aleister's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1875Born
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1880Started school
Edison patents the incandescent light bulb
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1888Became a teenager
President: Grover Cleveland
1891Could drive
President: Benjamin Harrison
1893Could vote
World's Columbian Exposition dazzles Chicago
President: Grover Cleveland
1896Turned 21
First modern Olympic Games held in Athens
President: Grover Cleveland
1905Turned 30
Einstein publishes the theory of special relativity
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1915Turned 40
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1925Turned 50
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
1935Turned 60
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1945Turned 70
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1947Died at 72
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
Key Achievements
- Founded the religious philosophy of Thelema, based on the dictum 'Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.'
- Authored numerous influential occult texts, including 'Magick in Theory and Practice' and 'The Book of Thoth.'
- Led major mountaineering expeditions, including a 1905 attempt to climb K2, the world's second-highest peak.
- Established the magical order A∴A∴ and revived the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), shaping 20th-century ceremonial magic.
Did You Know?
He was a skilled chess player and reportedly once beat the famous mathematician and philosopher Bertrand Russell.
Crowley was an early experimenter with psychedelic drugs, documenting their effects in his magical diaries.
He was a prolific poet and novelist, with his works ranging from erotic verse to adventure stories.
His face appears on the cover of The Beatles' 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' album.
“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.”
