Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley born Edward Alexander Crowley (12 Oct 1875–1 December 1947), pronounced /ˈkroʊli/
The Libri of Aleister Crowley
- The Libri of Aleister Crowley A collection of Aleister Crowley's writings, including books, essays, articles, a resource list of Crowley's numbered Libri written for the occult orders A∴ A∴ and O.T.O., and other related materials
Timeline
1875 | Born at Leamington Spa, Warwickshire on 12 October. |
Parents members of The Plymouth Brethren, a fanatical Christian sect. | |
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 possessed 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. | |
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. | |
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. |
1901-02 | 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. | |
1903-04 | 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. |
1905-07 | 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∴ 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. | |
1909-13 | 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∴ | |
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. |
Departure for the United States. | |
1915 | Work on Astrology with Evangeline Adams. |
Work with Charles Stansfeld 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. | |
1918 | Liber Aleph completed. |
Amalantrah Working with Roddie Minor. | |
Magical Retirement on Oesopus Island. | |
Publishes his version of Tao Teh King. | |
Meets Leah Hirsig. | |
1919 | The Blue Equinox, III:1, published. |
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. |
1926-28 | 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 Practice published. | |
Crowley marries Maria de Miramar in Germany. | |
1930 | First two volumes of The Confessions published. |
1930-36 | Is visited and supported financially by Karl Germer who to succeed Crowley as OHO of the O.T.O. |
1930-34 | 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. |
1936-38 | Visits to Germany. Meets Aldous Huxley. |
1937 | Publication of The Equinox of the Gods. |
1938 | Eight Lectures on Yoga. |
1940-45 | 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. |
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