Perdurabo

by Richard Kaczynski

  Praise for the revised and expanded edition of Perdurabo: The Life of Aleister Crowley by Richard Kaczynski

  “The outlines of Crowley’s life are well known, but Richard Kaczynski’s monumental Perdurabo—substantially revised and expanded from its first publication in 2002—fills in endless details.”

  —Phil Baker, The Times Literary Supplement

  “In this revised edition of Perdurabo, Richard Kaczynski takes readers through the Beast’s amazing life and work in a sympathetic and compelling fashion. It is an effective combination of erudition and accessibility that will remain the standard biography of Crowley for years to come.”

  —Henrik Bogdan, PhD, author of Western Esotericism and Rituals of Initiation

  “This is not only the most carefully researched, detailed, and informative biography of Crowley yet written but also a remarkable insight into the nature of magic itself.”

  —Ronald Hutton, author of The Triumph of the Moon and Blood and Mistletoe: The History of the Druids in Britain

  “If you’re a collector of Crowley biographies, this is an essential addition to your collection. If you can only afford one Crowley biography, this is the one to get.”

  —Sabazius, X°, National Grand Master, Ordo Templi Orientis, USA

  “The blurb on the front of the dust jacket [of the new edition] says: The definitive biography of the founder of modern magick. Having read the first edition of Perdurabo, and every other biography of this controversial figure, I readily agree.”

  —Oz Fritz, music producer and engineer

  “This new edition is essential reading for anyone wanting to understand the Great Beast.”

  —Clive Harper, author of Notes towards a Bibliography of Austin Osman Spare

  “Richard Kaczynski’s Perdurabo: The Life of Aleister Crowley is a meticulously researched biography of a person whose reputation has been distorted by rumors and misinformation. Crowley will probably remain a controversial figure for many, but the readers of Perdurabo will be in a position to assess his life and work based on evidence, and Kaczynski should be congratulated for providing it in abundance.”

  —Gordan Djurdjevic, sessional lecturer, Simon Fraser University

  “Perdurabo is the result of many years of painstaking research. Dr. Kaczynski has been able to uncover a host of previously unexplored sources that cast new light on Aleister Crowley’s life and works. It is an achievement that deserves praise, and I am sure the book will be an indispensable reference for scholars and students for many years to come.”

  —Marco Pasi, assistant professor at the Center for the History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents, University of Amsterdam, and author of Aleister Crowley and the Temptation of Politics

  Praise for the first edition:

  “Several recently-published biographies of Crowley do justice, for the most part, to his life and works. But their offerings now stand like skeletal frames of unfinished houses next to Kaczynski’s magnificently constructed edifice. Every brick is set in place with the mortar of meticulous research and insight. Thank you, Dr. Kaczynski. I’ve waited thirty-five years for this.”

  —Lon Milo DuQuette, author of The Magick of Aleister Crowley

  “At long last, the world has a balanced and readable biography that reflects how magick shaped every facet of Aleister Crowley’s life. And Dr. Kaczynski doesn’t dismiss magick as humbug or mumbo-jumbo but validates it as a legitimate method of spiritual development meriting serious study.”

  —Christopher S. Hyatt, PhD, author of Undoing Yourself

  “Dr. Kaczynski brings two unique qualifications to this massive biography of the prophet and master of magick Aleister Crowley: he is both a university professor who moves comfortably in research institutions (and the masses of data contained therein) and a practicing adept of [Crowley’s] Thelemic magical system. This is a magnificent book and is highly recommended.”

  —James Wasserman, author of The Militia of Heaven and Art and Symbols of the Occult.

  “Richard Kaczynski uses a novelist’s touch to make this exceptionally well-researched book read like an adventure story. For the serious student of ceremonial magick or anyone curious about the truth behind all those weird stories, it’s essential reading.… Perdurabo is bound to become the definitive biography of Aleister Crowley.”

  —NewWitch magazine

  Copyright © 2002, 2010 by Richard Kaczynski. All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the written permission of the publisher. For information contact North Atlantic Books.

  Published by

  North Atlantic Books

  P.O. Box 12327

  Berkeley, California 94712

  Cover photo courtesy of Ordo Templi Orientis

  Cover design by Paula Morrison

  Quotations from the works of Aleister Crowley © Ordo Templi Orientis, International Headquarters, Postfach 33 20 12, D-14180 Berlin, Germany.

  Perdurabo: The Life of Aleister Crowley is sponsored by the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences, a nonprofit educational corporation whose goals are to develop an educational and cross-cultural perspective linking various scientific, social, and artistic fields; to nurture a holistic view of arts, sciences, humanities, and healing; and to publish and distribute literature on the relationship of mind, body, and nature.

  North Atlantic Books’ publications are available through most bookstores. For further information, visit our website at www.northatlanticbooks.com or call 800-733-3000.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Kaczynski, Richard.

  Perdurabo : the life of Aleister Crowley / Richard Kaczynski. — Rev. and expanded ed.

  p. cm.

  eISBN: 978-1-58394-576-6

  1. Crowley, Aleister, 1875–1947. 2. Occultists—Great Britain—Biography. 3. Authors, English—20th century—Biography. I. Title.

  BF1598.C7K33 2010

  130.92—dc22

  [B]

  2010014721

  v3.1

  Acknowledgments

  The twenty-first century has witnessed a major reassessment of Aleister Crowley’s place in modern culture, making this updated biography most timely. Evidence of Crowley’s popularity is ubiquitous. BBC Two’s 2002 poll for the 100 Greatest Britons ranked Crowley at seventy-three, just ahead of Robert the Bruce; since then, his portrait has been added to London’s National Portrait Gallery. When Rolling Stone asked Paul McCartney what accounts for the Beatles’ enduring popularity, he answered:

  I think it’s basically magic. There is such as thing as magic, and the Beatles were magic.

  It depends on what you believe life is. Life is an energy field, a bunch of molecules. And these particular molecules formed to make these four guys, who then formed into this band called the Beatles and did all that work. I have to think that was something metaphysical. Something alchemic. Something that must be thought of as magic—with a k.1

  Actor Robert Downey Jr. offered a remarkable description of how he prepared for his Iron Man audition through a combination of ceremonial magic and compulsive rehearsal of every possible delivery of his lines:

  I had amendments and ancillaries and pop-ups for every part of the scene—if it went off in one direction I could add A, B, or C. It was madness, but also the most positively reinforced ritual I’ve ever performed. If Aleister Crowley had a younger brother—it was that type of s—.2

  Comic book author and self-professed magician Alan Moore—whose Watchmen made Time magazine’s list of “All-Time 100 Greatest Novels”—features Crowleyan themes prominently in Promethea
(1999–2005) and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume III: Century (2009–2011). Meanwhile, Martin Hayes and Roy Huteson Stewart’s graphic novel Crowley: Wandering the Waste will be released in late 2010. And on television, the first balanced documentary on him, Aleister Crowley: The Beast 666, aired in Canada in 2007 and the United States in 2009.3

  The result of all this exposure is that Crowley’s works are in high demand, landing him on the American Book Exchange’s list of the top ten best-selling authors.4 His desirable first editions were also the subject of a 2008 article in Book and Magazine Collector and the 2009 coffee-table book The Wickedest Books in the World.5 Similar interest in his artwork is attested by two 2008 exhibitions: at the Palais de Tokyo from May 29 to June 29, and at the Pompidou Center from June 5 to June 29.

  In academia, where magic has become an accepted area of religious studies, Crowley was the subject of several papers in the first decade of the twenty-first century,6 and an anthology of new academic papers on Aleister Crowley has been prepared under the editorship of Henrik Bogdan and Martin P. Starr. On April 16, 2008, the first academic panel devoted entirely to Aleister Crowley was held at the conference “Twenty Years and More: Research into Minority Religions, New Religious Movements and ‘the New Spirituality.’ ” Outside of religious studies, Crowley has also turned up in studies of politics,7 science,8 and drug culture.9 These subjects—including current perspectives on his careers in mountain climbing and theater—are reflected in this revised and expanded edition of Perdurabo, along with a great deal of new original research.

  This new edition would not have been possible without the kind assistance of many people. The full list goes back to 1987, when I undertook writing the first edition. It is personally overwhelming. I feel truly blessed, and wish to express my greatest appreciation and gratefulness to the following people:

  Hymenaeus Beta—my friend, counsel and comrade from the very beginning—granted me free access to the OTO Archives, permitted me to quote from the published and unpublished works of Aleister Crowley, allowed me to reproduce pictures of and by Crowley, and helped in countless other ways. This book would never have happened without his help.

  L. Page Brunner was my navigator and an indispensable research assistant both in London and during the Great Road Trip of 1990. Both she and Kate McPherson offered encouragement, moral support, and friendship during the years of writing the first draft. Kevin Saari did tremendous detective work and uncovered important legal documents at the National Archives.

  Clive Harper generously shared photocopies, sent scans, exchanged currency, and provided many helpful comments on both the original and expanded editions; I am grateful for his continued friendship and fine madness.

  Both help and hospitality were kindly offered by Nicholas Culpeper and family, Tony Ianotti, Martin Starr, Jan Henson Dow and Robert Schroder.

  The following people generously shared their knowledge with me: T. M. Caldwell, Jerry Cornelius, Lloyd Currey, Andrew Dickos, Christina Foyle, R. A. Gilbert, Ian Glover, Kenneth Grant, Amy Hale, George M. Harper, Christina Oakley Harrington, Bill Heidrick, Michael Holroyd, Andrew Jones, P. R. König, Mishlen Linden, Richard Londraville, Robert Lund, Sheila Mann, Louis Martinié, Michela Megna, Keith Richmond, Phyllis Seckler, Leslie Shepard, Paul Sieveking, Ken Spencer, Timothy d’Arch Smith, Roger Staples, Gerald Suster, Brad Verter, Clint Warren, Oliver Wilkinson and John Yorke. Kenneth Walters at Wayne State University helped me identify and translate Catullus.

  Access to the archival, rare book, and manuscript collections of their respective institutions was facilitated by: Glyn Hughes (Alpine Club); Jeff Twine (American Society for Psychical Research); Charles Greifenstein and Earle E. Spamer (American Philosophical Society); Marguerite Gillezeau (Ascham School); John Jordan and Margaret J. Cox (BBC); C. M. Hall and Elizabeth Wells (British Library); Margaret E. Pamplin (Cambridge University); Jennie Bradshaw (Christ Church, Oxford); John L. Sorger (Cleveland Public Library); Tony Scott (Climbers’ Club); Bernard Crystal (Columbia University); Averil J. Kadis (Enoch Pratt Free Library); Emil P. Moschella (FBI Freedom of Information–Privacy Acts Section); Martin Cherry (Freemason’s Hall, London); Amy Daugherty and Carolyn A. Davis (George Arents Research Library); Hannah Westall (Girton College); Marilyn Jones (Grand Lodge of Michigan); Jane Philpot, Alys Blakeway and Jane Harris (Hampshire Archives); Elspeth Healey, Linda Briscoe Myers and Cathy Henderson (Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center); Pamela Madsen, Micah Hoggatt and Susan Halpert (Harvard Theatre Collection); Claire Sawyer (Henry Moore Institute); Roberta Carew (Kambala); Nigel Walsh (Leeds Art Gallery); Chuck Kelly (Library of Congress); Patricia Methven and I. Hunter (Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives); Saundra Taylor (Lilly Library); Glen Longacre (National Archives, Chicago); David Pfeiffer (National Archives, College Park); Megan Williams (National Library of Australia); D. B. Lloyd (National Library of Wales); Valerie Wingfield, Lola L. Szladits, John D. Stinson and Dorothy Swerdlove (New York Public Library); R. Russell Maylone (Northwestern University); Charles Mann (Pennsylvania State University); Debby Cramer (Presbyterian Ladies’ College); Charles Greene and Jean F. Preston (Princeton University); Kathy Lazenbatt (Royal Asiatic Society); Rachel Rowe (Royal Commonwealth Society Library, Cambridge); Joy Wheeler (Royal Geographical Society); Robin Campbell (Scottish Mountaineering Club); David C. Braasch and David Koch (Southern Illinois University at Carbondale); Jim Andrighetti, Warwick Hirst and John Murphy (State Library of New South Wales); Tony Marshall (State Library of Victoria); Helen Fisher (University of Birmingham); Lesley Hart (University of Cape Town); Ann Caiger, Michael Olson and Dorothy (UCLA); Nancy Shawcross (University of Pennsylvania); Dr. H. Rorlich (University of Southern California); Lara Wilson and John Frederick (University of Victoria); Jack Rossi and Robin D. Wear (University of Virginia); Sharon Snow (Wake Forest University); W. F. Ryan and Patricia Killiard (Warburg Institute); Kevin Ray (Washington University in St. Louis); and Pat Sewell (West Yorkshire Archive, Calderdale), as well as the staff of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University, Harvard University, Virginia University, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, and Archibald Stevens Alexander Library.

  The following people either granted or helped with photo clearances and permissions: William Breeze (Ordo Templi Orientis); Adam Garel-Frantzen (Getty Images); Scott Hobbs (Cameron Foundation); J. D. Holmes; Cara Jones (Rogers, Coleridge & White Literary Agency); Kathy Lazenbatt (Royal Asiatic Society); Sarah Lewin (Hampshire Records Office); Pamela Madsen (Harvard Theatre Collection); Kappy Mintie (Curatorial Assistance); Carmella Napoleone (Harvard Imaging Services); Tony Naylor; François Quiviger (Warburg Institute Archives); Keith Richmond; Timothy d’Arch Smith; Tony Stansfeld-Jones; Adi Warring (Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research); Joy Wheeler (Royal Geographical Society); and Francis Wyndham.

  My bibliographic quests were abetted by many book dealers; exceptional assistance came from J. D. Holmes, Glen Houghton, Paul Hudson, Michael Kolson, Darcy Küntz, Tony Naylor, Todd Pratum, Helen Parsons Smith, Dr. Paul P. Ricchio, Keith Richmond, Marilyn Rinn, and Robert Thibodeau.

  Kristin Frasier read the original manuscript and provided many helpful suggestions. Rafael Aguilar, Kayla Block, Craig Dickson, Paul Feazey, Christian Hartman, W. Adam Mandelbaum, Holy Pardieu, David A. Poole, Phyllis Seckler, Martin P. Starr, and Evan Verbanic brought corrections to my attention.

  Dr. Chris Hyatt and Jim Wasserman made the first edition of this book happen.

  I extend my deepest appreciation to all the wonderful people at North Atlantic Books who recognized that the time was right to update Crowley’s biography, including my editor, Erin Wiegand; copy editors Christopher Church and Jordan Tulin; art director Paula Morrison; and also Doug Reil, Philip Smith, Kat Engh, and Susan Bumps.

  Finally, I give thanks to my wife Kerry Kurowski, whose unconditional support and enthusiasm helped to see me through the huge undertaking of this revision.

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Pa
ge

  Copyright

  Acknowledgments

  Birthday

  A Place to Bury Strangers

  The Golden Dawn

  The Mountain Holds a Dagger

  A Rose by Any Other Name

  The Five Peaks

  The Great White Brotherhood

  Singer of Strange and Obscene Gods

  The Vision and the Voice

  Aleister Through the Looking Glass

  Ordo Templi Orientis

  Chokmah Days

  Amalantrah

  The Abbey of Thelema

  Adonis

  Eccentrics in Exile

  The French Connection

  Beast Bites Back

  The Black Magic Libel Case

  The War of the Roses (and the Battle of the Book)

  The Book of Thoth

  The Great Turkey Tragedy: Or Heirs Apparent

  Epilogue

  Notes

  References

  Picture Credits

  CHAPTER ONE

  Birthday

  Darkness swallowed the unfamiliar room as two men pulled a hood over his head. The floor was cold and hard beneath his knees, and through the door he could hear the muffled sounds of knocking and speaking. He counted two … three … four voices at least, followed by silence: a heavy stillness filled only by his breath. Aleister Crowley feared for his life.

  London’s Euston Road was far from the safe, nurturing campus of Trinity College; farther from his Redhill, Surrey, home; and farther still from the Swiss Alps, where training on the Schönbühl Glacier resulted in his fateful meeting with the man who sent him into this ordeal. For Crowley, the chain of events leading to this situation was every bit as real and confining as the rope now wound about his waist. The sensation of the tightening restraints stilled the images of his life and snapped him to the present. When tumblers fell and hinges creaked, excitement replaced his fear. It began.