A 20th century magician, Aleister Crowley (Edward Alexander Crowley) lived a colorful life bucking society at every turn. He was called a charlatan, a con-man, and “the wickedest man in the world.” There is little doubt that Crowley loved the attention his actions brought him. From the orgies to his love of Nazism, Crowley may very well have been one of the most messed up individual in modern times.
Religiously Strict Family
Aleister Crowley was brought up in a Christian evangelical household. His parents and family were members of the Plymouth Brethren, a strict, conservative church that believed the Church had become too secular.
His family was so strict that when Crowley was caught reading a book about snakes, his father grabbed the book out of his hands and threw it out the window. Since his father believed that a snake had tempted Eve, his son was not allowed to learn any scientific facts about the reptiles.
Another story from Crowley’s childhood tells about how his visiting uncle had made a joke about “the names of the two bad kings.” They were Smo-King and Drin-King. Crowley interrupted the family’s laughter to remind them of the third bad king: Fuc-King. His family, needless to say, was mortified by the joke. [Source]
Questioned Boundaries As A Child
As a boy in school, Crowley liked to play games with the older boys. His favorite sort of game involved the older boys “enslaving and tormenting him.” He was eventually expelled from school and labelled a homosexual. His mother, being extremely religious, yelled at him, “You’re not a human being. You’re the Great Beast prophesied in Revelations.”
There is no doubt that his religious upbringing shaped him into the man he became. [Source]
Mussolini Gave Crowley The Boot
In 1920, Crowley and Leah Hirsig founded the Abbey of Thelma in Sicily. It was meant to be a place where no one had to abide by the laws of man. Crowley and his followers practiced rituals and spiritual training in this rather small house. It was also rumored to be a place where “dark” rituals were performed, at least according to the tabloids of the time.
By 1922, Mussolini came into power. Rumors were flying around in the British newspapers about drinking the blood of black cats and polygamy in the Abbey, and it caught Mussolini’s attention. Mussolini had his men investigate the claims, believing that Crowley might be up to something else other than occult acts.
Finally, in May 1923, Crowley was expelled from Italy. [Sources 1 and 2]
WWI Double Agent
One of the first things to remember about Aleister Crowley is that he liked to tell stories about himself that may or may not have been true. For of his “confessions” in his book The Confessions of Aleister Crowley (1929), Crowley claimed that he was a double agent during World War I. He wrote that he was in charge of counter-espionage and published stories that strongly favored the Germans to help Germany win the minds of the people.
Crowley took pleasure in exposing the British people as being stupid, although at a later time he claimed that he was actually working in favor of the British. This may be true, because a West Point document from the US Army’s Military Intelligence Division lists Crowley as an employee of the British government. [Source]
Fascinated With Hitler
Crowley would spend time living in Berlin until 1932. He witnessed the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party. Crowley often talked and wrote about Hitler, calling him his “magic child.” There are many speculations surrounding both Hitler and Crowley and whether or not the two of them worked together behind the scenes.
Crowley believed that Hitler was “thelemically inspired” and had read The Book of the Law written by Crowley himself. There is no proof that this is true, but it does show that Crowley’s ego was so immense that he believed he inspired one of the cruelest dictatorships in history. Both of these men believed in a master race and they both believed they were the lords over other races. [Source]
