Aleister Crowley and the Aeon of Horus

A Thelemite belief is that humanity can be divided into a series of Aeons that was accompanied by its own forms of magical and religious expression. The Aeon of Isis, the Aeon of Osiris, and the Aeon of Horus. Crowley believed that Magick was a bridge between art and science with the involvement of mystic forces.

Isis

Isis was the Egyption Goddess of fertility. The Aeon of Isis was characterized by maternal values such as the pagan worship of mother nature and pagan worship. This Aeon took place during the pre-Christ era.

Osiris

The Egyption God Osiris was the God of the underworld. He symbolized death and resurrection. This era was marked by self sacrifice and submission. These values are reflected in Christianity and Islam, the dominant world religions during this period.

Horus

Aleister Crowley believed he ushered in the Aeon of Horus, where individuality and the exploration of self will are the dominant belief systems. I find it intriguing that commercialism, psychology, and secular societies encourage core elements present in the basic premise of Crowley’s book of the law – or “Do what thou wilt.”

Crowley’s second most important book was “The Vision and the Voice.” He believed that along the journey to self discovery the individual could find harmony with the universe and develop the ability to openly communicate with higher powers. Through meditation, concentration, and discipline an outer body experience could be achieved. I feel the techniques Crowley developed were the foundation for current belief systems that provide a methodology to astral projection exploration in the modern age. In the 1970s, the CIA embarked on a mission to study the possibilities of psychic powers and the existence of a sixth sense. Crowley’s rituals and techniques added a learnable methodology to ancient mystic beliefs that influenced humanity’s pursuit for discovering a connection between spirituality and science.

1. “Thelemic Mysticism.” Wikipedia, 31 Dec. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelemic_mysticism.
2. “The Vision and the Voice.” Wikipedia, 17 Oct. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vision_and_the_Voice. Accessed 1 Jan. 2022.
3. “Aeon (Thelema).” Wikipedia, 24 Dec. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeon_(Thelema). Accessed 1 Jan. 2022.
4. The Legends of History. “Aleister Crowley: The Father of the Occult (Occult History Explained).” YouTube, 17 June 2020, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV1CaWJxD6Y. Accessed 22 Apr. 2021.
5. “ISIS Goddess | Goddess of Fertility| Egypt Goddesses – AskAladdin.” Egypt Travel Experts, ask-aladdin.com/egypt-gods/isis/.

My upcoming short film, Mountain Cult, incorporates themes of Astral Projection and occultism. You can view the trailer below.

Abbey of Thelema

From 1920 to 1923, Aleister Crowley established a spiritual center for his new order in Sicily – it would be known as the “Abbey of Thelema.” His idea was to create a school for magick – not to be confused with magic, a term Crowley believed was reserved for tricksters who performed to a crowd on stage. Crowley’s sort of magick was centered around manipulating external events through meditation, ceremony and ritual.

The bible to Crowley’s new religion was “The Book of the Law”, which he had written by the instruction of his guardian angel Aiwass. The central belief of his organization was “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.” Practitioners of Thelema, or Thelemites, do not believe this means do whatever you feel like doing, rather it’s an instruction to follow their true self’s desires. A major objective for Thelemites is to “Cross into the abyss”. This is a metaphor for death and rebirth that requires contact with a guardian angel that helps them become reborn into the supernal triad as an ascended person. “The great work” is an act of enlightenment in chasing one’s true potential. It can be seen across modern day Hermetic occultism.

Crowley would paint the walls of the abbey with Thelemic deities and symbols using oil paints from France. An area known as the nightmare wall featured a large yellow cyclops that Crowley deemed the eternal idol. He would encourage Thelemites to take psychedelic drugs then stare at the hellish painting until they had fully conquered fear itself.

Orgies and drug use were routine at the abbey, despite the prevalence of children running around on the premises. The children were even witnesses to the acts of “Sex Magick” – a belief that the soul’s intentions can be heard by the universe at the moment of orgasm.

Crowley’s drug use eventually spiraled out of control and he would later become a full blown heroin addict. The hedonistic practices at the Abbey of Thelema escalated in debauchery to include animal sacrifice and bestiality. But it became a hot spot for celebrities – attracting a British Model, Betty May, and her husband Raol Loveday. Betty never quite got along with Crowley – she considered the abbey dirty and didn’t enjoy life at the commune. After Crowley caught her reading a newspaper – a forbidden item – she left the next day while her husband stayed behind.

Loveday remained in the commune due to illness and his devotion to Crowley. He had recently consumed water from a local fresh spring despite Crowley’s warning that his immune system would not be up to the task. Loveday would die of a bacterial infection in 1923.

May blamed Crowley for her husband’s death and leaked his cult’s hedonistic practices to the press. She believed that her husband had become ill from drinking the sacrificial blood of a cat. Her story was picked up by Newspapers world wide. The fascist government of Mussolini ran Crowley and the Thelemites out of Cecily, and it would remain abandoned until present day. Those who visit claim it remains haunted and contains a supernatural presence.

1. “What Is Thelema? | Occult 101.” Www.youtube.com, Da’at Darling, 3 Aug. 2020, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7M-aIV9w8k. Accessed 31 Dec. 2021.
2. Barry Van-Asten. “Ghost Blooms: RAOUL LOVEDAY: THE CEFALU POET.” Ghost Blooms, AUDRAREP, 19 May 2018, ghostblooms-van-asten.blogspot.com/2018/05/raoul-loveday-cefalu-poet.html. Accessed 31 Dec. 2021.
3. “Daughter of the Beast: Lola Zaza Crowley | History 101.” Www.history101.com, http://www.history101.com/daughter-of-the-beast-lola-zaza-crowley/. Accessed 31 Dec. 2021.
4. Anglis, Jaclyn. “Meet the ‘Wickedest Man in the World’ Who Horrified 20th-Century Britain.” All That’s Interesting, 22 Aug. 2021, allthatsinteresting.com/aleister-crowley#:~:text=Meanwhile%2C%20their%20daughter%20Lilith%20had%20died%20of%20typhoid. Accessed 31 Dec. 2021.
5. Thomas, Kristin. “Abandoned Abbey of Thelema – Where Occultist Aleister Crowley Shocked the World.” The Vintage News, 14 May 2018, http://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/05/14/abbey-of-thelema/. Accessed 31 Dec. 2021.

Aleister Crowley 1905 Kachenjunga Disaster

Aleister Crowley K2 expedition

In 1905 Aleister Crowley agreed to a Himalayan mountaineering expedition up Kanchenjunga. Swiss doctor Jules Jacot-Guillarmod proposed the plan following their unsuccessful expedition together on K2 in 1902. Crowley agreed under the condition he lead the expedition along with Oscar Eckenstein, a mountaineering friend. Crowley wanted to set the record for highest altitude reached by man. Climber George Bell, an American physicist, biologist, and mountaineer, would later call the face of the mountain Crowley attempted to climb “A savage mountain that tries to kill you.”

Crowley insisted on bringing along a several volume library – he felt it was dangerous for men to let go of their civilization while in the wild. The crew would bring along a train of about 200 porters to carry an unreasonable 3 tons of luggage.

Crowley allegedly treated the porters brutally – with no compassion for the many among them who traveled barefoot. This lead to discontentment among the crew that only escalated.

Following a small avalanche and a hesitant retreat, Jacot- Guillarmod attempted to depose Crowley of his leadership position. Crowley rejected this request. Guillarmod decided to lead the crew back down the mountain, despite Crowley’s warning that his intended route was too dangerous.

As the rest of the crew retreated, Crowley remained in his tent and attempted to summon a demon. An avalanche occurred and instigated a chaotic scene with crew members crying out for help. Aleister ignored their pleas even as three porters and one of the crew members succumbed to their deaths. The evening of the event Aleister Crowley wrote a letter to the Darjeeling Newspaper in which he stated “”a mountain ‘accident’ of this sort is one of the things for which I have no sympathy whatever.” When Crowley passed by the survivors on his own way down, he neither stopped nor spoke to any of them.

“1905 Kanchenjunga Expedition.” Wikipedia, 23 Jan. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1905_Kanchenjunga_expedition.

Crow, Footless. “Footless Crow: The Brief Mountaineering Career of Aleister Crowley- the Great Beast 666.” Footless Crow, 21 Jan. 2011, footlesscrow.blogspot.com/2011/01/brief-mountaineering-career-of-aleister.html. Accessed 29 Dec. 2021.

History, et al. “How Aleister Crowley, the Infamous Occultist, Led the First Attempt to Reach the Summit of K2 (1902) | Open Culture.” Open Culture, 16 Aug. 2018, http://www.openculture.com/2018/08/aleister-crowley-infamous-occultist-led-first-attempt-reach-summit-k2-1902.html. Accessed 29 Dec. 2021.

The Boleskine House – Portal to Hell

In 1899 Aleister Crowley purchased the Boleskine House to perform a 6 month ritual called “The Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage.” Crowley – regarded by even himself as “The Great Beast” – had been on the hunt for a property that matched certain specifications – it needed to be secluded, have doors facing the north, and room to construct a terrace with fine river sand. The sand was used to measure the success of the ritual – Crowley would be summoning spirits, and in that sand he would see their foot prints.

Crowley wanted to open up communication and knowledge of his guardian angel, whom Crowley believed to be Aiwass. The first instructions of the ceremony warn the user that the ceremony itself is to dangerous and should not be performed. Crowley didn’t care – he felt he was up to the challenge. He would live on bread and water for months, rise before dawn, and recite the incantations with the habitual discipline of a monk. The ceremony takes 6 months to perform.

The grave spiritual danger of the ceremony is that evil spirits must be summoned and compelled to serve the light. The room where Crowley performed the ceremony was so dark he required the artificial light of candles. In his isolation the shadows in the house began to appear as opaque figures.

Macgregor Mathers – founder of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Crowley’s occult group – interrupted Crowley during his ceremony. He required his assistance in Paris. Crowley never completed the ceremony – nor did he cast the spirits away. Jimmy Page would later claim Crowley had opened the portal to Hell.

After the second world war Major Edward Grant took ownership of the property. He was in Allaister’s former room when he took a shotgun to his head and committed suicide.

Jimmy Page, famed guitarist of Led Zeppelin, purchased the home in 1970. He was too busy to maintain it and invited his friend, Malcolm Dent, to reside there. Dent frequently experienced a malevolent presence in the home. The ominous feelings would develop into real world sensations – negligible sputtering steps at first, until one night it sounded as if an enormous hound were moving just outside his room. Dent recalled hearing a pounding on the door, only to find he was still alone the following morning.

The Boleskin House burned down in November of 2015 with nobody inside. Centuries earlier, on the same lot where the home would be built, it is said that a fire had also broken out. Only that time, the blaze occurred during a church congregation – and killed everyone inside.

“Fool’s Gold” and the empty hunt

Last night my girlfriend and I watched the film “Fool’s Gold” featuring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. It was directed by Andy Tennant.

The story focuses on Benjamin Finnegan, played by McConaughey, a deep-sea treasure hunter who has wasted his life chasing the lost treasure of a Spanish Galleon known as the Aurelia. Tess – played by Kate Hudson – has decided she’s had enough of his whimsical dreams and divorces him – despite her own fascination with the treasure of the Aurelia. She commits herself to divorcing Ben, returning to normal society, and finishing school as she finds a more stable, predictable partner.

Soon after their divorce Ben finds himself abandoned at sea until he is discovered and brought aboard a yatch by Nigel Honeycutt – played by Donald Sutherland. Honeycutt is on an aimless vacation with his daughter Gem – played by Alexis Dzienna. In an effort to finance her new life, Tess finds work on the same yatch as a waitress.

Soon after climbing aboard the yatch, Ben captivates Nigel, Gem, and even Tess with his theories about the lost treasure. Nigel – who has no shortage of coin – finds a purpose. Gem discovers an adventure that cuts through the superficial interests of her vapid social life. Tess succumbs once again to Ben’s charming yet fruitless pursuit. And Ben finds the support and resources he needs to make his pipe dream a reality.

If you wrote a story about these characters and their lives after finding the treasure, nobody would watch it, or care. It would have to end in tragedy. What would be the point? I think this is a fairly obvious realization, yet that conclusion elevates in importance when you realize what this story is really about.

It doesn’t matter what our dream is, or the length of time we have been pursuing it. It does not matter the amount of progress we have made, nor does it matter the struggles we have endured. There is a vision in your mind that you alone have been granted access to. That vision by itself is enough to fuel years or effort, decisions of regret, and a hollow belly of return on investment.

We can spin tales about our dreams that seduces others into believing in us. We can connect dots on a future timeline that land us directly in our own mirage. We find competitors who will fight to the death to find our treasure before we do. But most importantly, we will happily and eagerly forfeit a safer and more secure position in society to remain on an expedition that seemingly ruins us.

It is ironic to me that Nigel Honeycutt enthusiastically sets sail for this lost treasure. He is already wealthy beyond imagination. In the eyes of a safe and secure society, he has already achieved the ultimate ranking in social hierarchy. In his own perspective, however, it is Ben who is rich, and he who is poor.

You are on a treasure hunt. It is filled with obstacles that will strike you into the dirt. Your learning may propel you forward but its execution will repeatedly go unrewarded. The morning will begin with aspiration and the evening will end in despair. But you will wake up, and you will do it again, and again, and again.

Why?

Because your treasure is out there. You are not the only one mad with desire to uncover it. Many will forfeit the journey long before they bring shovel to sand. Many others will find themselves lost along the way, failing to see they misunderstood the map’s instructions. And many, many others will stand idly by, watching treasure after treasure get discovered rather than unfolding the map that is in their own pocket.

It’s not the treasure that we’re after. It’s the hunt that we live for.

Series Recap & Wasted Time

A week ago I set out to submit my kickstarter campaign for review. I wanted to have a link to the pre-launch page as soon as possible. I thought it would be a good idea to use a “series recap” video so that potential backers could rapidly familiarize themselves with the show’s core concepts.

I figured I better make a new series recap video that includes portions of episode 4. But then I realized that I talk about how I make all the music myself on the campaign info page… so I needed to make a new song as well.

From there I realized that ableton live was pretty limited in the synths they offer. I initially hoped to make a sort of dubstep beat. But to do that I would need a plug-in to create my own synths… so I researched then purchased one.

Next I had to figure out how to use the plug in to create satisfying sounds. I wound up creating a pluck and synth that I’m ok with. I’m very excited to learn more about the plug-in soon.

Long story short, I just wasted a week making a song for a new series recap video all because of that nagging idea I needed a one. I’m pretty disappointed with myself since I’ve been determined to improve my time efficiency. Anyways, the stupid video is below if you’d like to see a visual & audio representation of pissing days away.

Walking Faster

Part of my research into filmmaking financing and distribution has educated me on the ideal expenses of a legitimate production. Jeff Deverett, an experienced filmmaker with a background in distribution, suggested that the marketing for a film should equal 60-100% of the overall budget. This is a much greater percentage than I ever would have guessed. Other estimates give marketing a much smaller figure. Given Deverett’s experience and knowledge of the film market, I trust his opinion more.

I don’t, however, have the income to match my marketing expenses with the budget my short film costs to produce. Working on such a small scale means that I’m already only spending a buck when it’s absolutely necessary. Though I may not be able to match that percentage financially, I may be able to compete when it comes to time and effort.

I’ve been putting in work this week to research topics that are discussed in my short film. That’s why you’ve seen posts about Alaister Crowley, Uri Gellar, and the Ganzfeld experiment. In truth, I’ve greatly enjoyed the research. I would like to further my understanding of parapsychological history to create short documentaries for my youtube channel. My theory is that this will attract an audience for the subject matter my film contains.

I plan to launch my kickstarter campaign in January. I was hoping to submit the campaign for review already, but I recently concluded Episode 5 could really use a series recap that covers the major events in episodes 1-4. I’ve been editing that video the past 2 days.

Move fast and break things.

That’s the premise of the marketing plan I would like to implement. It essentially suggests “throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks.” I don’t think I could ever publish writings or videos that I am not proud of – but I did spend 2 hours yesterday remastering 1 scene of dialogue from Episode 4. All those changes make a difference, but there will be a music track playing over that conversation during the series recap anyway.

I’ve got to improve at time management. By setting aside 30 minutes a day to simply publish updates across social media platforms I feel I may begin to reach a more sizable audience. Pissing away time hunched behind a computer screen tweaking the velocity an animated arm moves at is a comparatively wasteful undertaking.

I plan to release 5 “behind the scenes” videos from the making of Mountain Cult in January and 3 short documentaries. I’ve wasted so much time figuring out how to move ‘X’ just to get started on ‘Y’ it’s embarrassing. I’ve got to accept the pangs of building a youtube audience – despite having no desire to be a fucking youtuber. I don’t think many people do. But by building an audience there I can make great strides towards securing finance and distribution for the types of movies I do want to make.

If you haven’t seen the trailer for my upcoming short film, feel free to check it out below.

Uri Geller – CIA Psychic or Conman?

Uri Geller

In the 1970’s the American government received word that Russia was investing heavily in the research and development of para-psychological phenomena. Not only that, but their intelligence – which was likely intended to mislead them – suggested that they were increasing their budget from an already whopping 60 million rubles. Keep in mind, these were Cold War times, so the U.S. was determined to beat Russia at everything.

The United States government began funding CIA projects to invest in ESP testing and uncover paranormal abilities. They launched a program called “Scannate” at Stanford University where they brought in well known psychics and tested their claims.

One of the most popular psychics was rocketing to stardom – his name was Uri Geller, a soft-spoken Israel who invoked the help of God to perform his stunts.

The common feats Uri performed involved bending spoons and visualizing images that a subject known as a “sender” concentrated on. In a 2017 interview with Good Morning Britain, Geller claimed that the CIA had requested him to investigate a Russian embassy using remote viewing and solve the mystery of JFK’s assassination.

The most infamous moment of Uri Geller’s career, however, occurred during his appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Unknown to Geller, Carson had contacted former magician and skeptic James Randi.

Carson himself had experience with magic and doubted Geller’s psychic claims. He contacted James Randi and asked for instruction on how to keep Geller honest. James Randi insisted that Johnny provide the instruments for the tricks and keep Geller and his crew away from them prior to his performance. Randi believed Geller was performing cheap magic – and the spoons were already bent before he went on stage.

Johnny Carson’s control of the objects prior to Geller’s appearance seemed to pay off – Geller was unable to demonstrate a single telepathic ability during his 20 minutes of onscreen time. It was unforgettably awkward and put the brakes on Geller’s exploding popularity. Nonetheless, Uri Geller continues to be known worldwide as a legitimate psychic and convince many of his paranormal abilities.

My short film “Doctor with the Red Houseware” involves a cult that employs the use of astral projection for communication with an otherworldly being. Feel free to check out the trailer below if that’s of interest to you.

The Ganzfeld Experiment and ESP

The “Ganzfeld Experiment” was introduced to experimental psychology during the 1930s. The aim of the experiment was to test for PSI – or anomalous processes of sensory information. The term “Ganzfeld” is a German word that means “entire field”. The experiments were essentially designed to test the existence of a sixth sense – so it’s not hard to see why sensory deprivation exercises developed from these experiments.

During the Ganfeld Experiment a subject, known as a “receiver”, would be isolated into a dark room. Translucent ping pong balls were cut in half and taped to their eyes. A red flood light illuminated the room. Headphones secured to their ears bombarded them with white noise. The receivers were deprived of normally functioning senses to force them to use a subconscious sense to interpret the world around them.

Another subject, known as the “sender”, would concentrate on a select image in another room. Researchers wanted to learn if the receiver could receive telepathic communications and visualize the image that the sender was focusing on.

The experiment concluded with the receiver attempting to properly identify the image that was being telepathically communicated. They were presented with 4 images, which through guess work alone had a 25% chance to be accurate. Correctly identifying the image was known as a “hit”.

Charles Honorton

Through 42 experiments conducted from 1974-1982, the hit rate was 33 percent. This is statistically significant, and it was enough for Charles Honorton – an American Parapsychologist – to conclude that a anomalous process of sensory information did exist. Unsurprisingly, the methods employed in the study were scrutinized for not employing optimal protocols and contained insufficient documentation. Ray Hyman, a psychologist, criticized the flaws in randomization for choice target and judging procedure. It seems the success of these experiments fueled legitimate intrigue into the possibility of remote viewing.

I’ve been researching astral projection and remote viewing to better understand its history and how it received funding of 20 million dollars through formerly classified CIA experiments. Astral Projection is a communication method employed by the “Mountain Cult” in my upcoming short film “Doctor with the Red Houseware.” I’ll post a link to my trailer at the bottom and my sources directly below. I am not a historian, nor a documentarian. I simply drink a lot of coffee, walk in a lot of circles, then write down the results of that journey.

1. Bem, D. J. (1996). Ganzfeld phenomena. In G. Stein (Ed.), Encyclopedia of the paranormal (pp. 291-296). Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganzfeld_experiment

Aleister Crowley and the Origins of Astral Projection

*I am not a historian nor an expert. I am researching the origins of Astral Projection as it relates to the science fiction of my own short film. You can find my trailer at the bottom.

Still from my short film “Doctor with the Red Houseware”

Astral projection is defined by Miriam Webster as “the ability of a person’s spirit to travel to distant places.”

It originates from an esoteric belief that we contain an astral body capable of extra-sensory perception (or ESP). Esoteric is a loosely defined term that describes a person with a deep knowledge of the universe and the lessons it contains.

Aleister Crowley

In 1898, Aleister Crowley – accused by his own mother of being the Anti-Christ – joined a group of esoteric occultists called the “Order of the Golden Dawn.” This group believed that they could perform magic & communicate with angles. A core belief of this group was that new members must grow in understanding of their inner selves prior to learning deeper lessons. Crowley employed the use of psychedelics to assist him in his journey. Over time, the group’s fundamental disgust with Crowley’s personal beliefs and practices would only escalate.

Aleister Crowley’s first wife, Rose Edith Kelly, eloped with Crowley to Egypt in order to avoid an arranged marriage. Crowley brought her into a dark cave and read from a book called “Goeat, the Lesser key of Solomon.” The goal was to summon the Egyptian God Horus. During this reading Rose Kelly fell back then claimed she had a vision and heard the voice of Horus. Crowley didn’t believe her – after years of studying the occult and attempting to summon demons, he had never succeeded. Rose had been present for his trance but she wasn’t trying to summon anything. Aleister didn’t believe her, so he took her to a museum for proof. He asked her to point out the God she saw and she pointed at the correct image of Horus.

Queen Nefertari and Horus -photographed by Patrick Landmann/ Science Photo Library

Rose told Crowley that she had received instructions for how to communicate with the spirits. He followed her instructions and was shocked to finally hear the voice of his guardian Angel, Aiwass. Crowley supposedly received instructions for contacting the spirits over the next 3 days. These writings would become known as the The Book of the Law.

After increasing turmoil with the “Order of the Golden Dawn” Crowley founded “Thelema”, where he taught The Book of the Law as its bible. The practices and techniques this group developed to communicate with angels or travel on the astral plane resulted in a belief that astral projection was a skill that could be learned.

Sources:

Explaining the Esoteric Imagination – Towards a Theory of Kataphatic Practice (Egil Asbrim) http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1073535/FULLTEXT01.pdf