Aleister Crowley: Magick, Rock and Roll, and the Wickedest Man in the World by Gary Lachman

Author:Gary Lachman [Lachman, Gary]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2014-05-14T20:00:00+00:00

EIGHT

IN AND OUT OF THE ABBEY OF THELEMA

Crowley’s exit from New York in late 1919 was not auspicious. He had arranged for a publisher in Detroit to bring out a new issue of The Equinox. Volume II had been one of silence—to balance the first volume of speech—and volume III, no. 1, known as the blue Equinox—because of its sky-blue cover—was to get things back in step. Crowley, however, was unhappy with the way it was produced and, predictably, blamed the publisher, some Freemasons, for cutting costs. The publication did, however, contain the Leon Engers Kennedy portrait, Crowley’s “Hymn to Pan,” and an O.T.O. recruitment letter, and is now considered rare. To bring some closure to his U.S. adventure, Crowley took one last magical retirement, this time in Montauk on Long Island, but it was not a success; the magical current was exhausted, although today the area is considered a focal point for UFO sightings, which some suggest has something to do with Crowley’s being there. Just before crossing the Atlantic, Crowley headed south to spend some weeks visiting William and Kate Seabrook on their farm in Georgia. Crowley claims that, inspired by his presence, Seabrook tried to escape from journalism—he worked for the Hearst chain—and become an artist, but as soon as Crowley left, Seabrook reverted to type. We can, in a way, see Crowley’s influence on Seabrook as emblematic of his time in America. Crowley arrived and kicked up a storm, but as soon as he left, things reverted to normal. He was, he admitted, “too young, ignorant, and bigoted to make any impression on the United States.”1 He reflected that his years there were really preparation for what was to come. We may see Frank Harris’s remark that Crowley left America floating a string of bad checks as emblematic, too.

Crowley arrived in London shortly before Christmas 1919. Even he was surprised at the ease with which he passed through immigration. He had, after all, been branded a traitor, supporting the Hun and the Irish rebels. One would expect he would have a little difficulty getting back onto British soil, but Crowley walked into England without a hitch. Those who believe that he really had been working for British Intelligence cite this as evidence that the government was behind him. A perhaps more plausible reason is that Crowley was simply not taken seriously. England deals with chaps like him by ignoring them and that seems to be what happened with Crowley.

It was a bit of good luck amid many difficulties. The O.T.O. was broke, either through Crowley’s profligacy or George Cowie’s pilfering. Victor Neuburg avoided him; he had heard of Crowley’s return and quickly ducked for cover. A reunion with George Cecil Jones proved disappointing; he had settled into comfortable normality and Crowley loathed him for it. Crowley’s own health was ailing; he had bronchitis and his asthma had returned; to battle it he obtained a prescription for heroin, which was still legal at that time. It was the beginning of an addiction that lasted the rest of his life.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.