Editing Aleister Crowley (section)

==Developing Thelema==

===Egypt and ''The Book of the Law'': 1904===
{{Quote box|width=25em|align=right|quote=Had! The manifestation of [[Nuit]].<br>The unveiling of the company of heaven.<br>Every man and every woman is a star.<br>Every number is infinite; there is no difference.<br>Help me, o warrior lord of Thebes, in my unveiling before the Children of men!|source=The opening lines of ''The Book of the Law''}}
In February 1904, Crowley and Rose arrived in [[Cairo]]. Pretending to be a prince and princess, they rented an apartment in which Crowley set up a temple room and began invoking ancient Egyptian deities, while studying [[Islamic mysticism]] and [[Arabic]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=181–82|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=118–20|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=124|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=94}} According to Crowley's later account, Rose regularly became delirious and informed him "they are waiting for you." On 18 March, she explained that "they" were the god [[Horus]], and on 20 March proclaimed that "the Equinox of the Gods has come". She led him to a nearby museum, where she showed him a seventh-century BCE mortuary [[stele]] known as the [[Stele of Ankh-ef-en-Khonsu]]; Crowley thought it important that the exhibit's number was 666, the [[Number of the beast|Number of the Beast]] in Christian belief, and in later years termed the artefact the "Stele of Revealing".{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=182–83|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=120–22|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=124–26|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=96–98}}

According to Crowley's later statements, on 8 April he heard a disembodied voice identifying itself as that of [[Aiwass]], the messenger of Horus, or [[Heru-ra-ha|Hoor-Paar-Kraat]]. Crowley said that he wrote down everything the voice told him over the course of the next three days, and titled it ''Liber AL vel Legis'' or ''[[The Book of the Law]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=184–88|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=122–25|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=127–29}} The book proclaimed that humanity was entering a new [[Aeon (Thelema)|Aeon]], and that Crowley would serve as its [[prophet]]. It stated that a supreme moral law was to be introduced in this Aeon, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law," and that people should learn to live in tune with their Will. This book, and the philosophy that it espoused, became the cornerstone of Crowley's religion, [[Thelema]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=184–88|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=125–33}} Crowley said that at the time he was unsure what to do with ''The Book of the Law''. Often resenting it, he said that he ignored the instructions which the text commanded him to perform, which included taking the Stele of Revealing from the museum, fortifying his own island, and translating the book into all the world's languages. According to his account, he instead sent typescripts of the work to several occultists he knew, putting the manuscript away and ignoring it.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=188|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=139|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=129}}

===Kanchenjunga and China: 1905–1906===
Returning to Boleskine, Crowley came to believe that Mathers was using magic against him, and the relationship between the two broke down.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=189, 194–95|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=140–41|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=130|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=108}} On 28 July 1905, Rose gave birth to Crowley's first child, a daughter named Lilith, and Crowley wrote the pornographic ''[[Snowdrops from a Curate's Garden]]'' to entertain his recuperating wife.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=195–96|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=142|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=132|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=108}} He also founded a publishing company through which to publish his poetry, naming it the Society for the Propagation of Religious Truth in parody of the [[Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge]]. Among its first publications were Crowley's ''Collected Works'', edited by Ivor Back, an old friend of Crowley's who was both a practicing surgeon and an enthusiast of literature.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=190|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=142|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=131–33}} His poetry often received strong reviews (either positive or negative), but never sold well. In an attempt to gain more publicity, he issued a reward of £100 for the best essay on his work. The winner of this was [[J. F. C. Fuller]], a British Army officer and military historian, whose essay, ''The Star in the West'' (1907), heralded Crowley's poetry as some of the greatest ever written.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=241–42|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=177–79|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=136–37, 139, 168–69}}

[[File:Kanchenjunga India.jpg|left|thumb|alt=A photograph of Kangchenjunga|[[Kangchenjunga|Kanchenjunga]], as seen from [[Darjeeling]]]]

Crowley decided to climb [[Kangchenjunga|Kanchenjunga]] in the Himalayas of Nepal, widely recognised as the world's most treacherous mountain. The collaboration between [[Jules Jacot-Guillarmod|Jacot-Guillarmod]], Charles Adolphe Reymond, Alexis Pache, and Alcesti C. Rigo de Righi, [[1905 Kanchenjunga expedition|the expedition]] was marred by much argument between Crowley and the others, who thought that he was reckless. They eventually mutinied against Crowley's control, with the other climbers heading back down the mountain as nightfall approached despite Crowley's warnings that it was too dangerous. Subsequently, Pache and several porters were killed in an accident, something for which Crowley was widely blamed by the mountaineering community.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=201–15|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=149–58|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=138–49|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=111–12}}

Spending time in [[Hariharpur, India|Moharbhanj]], where he took part in [[big-game hunting]] and wrote the homoerotic work ''The Scented Garden'', Crowley met up with Rose and Lilith in [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] before being forced to leave India after non-lethally shooting two men who tried to mug him.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=217–19|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=158–62|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=151–52}} Briefly visiting Bennett in Burma, Crowley and his family decided to tour Southern China, hiring porters and a nanny for the purpose.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=221|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=162–63|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=114}} Crowley smoked opium throughout the journey, which took the family from [[Tengchong|Tengyueh]] through to Yungchang, [[Dali City|Tali]], [[Kunming|Yunnanfu]], and then [[Hanoi]]. On the way, he spent much time on spiritual and magical work, reciting the "Bornless Ritual", an invocation to his [[Holy Guardian Angel]], on a daily basis.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=221–32|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=164–69|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=153–54|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=115–18}}

While Rose and Lilith returned to Europe, Crowley headed to Shanghai to meet old friend Elaine Simpson, who was fascinated by ''The Book of the Law''; together they performed rituals in an attempt to contact Aiwass. Crowley then sailed to Japan and Canada, before continuing to New York City, where he unsuccessfully solicited support for a second expedition up Kanchenjunga.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=232–35|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=169–71|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=155–56|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=118–21}} Upon arrival in Britain, Crowley learned that his daughter Lilith had died of [[Typhoid fever|typhoid]] in [[Yangon|Rangoon]], something he later blamed on Rose's increasing alcoholism. Under emotional distress, his health began to suffer, and he underwent a series of surgical operations.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=235–36, 239|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=171–72|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=159–60|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=121}} He began short-lived romances with actress Vera "Lola" Neville (née Snepp){{sfn|Kaczynski|2010|p=160}} and author [[Ada Leverson]],{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=246|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=179|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=159–60, 173–74}} while Rose gave birth to Crowley's second daughter, Lola Zaza, in February 1907.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=236–37|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=172–73|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=159–60|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=125}}

===The A∴A∴ and The Holy Books of Thelema: 1907–1909===
With his old mentor George Cecil Jones, Crowley continued performing [[The Book of Abramelin|the Abramelin rituals]] at the Ashdown Park Hotel in [[Coulsdon]], Surrey. Crowley believed that in doing so he attained ''[[samadhi]]'', or union with Godhead, thereby marking a turning point in his life.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=239–40|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=173–74|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=157–60}} Making heavy use of [[hashish]] during these rituals, he wrote an essay on "The Psychology of Hashish" (1909) in which he championed the drug as an aid to mysticism.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=240–41|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=173, 175–76|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=179|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=128}} He also said he had been contacted once again by Aiwass in late October and November 1907, adding that Aiwass dictated two further texts to him, "Liber VII" and "Liber Cordis Cincti Serpente", both of which were later classified in the corpus of [[The Holy Books of Thelema]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=251–52|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=181|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=172}} Crowley wrote down more Thelemic Holy Books during the last two months of the year, including "Liber LXVI", "Liber Arcanorum", "Liber Porta Lucis, Sub Figura X", "Liber Tau", "[[Liber Trigrammaton]]" and "Liber DCCCXIII vel Ararita", which he again said he had received from a preternatural source.{{sfn|Kaczynski|2010|pp=173–75}} Crowley stated that in June 1909, when the manuscript of ''The Book of the Law'' was rediscovered at Boleskine, he developed the opinion that Thelema represented [[Objectivity (philosophy)|objective truth]].{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1pp=195–96|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2pp=189–90|3a1=Churton|3y=2011|3pp=147–48}}

Crowley's inheritance was running out.{{sfn|Booth|2000|p=243}} Trying to earn money, he was hired by George Montagu Bennett, the [[Earl of Tankerville]], to help protect him from [[witchcraft]]; recognising Bennett's paranoia as being based in his cocaine addiction, Crowley took him on holiday to France and Morocco to recuperate.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=249–51|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=180|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=129–36}} In 1907, he also began taking in paying students, whom he instructed in occult and magical practice.{{Sfn|Booth|2000|p=252}} [[Victor Neuburg (poet)|Victor Neuburg]], whom Crowley met in February 1907, became his sexual partner and closest disciple; in 1908 the pair toured northern Spain before heading to [[Tangier]], Morocco.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=255–62|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=184–87|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=179–80|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=129–30, 142–43}} The following year Neuburg stayed at Boleskine, where he and Crowley engaged in [[sadomasochism]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=267–68|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=196–98|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=146–47}} Crowley continued to write prolifically, producing such works of poetry as ''Ambergris'', ''Clouds Without Water'', and ''Konx Om Pax'',{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=244–45|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=179, 181|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=176, 191–92|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=131}} as well as his first attempt at an autobiography, ''The World's Tragedy''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=246–47|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=182–83|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=231|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=141}} Recognizing the popularity of short horror stories, Crowley wrote his own, some of which were published,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=254–55|2a1=Churton|2y=2011|2p=172}} and he also published several articles in ''[[Vanity Fair (British magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'', a magazine edited by his friend [[Frank Harris]].{{sfn|Kaczynski|2010|p=178}} He also wrote ''[[777 and Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley|Liber 777]]'', a book of magical and [[Hermetic Qabalah|Qabalistic]] [[Correspondence (theology)|correspondences]] that borrowed from Mathers and Bennett.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=247–48|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=175|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=183|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=128}}

{{Quote box|width=25em|align=right|quote=Into my loneliness comes—<br>The sound of a flute in dim groves that haunt the uttermost hills.<br>Even from the brave river they reach to the edge of the wilderness.<br>And I behold Pan.|source=The opening lines of Liber VII (1907), the first of the Holy Books of Thelema to be revealed to Crowley after ''The Book of the Law''.{{sfn|Crowley|1983|p=32}}}}

In November 1907, Crowley and Jones decided to found an occult order to act as a successor to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, being aided in doing so by Fuller. The result was the [[A∴A∴]]. The group's headquarters and temple were situated at 124 Victoria Street in central London, and their rites borrowed much from those of the Golden Dawn, but with an added Thelemic basis.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=263–64|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=172–73|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=146}} Its earliest members included solicitor Richard Noel Warren, artist [[Austin Osman Spare]], Horace Sheridan-Bickers, author [[George Raffalovich]], Francis Henry Everard Joseph Feilding, engineer Herbert Edward Inman, Kenneth Ward, and [[Charles Stansfeld Jones]].{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1p=207|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=185–89}} In March 1909, Crowley began production of a biannual periodical titled ''[[The Equinox]]''. He billed this periodical, which was to become the "Official Organ" of the A∴A∴, as "The Review of Scientific Illuminism".{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=265–67|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=192–93|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=183–84|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=144}}

Crowley became increasingly frustrated with Rose's alcoholism, and in November 1909 he divorced her on the grounds of his own adultery. Lola was entrusted to Rose's care; the couple remained friends and Rose continued to live at Boleskine. Her alcoholism worsened, and as a result she was institutionalized in September 1911.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=270–72|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=198–99|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=182–83, 194|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=148}}

===Algeria and the Rites of Eleusis: 1909–1911===
In November 1909, Crowley and Neuburg travelled to Algeria, touring the desert from [[Jendouba|El Arba]] to [[Sour El-Ghozlane|Aumale]], [[Bou Saâda]], and then Dā'leh Addin, with Crowley reciting the [[Quran]] to fortify himself against growing feelings of awe and dread.{{sfn|Owen|2004|pp=186–202}} During the trip he invoked the thirty aethyrs of [[Enochian magic]], with Neuburg recording the results, later published in ''The Equinox'' as ''The Vision and the Voice''. Following a mountaintop [[sex magic]] ritual, Crowley also performed an [[evocation]] to the demon [[Choronzon]] involving [[blood sacrifice]], and considered the results to be a watershed in his magical career.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=274–82|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=199–204|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=193–203|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=149–52}} Returning to London in January 1910, Crowley found that Mathers was suing him for publishing Golden Dawn secrets in ''The Equinox''; the court found in favour of Crowley. The case was widely reported in the press, with Crowley gaining wider fame.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=282–83|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=205–06|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=205–08|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=160}} Crowley enjoyed this, and played up to the sensationalist stereotype of being a Satanist and advocate of human sacrifice, despite being neither.{{sfn|Booth|2000|pp=283–84}}

The publicity attracted new members to the A∴A∴, among them Frank Bennett, James Bayley, Herbert Close, and James Windram.{{Sfn|Kaczynski|2010|pp=210–11}} The Australian violinist [[Leila Waddell]] soon became Crowley's lover.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=285|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=206–07|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=211–13|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=160}} Deciding to expand his teachings to a wider audience, Crowley developed the Rites of Artemis, a public performance of magic and symbolism featuring A∴A∴ members personifying various deities. It was first performed at the A∴A∴ headquarters, with attendees given a fruit punch containing [[peyote]] to enhance their experience. Various members of the press attended, and reported largely positively on it. In October and November 1910, Crowley decided to stage something similar, the [[Rites of Eleusis]], at [[Caxton Hall]], [[Westminster]]; this time press reviews were mixed.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=286–89|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=209–12|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=217–28|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=161–62}} Crowley came under particular criticism from West de Wend Fenton, editor of ''The Looking Glass'' newspaper, who called him "one of the most blasphemous and cold-blooded villains of modern times".{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=289|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=212|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=225|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=163}} Fenton's articles suggested that Crowley and Jones were involved in homosexual activity; Crowley did not mind, but Jones unsuccessfully sued for libel.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=291–92|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=213–15|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=229–34|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=164}} Fuller broke off his friendship and involvement with Crowley over the scandal,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=293–94|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=215|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=234|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=164}} and Crowley and Neuburg returned to Algeria for further magical workings.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=289–90|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=213–14|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=229–30|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=163–64}}

''The Equinox'' continued publishing, and various books of literature and poetry were also published under its imprint, like Crowley's ''Ambergris'', ''The Winged Beetle'', and ''The Scented Garden'', as well as Neuburg's ''The Triumph of Pan'' and Ethel Archer's ''The Whirlpool''.{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1pp=207–08|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2pp=213–15|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=158}} In 1911, Crowley and Waddell holidayed in [[Montigny-sur-Loing]], where he wrote prolifically, producing poems, short stories, plays, and 19 works on magic and mysticism, including the two final Holy Books of Thelema.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=297|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=235–37}} In Paris, he met Mary Desti, who became his next "[[Babalon|Scarlet Woman]]", with the two undertaking magical workings in [[St. Moritz]]; Crowley believed that one of the [[Secret Chiefs]], Ab-ul-Diz, was speaking through her.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=297–301|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=217–22|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=239–248|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=165–66}} Based on Desti's statements when in trance, Crowley wrote the two-volume ''[[Magick (Book 4)|Book 4]]'' (1912–13) and at the time developed the spelling "magick" in reference to the [[Magic (supernatural)|paranormal phenomenon]] as a means of distinguishing it from the [[Magic (illusion)|stage magic]] of illusionists.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=301|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=222–24|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=247–50|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=166}}

===Ordo Templi Orientis and the Paris Working: 1912–1914===
[[File:Aleister Crowley, Magus.png|thumb|right|upright|alt=Crowley wearing ceremonial garb|Crowley in ceremonial garb, 1912]]
In early 1912, Crowley published ''[[The Book of Lies (Crowley)|The Book of Lies]]'', a work of mysticism that biographer Lawrence Sutin described as "his greatest success in merging his talents as poet, scholar, and magus".{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=302|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=224–25|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=251}} The German occultist [[Theodor Reuss]] later accused him of publishing some of the secrets of his own occult order, [[Ordo Templi Orientis]] (O.T.O.), within ''The Book''. Crowley convinced Reuss that the similarities were coincidental, and the two became friends. Reuss appointed Crowley as head of O.T.O's British branch, the Mysteria Mystica Maxima (MMM), and at a ceremony in [[Berlin]] Crowley adopted the magical name of [[Baphomet]] and was proclaimed "X° Supreme Rex and Sovereign Grand Master General of Ireland, Iona, and all the Britons".{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=302–05|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=225–26|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=251–25}} With Reuss' permission, Crowley set about advertising the MMM and re-writing many O.T.O. rituals, which were then based largely on [[Freemasonry]]; his incorporation of Thelemite elements proved controversial in the group. Fascinated by O.T.O's emphasis on [[sex magic]], Crowley devised a magical working based on anal sex and incorporated it into the syllabus for those O.T.O. members who were initiated into the [[Ordo Templi Orientis#Initiation and teachings|eleventh degree]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=306|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=228|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=256}}

In March 1913, Crowley acted as producer for ''The Ragged Ragtime Girls'', a group of female violinists led by Waddell, as they performed at London's [[Old Tivoli]] theatre. They subsequently performed in Moscow for six weeks, where Crowley had a sadomasochistic relationship with the Hungarian Anny Ringler.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=308–09|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=232–34|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=261–65}} In Moscow, Crowley continued to write plays and poetry, including "Hymn to [[Pan (god)|Pan]]", and the [[Liber XV, The Gnostic Mass|Gnostic Mass]], a Thelemic ritual that became a key part of O.T.O. liturgy.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=309–10|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=234–35|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=264}} Churton suggested that Crowley had travelled to Moscow on the orders of British intelligence to spy on revolutionary elements in the city.{{sfn|Churton|2011|pp=178–82}} In January 1914, Crowley and Neuburg settled into an apartment in Paris, where the former was involved in the controversy surrounding [[Oscar Wilde's tomb|Jacob Epstein's new monument to Oscar Wilde]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=307|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=218|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=266–67}} Together Crowley and Neuburg performed the six-week "Paris Working", a period of intense ritual involving strong drug use in which they invoked the gods [[Mercury (mythology)|Mercury]] and [[Jupiter (god)|Jupiter]]. As part of the ritual, the couple performed acts of sex magic together, at times being joined by journalist [[Walter Duranty]]. Inspired by the results of the Working, Crowley wrote ''Liber Agapé'', a treatise on sex magic.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=313–16|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=235–40|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=269–74}} Following the Paris Working, Neuburg began to distance himself from Crowley, resulting in an argument in which Crowley [[curse]]d him.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=317–19|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=240–41|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=275–76}}

===United States: 1914–1919===
By 1914, Crowley was living a hand-to-mouth existence, relying largely on donations from A∴A∴ members and dues payments made to O.T.O.{{sfn|Booth|2000|p=321}} In May, he transferred ownership of Boleskine House to the MMM for financial reasons,{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=321–22|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=240|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=277|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=186}} and in July he went mountaineering in the Swiss Alps. During this time the [[First World War]] broke out.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=322|2a1=Kaczynski|2y=2010|2p=277}}
After recuperating from a bout of [[phlebitis]], Crowley set sail for the United States aboard the [[RMS Lusitania|RMS ''Lusitania'']] in October 1914.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=323|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=241|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=278|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=187–89}} Arriving in New York City, he moved into a hotel and began earning money writing for the American edition of ''[[Vanity Fair (American magazine 1913–1936)|Vanity Fair]]'' and undertaking freelance work for the famed astrologer [[Evangeline Adams]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=323–34|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=281–82, 294}} In the city, he continued experimenting with sex magic, through the use of masturbation, female prostitutes, and male clients of a Turkish bathhouse; all of these encounters were documented in his diaries.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=325|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=243–44}}

[[File:Aleister Crowley's May Morn.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=Crowley's painting ''May Morn''|''May Morn'', one of Crowley's paintings from his time in the US. He explained it thus: "The painting represents the dawning of the day following a witches' celebration as described in ''[[Faust]]''. The witch is hanged, as she deserves, and the satyr looks out from behind a tree."{{sfn|Kaczynski|2010|p=341}}]]

Professing to be of Irish ancestry and a supporter of [[Irish nationalism|Irish independence]] from Great Britain, Crowley began to espouse support for Germany in their war against Britain. He became involved in New York's pro-German movement, and in January 1915 pro-German propagandist [[George Sylvester Viereck]] employed him as a writer for his propagandist paper, ''[[The Fatherland]]'', which was dedicated to keeping the US neutral in the conflict.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=326–30|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=245–47|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=283–84}} In later years, detractors denounced Crowley as a traitor to Britain for this action.{{sfnm|1a1=Sutin|1y=2000|1p=247|3a1=Churton|3y=2011|3p=186}}

Crowley entered into a relationship with [[Jeanne Robert Foster]], with whom he toured the West Coast. In [[Vancouver]], headquarters of the North American O.T.O., he met with [[Charles Stansfeld Jones]] and [[Wilfred Talbot Smith]] to discuss the propagation of Thelema on the continent. In Detroit he experimented with [[Peyote]] at [[Parke-Davis]], then visited Seattle, San Francisco, [[Santa Cruz, California|Santa Cruz]], Los Angeles, San Diego, [[Tijuana]], and the [[Grand Canyon]], before returning to New York.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=330–33|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=251–55|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=288–91, 295–97|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=198–203}} There he befriended [[Ananda Coomaraswamy]] and his wife Alice Richardson; Crowley and Richardson performed sex magic in April 1916, following which she became pregnant and then miscarried.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=333|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=255–57|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=298–301}} Later that year he took a "magical retirement" to a cabin by [[Newfound Lake|Lake Pasquaney]] owned by Evangeline Adams. There, he made heavy use of drugs and undertook a ritual after which he proclaimed himself "Master Therion". He also wrote several short stories based on [[James George Frazer]]'s ''[[The Golden Bough]]'' and a work of literary criticism, ''The Gospel According to Bernard Shaw''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=333–35|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=257–61|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=304–09}}
[[File:Supposed channeled entity by occultist crowley.jpg|thumb|233x233px|A drawing by Crowley of Lam]]
In December, he moved to [[New Orleans]], his favourite US city, before spending February 1917 with evangelical Christian relatives in [[Titusville, Florida]].{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=336–38|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=261–62|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=309–13}} Returning to New York City, he moved in with artist and A∴A∴ member Leon Engers Kennedy in May, learning of his mother's death.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=338|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=263|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=313–16}} After the collapse of ''The Fatherland'', Crowley continued his association with Viereck, who appointed him contributing editor of arts journal ''The International''. Crowley used it to promote Thelema, but it soon ceased publication.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=339–40|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=264–66|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=320}} He then moved to the studio apartment of Roddie Minor, who became his partner and [[Babalon|Scarlet Woman]]. Through their rituals, which Crowley called "The Amalantrah Workings", he believed that they were contacted by a preternatural entity named Lam. The relationship soon ended.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=342–44|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=264–67|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=320–30}}

In 1918, Crowley went on a magical retreat in the wilderness of [[Esopus Island]] on the [[Hudson River]]. Here, he began an adaptation{{efn|Crowley did not read Chinese ({{harvnb|Redmond|2021|p=199, fn. 2}}); his "translations" of Chinese texts are more properly considered "radical adaptation[s]" of existing translations ({{harvnb|Robinson|2017|p=128}}).}} of the ''[[Tao Te Ching]]'', painted Thelemic slogans on the riverside cliffs, and—he later wrote—experienced [[reincarnation|past life memories]] of being [[Ge Xuan]], [[Pope Alexander VI]], [[Alessandro Cagliostro]], and [[Éliphas Lévi]].{{sfnm | 1a1 = Booth | 1y = 2000 | 1pp = 344–45 | 2a1 = Sutin | 2y = 2000 | 2pp = 267–72 | 3a1 = Kaczynski | 3y = 2010 | 3pp = 330–31 }} Back in New York City, he moved to [[Greenwich Village]], where he took [[Leah Hirsig]] as his lover and next Scarlet Woman.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=346–50|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=274–76|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=338–43}} He took up painting as a hobby, exhibiting his work at the Greenwich Village Liberal Club and attracting the attention of ''[[The Evening World]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=344–45|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=274–76|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=340–41}} With the financial assistance of sympathetic Freemasons, Crowley revived ''The Equinox'' with the first issue of volume III, known as ''The Blue Equinox''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=351|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=273|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=342–44}} He spent mid-1919 on a climbing holiday in [[Montauk, New York|Montauk]] before returning to London in December.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=351–52|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=277|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=347}}

===Abbey of Thelema: 1920–1923===
Now destitute and back in London, Crowley came under attack from the tabloid ''[[John Bull (magazine)|John Bull]]'', which labelled him traitorous "scum" for his work with the German war effort; several friends aware of his intelligence work urged him to sue, but he decided not to.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=355–56|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=278|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=356|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=246}} When he was suffering from asthma, a doctor prescribed him heroin, to which he soon became addicted.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=357|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=277|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=355}} In January 1920, he moved to Paris, renting a house in [[Fontainebleau]] with [[Leah Hirsig]]; they were soon joined in a ''ménage à trois'' by Ninette Shumway, and also (in living arrangement) by Leah's newborn daughter Anne "Poupée" Leah.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=356–60|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=278–79|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=356–58|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=246}} Crowley had ideas of forming a community of Thelemites, which he called the [[Abbey of Thelema]] after the Abbaye de Thélème in [[François Rabelais]]' satire ''[[Gargantua and Pantagruel]]''. After consulting the ''[[I Ching]]'', he chose [[Cefalù]] in Sicily as a location, and after arriving there, began renting the old Villa Santa Barbara as his Abbey on 2 April.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=360–63|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=279–80|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=358–59|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=246–48}}

[[File:Abbey of Thelema 01.jpg|thumb|right|alt=2017 photograph of the ruins of the Abbey of Thelema|The dilapidated [[Abbey of Thelema]] in [[Cefalù]], [[Sicily]] in 2017]]
Moving to the commune with Hirsig, Shumway, and their children Hansi, Howard, and Poupée, Crowley described the scenario as "perfectly happy ... my idea of heaven."{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=365}} They wore robes, and performed rituals to the sun god [[Ra]] at set times during the day, also occasionally performing the Gnostic Mass; the rest of the day they were left to follow their own interests.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=368|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=286|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=361}} Undertaking widespread correspondences, Crowley continued to paint, wrote a commentary on ''The Book of the Law'', and revised the third part of ''Book 4''.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=365–66|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=280–81|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=365, 372}} He offered a libertine education for the children, allowing them to play all day and witness acts of sex magic.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=367|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3p=359}} He occasionally travelled to [[Palermo]] to visit [[Male prostitution|rent boys]] and buy supplies, including drugs; his heroin addiction came to dominate his life, and cocaine began to erode his nasal cavity.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=366, 369–70|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=281–82|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=361–62|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=251–52}} There was no cleaning rota, and wild dogs and cats wandered throughout the building, which soon became unsanitary.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=368|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=286–87}} Poupée died in October 1920, and Ninette gave birth to a daughter, Astarte Lulu Panthea, soon afterwards.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=372–73|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=285|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=365–66|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=252}}

New followers continued to arrive at the Abbey to be taught by Crowley. Among them was film star [[Jane Wolfe]], who arrived in July 1920, where she was initiated into the A∴A∴ and became Crowley's secretary.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=371–72|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=286–87|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=362–65, 371–72}} Another was Cecil Frederick Russell, who often argued with Crowley, disliking the same-sex sexual magic that he was required to perform, and left after a year.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=373–74|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=287–88|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=366–68}} More conducive was the Australian Thelemite Frank Bennett, who also spent several months at the Abbey.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=376–78|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=293–94|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=373–76|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=255–56}} In February 1922, Crowley returned to Paris for a retreat in an unsuccessful attempt to kick his heroin addiction.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1p=379|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=290–91|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=377–78|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=258–59}} He then went to London in search of money, where he published articles in ''[[The English Review]]'' criticising the [[Dangerous Drugs Act 1920]] and wrote a novel, ''[[The Diary of a Drug Fiend]]'', completed in July. On publication, it received mixed reviews; he was lambasted by the ''[[Sunday Express]]'', which called for its burning and used its influence to prevent further reprints.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=380–85|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=298–301|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=379–80, 384–87|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4p=259}}

Subsequently, a young Thelemite named Raoul Loveday moved to the Abbey with his wife [[Betty May]]; while Loveday was devoted to Crowley, May detested him and life at the commune. She later said that Loveday was made to drink the blood of a sacrificed cat, and that they were required to cut themselves with razors every time they used the pronoun "I". Loveday drank from a local polluted stream, soon developing a liver infection resulting in his death in February 1923. Returning to London, May told her story to the press.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=385–94|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=301–06|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=381–84, 397–92|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=259–61}} ''John Bull'' proclaimed Crowley "the wickedest man in the world" and "a man we'd like to hang", and although Crowley deemed many of their accusations against him to be slanderous, he was unable to afford the legal fees to sue them. As a result, ''John Bull'' continued its attack, with its stories being repeated in newspapers throughout Europe and in North America.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=394–95|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2pp=307–08|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=392–94|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=261–62}} The [[Italian fascism|Fascist]] government of [[Benito Mussolini]] learned of Crowley's activities, and in April 1923 he was given a deportation notice forcing him to leave Italy; without him, the Abbey closed.{{sfnm|1a1=Booth|1y=2000|1pp=395–96|2a1=Sutin|2y=2000|2p=308|3a1=Kaczynski|3y=2010|3pp=396–97|4a1=Churton|4y=2011|4pp=263–64}}