A. Crowley's 'Moonchild' re: A.E.Waite?

Just ran across a paragraph in Aleister Crowley's book 'Moonchild' (page 151), concerning an Arthwait that I had to share.

I realize the sentiment isn't news to anyone, but thought some might find this interesting all the same;

"The man in charge of the mission of the Black Lodge was one Arthwait, a dull and inaccurate pedant without imagination or real magical perception. Like most Black Magicians, he tippled habitually ; and his capacity for inflicting damage upon others was limited by his inordinate conceit."

the paragraph goes on to say, that Arthwait hated the hero of the book, because of the way he had reviewed Arthwait's books as containing 'elementary blunders in translation' and that he was 'comically ignorant of the languages in which he boasted scholarship".

Thanks for the insider view...

...I have yet to see much comment from Waite or Yeats about Crowley, so I'll keep my eyes open if I'm wading through such things to see if there's a bit of gossip...

Crowley was not shy about his views, it seems.

Regards

Cerulean

It perhaps needs to be taken into consideration that A. Waite was quite deriding of Eliphas Levi (and his works), which A. Crowley both admired and considered himself to be, according to his own reports, the re-incarnation of.

Thank you jmd. Crowley's feelings about Waite certainly seem to run deep.

Cerulean, would love to see anything you might find.

Speaking of Yeats, here is the next character to be introduced, in 'Moonchild';

"The third commissioner was the brains of the business. He was a man highly skilled in black magic in his own way. He was a lean, cadaverous Protestant-Irishman named Gates, tall, with the scholar's stoop. He possessed real original talent, with now and then a flash of insight which came close to genius. But though his intellect was keen and fine, it was in some way confused ; and there was a lack of virility in his make-up. His hair was long, lank and unkempt ; his teeth were neglected ; and he had a habit of physical dirt which was so obvious as to be repulsive even to a stranger.

But there was no harm in him ; he had no business in the Black Lodge at all ; it was but one of his romantic phantasies to pose as a terribly wicked fellow."

jmd said:

It perhaps needs to be taken into consideration that A. Waite was quite deriding of Eliphas Levi (and his works), which A. Crowley both admired and considered himself to be, according to his own reports, the re-incarnation of.

Click to expand...

In the holy Kabbalah by AE WAite...he accuses Levi of making a lot of his stuff up...which I guess is what you are hinting at.....

Crowley was an bung hole imo.....a spoilt brat who dedicated his entire life to giving the divine the finger.........such maturity...and people are still following in his stead to this day.....

"I am thy mate, I am thy man,
Goat of thy flock, I am gold, I am god,
Flesh to thy bone, flower to thy rod.
With hoofs of steel I race on the rocks
Through solstice stubborn to equinox.
And I rave; and I rape and I rip and I rend
Everlasting, world without end,
Mannikin, maiden, maenad, man,
In the might of Pan"....

lol.......I actually like the recording of this by the neo classical/dirge band "Unto Ashes"....

didnt crowley's wife claim to be Levi's teacher reincarnated as well?? or something similiar????

Zorya: What chapter is that passage?

I have a 1971 Avon paperback edition of "The Moonchild" purchased on impulse many years ago with no knowledge of Aleister Crowley nor his associates.

In Chapter XII Of Brother Donofrio, His Stoutness and Valiance; and of the Misadventures that came thereby to the Black Lodge--midway on page 150 & continues through page 151:

"A stupid pedant like Edwin Arthwait is the very feeblest opponent..."

Followed by "...But Arthwait was in the fetters of his own egoism; while he pronounced himself father and grandfather of all spiritual science, in language that would have seemed stilted and archaic to Henry James [author of "The Turn of the Screw"?]...

"...he was the bondslave of utterly insignificant writers, fakers of magical "grimoires" of the fourteenth century, hawkers of spells and conjurations to a benighted peasantry who wished to bewitch cows or prevent their neighbors from catching fish. Arthwait had published a book to show the folly of such works..."

Given the thinly disguised name of the character & references, the descriptions undoubtedly Crowley's view of one Arthur Edward Waite.

Mine is a 1996 edition, published by Samuel Weiser, INC.

Did you see the author's note, at the beginning? which includes;

"Need I add that, as the book itself demonstrates beyond all doubt, all persons and incidents are purely the figment of a disordered imagination?"

Both, the quote about Waite and the one about Yeats, are in chapter XI, Of the Moon of Honey, and its Events; with Sundry Remarks on Magick ; the whole Adorned with Moral Reflections useful to the Young .

I was born on the same date (June 13) as W.B. Yeats.

If you read his poem, The Second Coming, there seems to be some interesting commentary, and it ends with:

"And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?"

Also, I heard something funny one time, I can't remember where this comes from, but Yeats once kicked Crowley down a flight of stairs (probably during the great Golden Dawn falling out.)

Zorya: Thanks!

Found the first quote on page 145; the second on page 146.

That "Author's Note" apparently a disclaimer. Also apparently Crowley anticipated assumptions from at least some of the reading audience.

The book difficult to read--it rambles; switches back & forth as from a novel to occult treatise & then back again.

A Gem maybe ... or at least an opportunity for humour

I've had The Moonchild sitting on my bookshelf since the '70's, still unread. I am intrigued now, after reading the posts, and having some history behind me. I was initially put off Crowley by reading Somerset Maugham's novel, The Magician, which was, apparently, loosely based on Crowley.

I figure that I have about 30 years of reading left to me ... as long as the eyes don't give out, or a determined truck doesn't come my way ... so many books to read ... so little time.
mythos