Robert Anton Wilson on Crowley

Barleywine

Here's something of interest to Crowley and Thoth fans that I came across while wading through old issues of The Realist, probably the very first "underground" magazine. Robert Anton Wilson wrote a long article (covering four issues from September, 1971 into mid-1972), called "Aleister Crowley, The Great Beast," in which he mentions all 22 of the major arcana - or at least the titles - before wandering off into hyperbole. I can't tell if he admired Crowley or thought he was a colossal joke. (I did learn a couple things I didn't know - assuming they're factual.) You will have to access each of the issues separately; in issues 91-C, 92-A and 92-B, the article continuation picks up toward the end of the issue.

http://www.ep.tc/realist/91/09.html
 

Laura Borealis

I can't tell if he admired Crowley or thought he was a colossal joke.

Maybe a bit of both, but mostly admired, I'd say. I've read several of his books (Wilson, not Crowley).
 

smw

Thanks for putting this up. I have just been skimming through this on my phone ( a fiddly pain!) it looks really interesting so far.
 

smw

<deleted> double post
 

smw

I can't tell if he admired Crowley or thought he was a colossal joke



he seems to have admired Crowley's approach here, while enjoying the jokes and keeping an open mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt8TZ0hYHiE

Wilson said:
...If you start doing the exercises that Crowley gives you, you find that your consciousness does alter and then you find the universe alters, which of course is inevitable because the only universe you know is the universe in your unconsciousness which is confusing for some people.....(me for one :confused:) but this combination of do the work and don’t believe anybody's dogmas.. draw your own conclusions...after you have done the work.... I like that approach...

I'm fond of Crowley's poem that he put this in once....'We place no reliance on virgin or pigeon our method is science our aim is religion', I think that is a terrific approach "
He goes on to contrast this with the gullibility of most New Agers who you could sell the Brooklyn bridge too and wouldn't hesitate to hand their money over.

He seems to defend Crowley's reputation of being a demented monster, sadist as due to his enemies getting in to print first with biased portrayals. Though he is also appears sceptical of the later opposite portrayals of him as Magus of the New Aeon, with the raising of consciousness etc

Wilson is funny... prompted about Crowley's 'war' with Mcgregor Mathers, he goes on to talk about a story which he says first appeared in a novel by Dennis Wheatley. Apparently Crowley tries to invoke the Devil and goes mad for six months without really regaining his faculties while his 'son' Mcgregor dies of a heart attack...
Wheatley according to Wilson was the head of the double cross bureau of English intelligence while Crowley worked part time for M15. Each one highly suspicious of then other with Wheatley "having a tendency to believe that any conspiracy he wasn't supervising personally was the work of the Devil...:laugh:
 

ravenest

The best insight for Wilson's view of what Crowley was actually up to can be had from Wilson's book ' The Masks of the Illuminati ' - a great read and very humorous (that is, if one likes the idea of reading about a nervous mason, James Joyce, Cowley and Einstein on an acid trip together - and mish mash of all their writing styles together too ;) ).
 

Barleywine

The best insight for Wilson's view of what Crowley was actually up to can be had from Wilson's book ' The Masks of the Illuminati ' - a great read and very humorous (that is, if one likes the idea of reading about a nervous mason, James Joyce, Cowley and Einstein on an acid trip together - and mish mash of all their writing styles together too ;) ).

Now I'm going to have to go back and re-read the Illuminatus! trilogy. It doesn't include Masks, but it does begin each major section with quotes from Crowley, Timothy Leary and Richard Milhouse Nixon. Browsing through it, it doesn't look like Crowley appeared in any of the three books as a character, but many other suitably embellished historical persons did.
 

ravenest

Oh, do read Masks of the Illuminati ... its worth it ! (For R A W's take on AC's 'trickery' ;) .
 

smw

The best insight for Wilson's view of what Crowley was actually up to can be had from Wilson's book ' The Masks of the Illuminati ' - a great read and very humorous (that is, if one likes the idea of reading about a nervous mason, James Joyce, Cowley and Einstein on an acid trip together - and mish mash of all their writing styles together too ;) ).

that sounds like a head scrambler :laugh: