Thelema and ceremonial magic

Aleister Crowley

1875 – 1947

Aleister Crowley was an English occultist, poet, and ceremonial magician who founded the religious philosophy of Thelema, enshrined in The Book of the Law (1904), which he claimed was dictated to him by a supernatural entity named Aiwass. He was a central figure in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn before forming his own magical orders, including the A∴A∴, and later became head of the Ordo Templi Orientis. His prolific writings on ritual magic, Qabalah, Enochian magic, and yoga made him one of the most influential and controversial figures in the history of Western esotericism.