The Confessions of Aleister Crowley

THE SPIRIT OF SOLITUDE

An Autohagiography

Subsequently re-Antichristened

THE CONFESSIONS OF ALEISTER CROWLEY

(For reference, the Symonds and Grant page numbers are in {} at the bottom of each text page)

To Three Friends

J. W. N. SULLIVAN
who suggested this booklet
AUGUSTUS JOHN
who first gave practical assistance
P. R. STEPHENSEN
who saw the point

And To Three Immortal Memories

RICHARD FRANCIS BURTON
the perfect pioneer of spiritual and physical adventure
OSCAR ECKENSTEIN
who trained me to follow the trail
ALLAN BENNETT
who did what he could

CONTENTS	{9}
INTRODUCTION	{13}
PART ONE: Towards the Golden Dawn Prelude Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22	{29}
PART TWO: The Mystical Adventure Chapter 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48	{199}
PART THREE: The Advent of the Aeon of Horus Chapter 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57	{391}
PART FOUR: Magical Workings Chapter 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68	{507}
PART FIVE: The Magus Chapter 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79	{663}
PART SIX: At the Abbey of Thelema Chapter 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96	{789}
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
An idealized self-portrait JPG GIF: L M S	frontispiece
The Magician, 1911	224-225
Crowley’s mother
Crowley’s father
The schoolboy, aged 14
The poet, aged 30
Osiris Risen: Crowley in 1899
S. L. M. Mathers, Head of the Golden Dawn
Allan Bennett	256-257
The explorer, mountaineer and big-game hunter, c. 1906
The expedition to Chogo Ri, 1902
Crowley in the Himalayas, 1905
The Buddhist, the man of sorrows
Rose Kelly, Crowley’s first wife
Sister Cybele (Leila Waddell)
The Beast 666: Crowley aged 37	480-481
Demonstrating a yogic technique of breath-control, c. 1912
The Charter issued by John Yarker admitting Crowley to the highest grade (33°) of the Scottish Rite of Masonry, 1910
The Stele of Revealing: Exhibit 666, Boulak Museum, Cairo	512-513
Crowley wearing the head-dress of Horus, c. 1910
Baphomet: Crowley in full Masonic regalia, 1916
The Arabian alchemist
Leah Hirsig in Crowley’s studio, New York, 1918
Handwritten plan for climbing Mt Everest, 1921
Crowley and Alostrael (Leah Hirsig) at the Abbey of Thelema, 1921
Betty May
Raoul Loveday (Frater Aud), 1923
Sketch by Crowley of Norman Mudd (Frater Omnia Pro Veritate)
Frank Bennett (Frater Progradior)
Maria de Miramar and Crowley
Sketch by Crowley of a devouring demon	768-769
Crowley as a human being, 1934
Crowley as Fo-hi, the Chinese god of joy and laughter
Crowley’s hands locked in yogic mudra
Sketch by Crowley
In Jermyn Street, Piccadilly, c. 1943
At Netherwood, Hastings
The Beast 666: self-portrait