Aleister Crowley was a notorious British occultist, writer, and mountaineer who founded the religion of Thelema and called himself the Beast 666. He was denounced in his own time for his decadent lifestyle and had few followers, but he became a cult figure after his death. But how did Aleister Crowley die? What was the cause of death of the man who claimed to have received a revelation from a supernatural entity named Aiwass? In this article, we will explore the facts and myths surrounding Aleister Crowley’s death.
Aleister Crowley’s Life and Legacy
Aleister Crowley was born Edward Alexander Crowley on October 12, 1875, in Royal Leamington Spa, England. His father was an heir to a brewing fortune who became an evangelist for the Plymouth Brethren, a Nonconformist religious denomination. The younger Crowley, however, formed an aversion to Christianity early in life. As a student at Trinity College, University of Cambridge, he began to use the name Aleister and gained a reputation for skill at chess. He left the university without taking a degree in 1898.
Crowley’s own inheritance left him free to travel widely and to arrange for the publication of his writings. His first book of poetry appeared in 1898, and numerous books followed. As a mountaineer, Crowley honed his skills on cliffs in Great Britain before taking part in pioneering attempts to climb Earth’s second- and third-highest mountains, K2 and Kanchenjunga. The K2 expedition of 1902 reached an elevation of 18,600 feet (5,670 metres), while the Kanchenjunga expedition three years later was marred by tragedy when four of Crowley’s fellow climbers were killed in an avalanche. It was said that Crowley, who had advised them against taking the fatal route, ignored cries for help from the survivors of the accident.
Like many other religious skeptics of the 19th century, Crowley became interested in occultism. In 1898 he joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, an organization derived from the Rosicrucians. One of Crowley’s rivals within the London Golden Dawn group was the poet William Butler Yeats. On a visit to Egypt in 1904, Crowley reported mystical experiences and wrote The Book of the Law, a prose poem which he claimed had been dictated to him by a discarnate being called Aiwass. In it he formulated his most famous teaching: “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.” The sentiment was not new—the French author François Rabelais had expressed it more than 300 years earlier in Gargantua and Pantagruel —but Crowley made it the basis of a new religion he called Thelema, thelēma being the Greek word for “will.”
Crowley spent much of his life promoting Thelema through various esoteric orders, such as the A∴A∴ and the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), which he reformed according to his Thelemite beliefs. He also practiced ceremonial magic, sex magic, and drug experimentation as means of achieving his True Will and attaining mystical states of consciousness. He wrote extensively on these topics, as well as on poetry, novels, philosophy, and art. He also influenced many other artists and occultists, such as Jack Parsons, Kenneth Anger, Gerald Gardner, Jimmy Page, David Bowie, and Ozzy Osbourne.
Aleister Crowley’s Death and Controversies
Aleister Crowley died on December 1, 1947, at the age of 72. He died in Hastings Boarding House in England. The cause of death is said to be chronic bronchitis aggravated by his addiction to heroin for many years. He had been prescribed heroin for his asthma by his doctor, but he also used it recreationally and became dependent on it. He suffered from respiratory infections and other health problems in his later years.
Crowley’s death was not widely reported at the time. His funeral was attended by only a few friends and followers He was cremated and his ashes were sent to one of his disciples in America. His funeral service included readings from The Book of the Law and some of his own poetry. Some sources claim that a black mass was performed at his funeral, but this is disputed by others.
Crowley’s death did not end the controversies surrounding him. His reputation as a wicked and dangerous man persisted in popular culture and media. He was accused of being a Satanist, a spy, a child molester, a murderer, and a traitor. Some of these accusations were based on rumors, misunderstandings, or deliberate distortions of his life and teaching. Others were based on his own admissions or evidence of his involvement in illegal or immoral activities.
Crowley’s death also did not end the interest in his life and legacy. His writings and teachings continued to be studied and practiced by many occultists and Thelemites. His influence can be seen in various fields of art, music, literature, and pop culture. He has been the subject of numerous biographies, documentaries, films, and novels. He has also been the inspiration for many fictional characters, such as Harry Potter’s Professor Snape, Doctor Strange’s Baron Mordo, and Batman’s Ra’s al Ghul.
Conclusion
Aleister Crowley was a complex and controversial figure who lived a remarkable and adventurous life. He was a prolific and influential writer, a daring and skilled mountaineer, and a visionary and charismatic leader of a new religion. He was also a notorious and scandalous occultist, a reckless and addicted drug user, and a despised and feared enemy of many. He died of chronic bronchitis caused by his heroin addiction in 1947. His death did not end the controversies or the interest in his life and legacy. He remains one of the most fascinating and controversial figures in modern history.
