Is Aleister Crowleys' beliefs the result of todays wicca/witchcraft?

Question

It seems to me like a lot of people think that todays wicca/witchcraft is based on Crowleys ideas. Just me personally, I think he was kind of creepy and pretty insane. I've read several books by Scott Cunningham, Silver Ravenwolf, Lexa Rosean, and other famous others. I also know a lot of wiccans/witches and I don't see where they relate at all to Crowleys ideas, other than the small fact of the differance between 'magic' and 'magick'. These aren't satanic, devil worshipping people, like 'The Beast 666'. Maybe it's just me, but I don't see much relation between todays wicca/witchcraft and Crowley. Do you? Thanks in advance

Answer 1

Paganism and witchcraft predate Crowley by MILLENNIA. So, no, they are NOT the result of his beliefs. Paganism even predates Christianity (though many Christians don't want to believe that). It's one of the oldest religions on Earth. Most religions have their zealots; Crowley is considered by many to have been one, himself.

Edit: Ummm... What's with the two "thumbs down"??? Whoever gave me those, you wanna drop me an email and explain??? If it's about Paganism predating Christianity (which, as I said, I know a lot of you have problems believing), there's not much I can do about it. That's just historical fact. Don't believe me? Do your own NON-BIASED (i.e. NEUTRAL) research. You'll find that I'm right.

Answer 2

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
Hello,
Actually every religion on the earth has certian techniques that were taken from other ones. But Aleister Crowley was the founder of Thelema,and Wicca stole from Thelema,which is ok ,you have to do what is right for you.
But there is a world of a difference between the two.

Crowley was by no means evil or a Satanist,he taught anti-Christian tactics for certain mystical purposes. Every religion on earth has some universal truth to it even Satanism.
Wiccan's believe in and worship god and goddess outside of themselve's. Thelema is a eternal system,with many paths,God is within;you are god within.
Hilter was evil,Crowley was really more like Santa Clause,good O' uncle Al.
Alot of people can only be happy if they are pointing their fingers and blaiming someone.It's what they're brainwashed to do.My best advice on this is to ignore the ignorant. If someone doesn't believe as you do,just remember that preaching is easy to fall into.Think about how borring it would be if everyone believed in the same thing.
The world is big and there are so many "different" people in it,who's to say who's right?
Maybe nobody is.Just believe in yourself and you'll be just fine.
What evil really is ,has been going on for years,and then some,but there is nothing wrong with making it good.Open your mind!!Love is the Law,love under Will.

Answer 3

Doreen Valiente claimed that a great amount of liturgical material was originally borrowed from Crowleys works by Gardner but that she rewrote much of the work into original wording. Other members of the early coven have backed up that claim.

Crowley's writing on magic was very influential on a variety of magical practices at the time. Crowley was also influenced by some of the same influences affecting Gardner, such as the Golden Dawn, of which Crowley had been a member.

Ronald Hutton spends a chapter in Triumph of the moon discussing Crowley's likely influences, which include the maid/mother/crone concept (although he didn't use those terms) and an altering of the Golden Dawn working tools.

Just because Crowley was insane and/or creepy doesn't mean all of his ideas were insane or creepy. He can easily be both brilliant and creepy.

Answer 4

Gardner himself was certainly influenced by Crowley's writings (though to what extent he had direct contact with Crowley is debatable). The influence of OTO material, the Gnostic mass and so on on Gardner's early writing (1949) is clear.

However, Gardner's published material changes over the years (there are at least four distinct versions, each more elaborate than the last) and by 1957, which is arguably the point at which popular modern Wicca really took off, he'd had help from Doreen Valiente and other members of his covens and only vague traces of Crowley's influence remain.

So if the underlying question is 'if I'm Wiccan am I doing something sort of creepy and insane?' the answer is 'No'.

blessings
ffetcher

Answer 5

Crowley definately influenced Gardner's religion of Wicca. I don't think anyone can deny it. True, Wicca is quit different that Thelema, but they are not incompatible, and they have quite a few similarities...

All in all, the Golden Dawn has influenced pretty much all modern metaphysical thought. It's not bizzare that both Crowley and Gardner would be influenced by it. (And Gardner was directly influenced by Crowley, so the point is moot anyway.)

Answer 6

Truthfully Crowleys works wasn't even thought of when wicca was born some 80 almost years ago.......
(the idea of modern wiccan mindset is that buckland and ravenwolf aren't witchy enought, so things like la vey like movements pulled the gothic nocturnal ideals out of the closet as well......

As a teacher of witchcraft and more, i find that wicca would have adopted crowley designs just like when they stole everything else for the reformings..once their lease on "witchcraft" the title started to make them seem less then witch..like....

but we all learn in the End......don't We...

Answer 7

Yes, Gardner was DIRECTLY influenced by Crowley!

Heck, even the Wiccan Rede "Do as you will and it harm none"

Was taken directly from Crowley's "Do as you will, and that is the whole of the law".

Considering what the rede teaches us about free will, responsibility and consequence (which is what is taught by Crowley's law) - many at the time Gardner came up with it thought the "harm none" part was kina redundant.

Havea look at the link below for more info about Wicca's influences and earlier days.

Answer 8

No. Crowley's beliefs are 100% the result of oppressive forms of Christianity.

Crowley didn't worship Satan either, he was a reactionary against Christianity, intentionally pressing Christian buttons to tick them off at a time when Nationalistic Christians in Britain were still burning down the houses of Jews.

Ravenwolf has a lot to thank Crowley for, because his showmanship and substance opened the door for people with substance, people with substance and showmanship AND people like Ravenwolf with all showmanship and no substance.

Most of the people who say he was evil didn't get it. Like, he said that ejaculation was murdering 6 million babies in response to the "every sperm is sacred" crowd and then idiots think he physically murdered 6 million babies. I think those folk don't know what a million means.

Look at some of his teachings:
Train your body and mind vigourously.
If you're controlled by drugs or other people, break that control.
Examine your life.
Ask WHY, don't be a follower.
Human beings are responsible for evil.
The church is manipulating people.
The government is manipulating people.
Pity that not enough of his stuff was read in Germany in the 1930s, huh?

Answer 9

Crowley was exceptionally eccentric, but he was a brilliant magician. Read his "Magick Without Tears" some time. Crowley wasn't evil or Satanic. He liked controversy, and he was anti-Christian, but not a Satanist.

Here, read this before you go making assumptions:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley

He wasn't perfect, but neither was he the evil person that many neopagans make him out to be (without actually having read anything by him).

Answer 10

Crowley was a "wannabe" True Wicca and witchcraft have nothing to do with "the dark arts". Crowley's ideals were the main force behind those "pseudo-satanic" cults that were highly publicized back in the 1980's.