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So the question has to be asked: whilst intelligent, capable and well-versed in his own right, was Crowley a useful smokescreen for others who were perfectly content to stand back in the shadows? If so, a beautiful strategy.

It's an interesting point and I would say you're pretty much correct. It's not uncommon for very powerful and competent magicians to avoid the limelight so to speak. Kenneth Grant was a very private man, but his works arguably did more to expand & develop the 93 Current paramparā than anyone else who came after AC. I know Grant certainly influenced my understanding of Thelema when I was growing up, yet he chose (very wisely) to remain in obscurity.
 
Elisa Lam? :p

:) This Lam, AC drew him from 'life' o_O

Lam.jpg
 
Crowley's (and Jimmy Page's) former home up in flames
Firefighters called to historic Boleskin House
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Image captionSmoke rising from the fire at Boleskin House
Firefighters have been called to a blaze at a historic property above Loch Ness.

Crews from Foyers, Inverness, Beauly and Dingwall have been sent to Boleskin House near Foyers.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said a large part of the property has been destroyed.

Boleskin House was owned infamous occultist Aleister Crowley and later for a time by Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page.

The alarm was raised at 13:40.

Flames from the fire were visible from the other side of the loch.

A fire appliance from Foyers and another from Inverness were first sent to the scene.

Pumps from Inverness and Beauly along with a water carrier from Inverness, a pump from Dingwall and an incident support unit from Inverness have also been sent.

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Image captionFlames have been visible from the opposite side of the loch
SFRS said: "A large part of the property has already been destroyed by fire and crews are concentrating their efforts on the west wing of the building.

"Crews in breathing apparatus are using four main jets to tackle the blaze and the incident is ongoing."

Crowley, who died in 1947, lived at Boleskin House above Loch Ness from 1899 to 1913.

He was infamous in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century for his promotion of the occult.

During World War I, he wrote anti-British propaganda.

He was also an experienced climber and was part of an ill-fated attempt to scale K2, in modern day Pakistan, in 1902.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-35171061
 
I get Boleskin and Ardachie mixed up....
 
I'd like to hear FrKadash's take on the Abra Melin ritual. That doco Plankton linked above is one I've had for a long time. In it Kenneth Anger claims Crowley bought Boleskine for the express purpose of performing the Abra Melin away from public interruption, yet he didn't close it off correctly once he had raised the alleged spirit he was seeking, which led to all sorts of mayhem for the next few owners. According to Anger, Mathers called him across to Europe on urgent business, interrupting the final rites, and the portal remained open. Fascinating account. Is that a likely true story in your opinion, Fr?
 
Do we have any follow-up to the fire at Boleskine?
 
Mostly destroyed, by the looks of the shots in the article. Let the conspiracy theories commence. I felt there was a great scope for a CT when Johnny Cash's house burnt to the ground soon after he and June had passed on. This is like an apt end to Boleskine after the botched ritual I described above. There was some suggestion that Nessie was the monstrous result of Crowley's incompetence.
 
Owner “distraught” after Highland mansion gutted in blaze
A total of 23 crew used hose reel jets and breathing apparatus but were unable to save the property.

Flames up to 20ft high shot from the roof and soon incinerated most of the building. The cause of the blaze is being investigated.

Annette MacGillivray, who extensively renovated the property after buying it from Led Zeppelin star Mr Page before selling it to the Dutch family a few years ago, said: “The family went out at 10 o’clock to shop in Inverness.

“When they got back the place was ablaze. I think it started in the kitchen. This is dreadful news."
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Asked if there had been any “strange” incidents while she was living there, Mrs MacGillivray said: “Not one. I am a non-believer and didn’t listen to all that rubbish.

“We had a great time there, and my late husband and I had wonderful parties. It is so sad as we put a lot of our life into that house.”
https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/inverness/788749/fire-nightmare-before-christmas/
 
Nah, good riddance. Any chance that 'something' is lingering from Crowley mucking about is worth removing.
 
It was somebody's house, man! They'd never noticed a thing, so I doubt there was anything but the Crowley legend lingering.
 
It was somebody's house, man! They'd never noticed a thing, so I doubt there was anything but the Crowley legend lingering.
Fair enough. I take back and apologise for my ill-judged remark (although I stand by the sentiment re: the former owner).
 
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Fair enough. I take back my remark (although I stand by the sentiment re: the former owner).

It probably says a lot about the supposed power of Crowley's magick that he never made a comeback in supernatural form. Except in that Bruce Dickinson film. Don't think that counts.
 
Fair enough. I take back and apologise for my ill-judged remark (although I stand by the sentiment re: the former owner).

Yeah, some family friends who'd spent time in that house in the Page era said it was an unbearably creepy place. They (well, one of them, anyway) could not even consider walking into certain rooms, as if it was physically repulsive. The basement in particular, IIRC, which seemed to have contained some kind of crypt.

Perhaps not everyone felt unsettled by the house, but clearly some did have bad experiences there.
 
Of course, Page and his friends would most likely have done drugs (allegedly) - which may have made things more 'creepy'.
 
Of course, Page and his friends would most likely have done drugs (allegedly) - which may have made things more 'creepy'.

The people in question were there for a Christmas party, so not very likely they were all smacked out at that point. They were probably drinking, though. Dunno if you'd necessarily have to be three sheets to the wind to be creeped out by Aleister Crowley's old digs.

One half of this couple was a sound engineer who worked for Led Zeppelin (among others) so thats how they happened to spend the holidays at Boleskine house. Just in case anyone wondered. Apparently, Page didn't spend very much time there, otherwise.

ETA- I might as well add that these same people also said that the whole Zeppelin devil worshipping rumors were untrue. (the same couldn't be said for other bands they worked with, though. )
 
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Yeah, some family friends who'd spent time in that house in the Page era said it was an unbearably creepy place. They (well, one of them, anyway) could not even consider walking into certain rooms, as if it was physically repulsive. The basement in particular, IIRC, which seemed to have contained some kind of crypt.

I'm there, Dude. :cooll:
 
I'd like to hear FrKadash's take on the Abra Melin ritual. That doco Plankton linked above is one I've had for a long time. In it Kenneth Anger claims Crowley bought Boleskine for the express purpose of performing the Abra Melin away from public interruption, yet he didn't close it off correctly once he had raised the alleged spirit he was seeking, which led to all sorts of mayhem for the next few owners. According to Anger, Mathers called him across to Europe on urgent business, interrupting the final rites, and the portal remained open. Fascinating account. Is that a likely true story in your opinion, Fr?

Yes, that's true. Crowley did buy the house to perform that ritual, but there was trouble in the Golden Dawn and he left before finishing it (it took weeks to perform). However, you have to remember Crowley was an excellent self-publicist and all those little stories added to his legend...He claimed all sorts of things happened to (or because of) him.
For what it's worth the people who owned the house before the current owners said nothing whatsoever happened when they were there and it was a lovely place.

Pretty daft of Crowley to start a ritual of great power then not bother to finish it eh?
 
On another note - any Jethro Tull fans about? I recently found out Ian read some of Crowley's stuff which was no surprise as I'd been thinking for a while some of the lyrics could be Crowley-inspired.
Their A Passion Play album has someone in it called Magus Perde for example, and Crowley was, of course, the Magus, Perdurabo...
 
Crowley finished his life just a few miles from where I live. As teenagers we used to visit the "black pool" just a sort walk from his final lodgings. I have to admit at the time it would freak you out as it was a strangely deep black and silent spot with hearsay attached. We loved to scare ourselves in the dark.

As an adult seeing it again nah.... just a pond, he probably only fed ducks on it while pottering around and has zero vibes. TBH I'm just as interested in his early rock climbing as the nonsense semi masonic crap and hilarious excuses for buggering acolytes.

I do appreciate his full "Do what thou" law though.
 
His stories are horrific and some times very, very hard to read. But the way he wrote is absolutely, so stunningly beautiful, spured by his out of this world imagination.
 
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