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Golden Twigs
Aleister Crowley and T.S. Eliot had but a few things in common - one of them was inspiration by The Golden Bough of J.G. Frazer, the monumental study of the origins of Magic and Religion. Frazer's influence was immense and it changed the way ordinary people felt about their lives.
This collection of eight compelling tales intensely dramatize themes drawn from The Golden Bough, from the ancient legend of the sacred oak of Nemi to Satanism in modern France. Like Poe's short stories, magic, murder and mystery are woven together into stories you won't forget.
Written in America during the First World War, these creative re-tellings of folklore and legend are collected here for the first time, edited and annotated by Martin P. Starr, a scholar of Crowley's life and works. Illustrated with a previously unpublished portrait of Crowley by Arnold Genthe.
This collection of eight compelling tales intensely dramatize themes drawn from The Golden Bough, from the ancient legend of the sacred oak of Nemi to Satanism in modern France. Like Poe's short stories, magic, murder and mystery are woven together into stories you won't forget.
Written in America during the First World War, these creative re-tellings of folklore and legend are collected here for the first time, edited and annotated by Martin P. Starr, a scholar of Crowley's life and works. Illustrated with a previously unpublished portrait of Crowley by Arnold Genthe.
167 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1988
80 people want to read
About the author
Aleister Crowley
866 books1,878 followersAleister Crowley was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, novelist, mountaineer, and painter. He founded the religion of Thelema, proclaiming himself as the prophet destined to guide humanity into the Æon of Horus in the early 20th century. A prolific writer, Crowley published extensively throughout his life.
Born Edward Alexander Crowley in Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, he was raised in a wealthy family adhering to the fundamentalist Christian Plymouth Brethren faith. Crowley rejected his religious upbringing, developing an interest in Western esotericism. He attended Trinity College, Cambridge, focusing on mountaineering and poetry, and published several works during this period. In 1898, he joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, receiving training in ceremonial magic from Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers and Allan Bennett. His travels took him to Mexico for mountaineering with Oscar Eckenstein and to India, where he studied Hindu and Buddhist practices.
In 1904, during a honeymoon in Cairo with his wife Rose Edith Kelly, Crowley claimed to have received "The Book of the Law" from a supernatural entity named Aiwass. This text became the foundation of Thelema, announcing the onset of the Æon of Horus and introducing the central tenet: "Do what thou wilt." Crowley emphasized that individuals should align with their True Will through ceremonial magic.
After an unsuccessful expedition to Kanchenjunga in 1905 and further travels in India and China, Crowley returned to Britain. There, he co-founded the esoteric order A∴A∴ with George Cecil Jones in 1907 to promote Thelema. In 1912, he joined the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), eventually leading its British branch and reformulating it according to Thelemic principles. Crowley spent World War I in the United States, engaging in painting and writing pro-German propaganda, which biographers later suggested was a cover for British intelligence activities.
In 1920, Crowley established the Abbey of Thelema, a religious commune in Cefalù, Sicily. His libertine lifestyle attracted negative attention from the British press, leading to his expulsion by the Italian government in 1923. He spent subsequent years in France, Germany, and England, continuing to promote Thelema until his death in 1947.
Crowley's notoriety stemmed from his recreational drug use, bisexuality, and criticism of societal norms. Despite controversy, he significantly influenced Western esotericism and the 1960s counterculture, and remains a central figure in Thelema.
Born Edward Alexander Crowley in Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, he was raised in a wealthy family adhering to the fundamentalist Christian Plymouth Brethren faith. Crowley rejected his religious upbringing, developing an interest in Western esotericism. He attended Trinity College, Cambridge, focusing on mountaineering and poetry, and published several works during this period. In 1898, he joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, receiving training in ceremonial magic from Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers and Allan Bennett. His travels took him to Mexico for mountaineering with Oscar Eckenstein and to India, where he studied Hindu and Buddhist practices.
In 1904, during a honeymoon in Cairo with his wife Rose Edith Kelly, Crowley claimed to have received "The Book of the Law" from a supernatural entity named Aiwass. This text became the foundation of Thelema, announcing the onset of the Æon of Horus and introducing the central tenet: "Do what thou wilt." Crowley emphasized that individuals should align with their True Will through ceremonial magic.
After an unsuccessful expedition to Kanchenjunga in 1905 and further travels in India and China, Crowley returned to Britain. There, he co-founded the esoteric order A∴A∴ with George Cecil Jones in 1907 to promote Thelema. In 1912, he joined the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), eventually leading its British branch and reformulating it according to Thelemic principles. Crowley spent World War I in the United States, engaging in painting and writing pro-German propaganda, which biographers later suggested was a cover for British intelligence activities.
In 1920, Crowley established the Abbey of Thelema, a religious commune in Cefalù, Sicily. His libertine lifestyle attracted negative attention from the British press, leading to his expulsion by the Italian government in 1923. He spent subsequent years in France, Germany, and England, continuing to promote Thelema until his death in 1947.
Crowley's notoriety stemmed from his recreational drug use, bisexuality, and criticism of societal norms. Despite controversy, he significantly influenced Western esotericism and the 1960s counterculture, and remains a central figure in Thelema.
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August 3, 2017
I read this a very long time ago, after having read "Moonchild" and "Diary of a Drug Fiend". This collection of 6 short stories became my favorite book of fiction by Crowley at the time (I wonder if I would love it just as much if I was able to come across another copy today). The stories reminded me of Clive Barker's Books of Blood, but even better. They would make excellent movies, if a decent director insisted on an accurate adaptation. Some one like Alejandro Jodorowsky or Terry Gilliam? I'm really surprised that that "Golden Twigs" is under-rated and under-circulated.
(10/4/16- I recently read these stories again, republished in the new Simon Iff collection. They are just as good as I remember them; enough to change my rating from 4 stars to 5.
(10/4/16- I recently read these stories again, republished in the new Simon Iff collection. They are just as good as I remember them; enough to change my rating from 4 stars to 5.
Displaying 1 of 1 review