The Psychology of Hashish: An Essay on Mysticism

by Aleister Crowley, Adrian Axworthy (Editor)

Crowley's mystical and magical study of the drug. "Nature teaches us, and the Oracles also affirm, that even the evil germs of matter may alike become useful and good." - Zoroaster. Crowley-Thelema series 1. Edited by Adrian Axworthy.

Genres: Occult, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Drugs, Magic

Paperback

First published November 1, 2001

About the author

Aleister 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.

Reviews

[John Lambert]

Loved It

Absolutely loved it.
While we are reading Mister Aleister Crowley...
Im being extorted by the mafia to buy magazines again. Can we please massacre the christians who demand I speak English, have business with they, and stop eating paliperidone?
We at race and holy war is. I lack resource.
Both my foodstamps & debit on file with Bezos.
I gonna buy the magazine, but I want the salesman in a deep freeze and his pinael in a freezer next to my cigarettes honey.

[Aaron Schuschu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty much about anything and everything except weed

[Andy Febrico Bintoro · Rating 3 out of 5]

An experimentation

Well, this is a book about hashish, an experimentation using cannabis to achieve enlightenment. The author definitely learn many religions and want to unite all of this, a typical new age movement. With the basis of using cannabis, he tried meditation, Astral body projection, etc for his religious purpose.

[Alexander Robino · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aleister Crowley takes a stab at interpreting and breaking down different mental states during meditation. He mentions hashish here and there, mostly as a means of helping one achieve these states. In flowery language, he uses conventions of eastern spirituality to interpret the experiences. The book surrounds this subject more than cannabis itself.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

No idea why I read this book. Maybe because it was free on Amazon, or maybe because I was in my mystic phase back then. Maybe both. It was so cool though, not cool enough to read again and again but it poked at my curiosity nontheless.