Portable Darkness

by Aleister Crowley, Scott Michaelsen (Editor), Robert Anton Wilson (Foreword)

While many of the details of Aleister Crowley's flamboyant life have been well documented, Portable Darkness is the first book to tackle the formidable task of collecting the best of his voluminous lifework.  In bringing together Crowley's best writings, editor Scott Michaelsen makes Crowleyan philosophy both accessible and intelligible.

As an intellectual and mystic, Crowley devoted his life to the study of Qabalah, gematria, numerology, astrology, myth, glyphs, yoga, and linguistics.  His intense, methodical exploration of so immense and arcane a range of knowledge has yielded, not surprisingly, a hugely challenging body of literature.  In Portable Darkness , Michaelsen has sifted through this vast, often abstruse oeuvre in search of those works which best display and illuminate the razor-sharp insight for which Crowley has become known.

The selections in Portable Darkness are organized thematically according to Crowley's favorite Qabalah and Magick, Yoga and Magick, Sex and Magick, Magick and Law, Magick and Lies.  As accompanied by Michaelsen's cogent essays, these texts represent the essential Aleister Crowley, guiding novice and adept alike through the complexities of his notoriously impenetrable writings.  Enlightening and revelatory, Portable Darkness is an indispensable lexicon for all those with an interest in the occult.

Genres: Occult, Nonfiction, Magic, Thelema, Magick, Philosophy, Sexuality

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

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

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An anthology of Crowley’s writing is an absolutely daunting task, but Michaelson does a fantastic job with Portable Darkness. Limiting its scope to five general topics, the writings collected here are informative, entertaining, and not all that obscure or difficult to understand. Michaelson’s introductory essays and supplemental biography and reading list are excellent guideposts. Recommended for anyone interested in Crowley looking for a good starting point.

[Kevin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've tried over and over to read this book, but it just doesn't interest me in the least.

Sorry for those who enjoyed it, but I found what I did read to be dry, unnecessarily complicated, and filled with Uncle Al's ego.

[Rodrigo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it's a very good start point to enter in Aleister Crowley's extensive corpus of knowledge, the curator did a very good job in choosing the texts and classify them in four categories to better understanding: Yoga, Sex Magick, The Book of The Law and Magick and Lies. I would definitely recommend it as an introductory text to understand Thelema.

[Seth Lease · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun enough but long-winded.

[Alienne Laval · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best Aleister Crowley digest on Humpty Dumpty little Allick and his adventures since the boarding school sandpit explosion...

[Chad Oldham]

Select essays from AC with an introduction by RAW and Genesis p orridge.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

parts were interesting other parts, meh.

[Todd R · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good snippet of writings by Crowley. May be a bit much for those unfamiliar with Crowley's style and his paradigm.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

he can write. also'"Diary of a Dope Fiend." do what they will..