Мегатерион. Зверь 666

by Francis X. King, Фрэнсис Кинг

Книга о жизни и деятельности мага-сатаниста Алистера Кроули (1875–1947), его магических практиках, о людях, с ним связанных. Описание оккультных обрядов, нередко сексуального характера. Алистер Кроули являлся иконой «поколения любви» 1960-х. Но Кроули не был ни типичным сексуальным маньяком, ни ординарным черным магом. Он был средоточием того, что сам определил словом Magick — системы оккультных взглядов и практик, представ­ленных в таких классических текстах, как «Книга о законе» и «Магия в теории и практике». Видение Кроули сочетало а себе ясность, интеллектуальную мощь и странную, порой пугающую красоту. «Постоянно бунтующее поведение доводило его мать до такой степени, что она в сердцах называла Алистера „Зверем 666“ (из „Откровения Иоанна Богослова“) — этим эпитетом Кроули впоследствии любил называть себя». Главные законы Алистера Кроули: — Делай, что изволишь, да будет законом. — Любовь есть закон, любовь в соответствии с Волей. — Каждый мужчина и каждая женщина — это звезда. — Нет у тебя иного права, кроме как поступать согласно своей воле. В этом убедительном и по-настоящему интересном описании магических успехов Кроули Фрэнсис Кинг исследует каждый из трех главных источников Magick : так, он проливает свет на личность самого Кроули, старается объяснить причину неиссякаемого восхищения перед его работами, которые были представлены на рассмот­рение как личностям из круга магов, так и всем остальным — режиссерам от Кеннета Энгера до Дональ;да Кэмелла и таким музыкантам, как Джимми Пэйдж из Led Zeppelin.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Thelema, Magic, Paranormal, Occult

290 pages, Hardcover

First published July 16, 1987

About the author

Francis X. King was an occult writer and editor who wrote about tarot, divination, witchcraft, magic, sex magic, tantra, and holistic medicine. He was a member of the Society of the Inner Light, an offshoot of the Alpha et Omega, which in turn was an offshoot of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.

Reviews

[Clark Hays · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started Megatherion for research purposes. Kathleen and I are working on the third book in our Cowboy and Vampire Thriller Series and in that world, there is a usually inaccessible, hidden spiritual dimension called The Meta (short for Meta-consciousness) where human and vampire souls exist before and after death. I wanted to read about someone who believed in worlds separate from our own.

Aleister Crowely, with his demons and ascended masters and misshapen gods and doorways into other realms seemed a logical choice.

Years ago, I went through a Crowley phase and purchased a tarot deck of his design, convinced I could unlock the secret mysteries. It didn’t last long; apparently, I was not cut out to be an adept or an initiate. I once thought he was a dark, dangerous man with insight into other planes, but after reading Megatherion, I am more inclined to think of him as a damaged individual with much charisma and strong, strange beliefs, who attracted many other damaged individuals.

Regardless of your stance on magic, or magick, the book is a fascinating look at a unique period of history when otherwise “normal” men and women dressed in robes, had ritual sex and killed a few cats (poor cats, they deserved better).

Here are a few things of note I learned:

So much sex. Crowley, and other Magicians of the Golden Dawn (and similar orders) had so much sex so often with men, with women, with themselves. Apparently, if you do it right, ritual sex can open the doors to astral planes and deeper knowledge about the other realms, etc. It’s almost like they created a magical construct as a cover for their sexual proclivities. In fact, it’s exactly like that. Sex was a big deal then.

Sex is a big deal now. The author makes much of the many incidents of “buggery,” going to great pains to point out when Crowley assumed the passive role versus the active role. That’s wasted ink to me and speaks of our own present day hang ups. Sex with consenting adults is all just good clean fun, regardless of who is in front or behind, and regardless of how many goats are watching.

We were right, menstrual blood is magic! In our first book, the vampires are after some very special menstrual blood from the chosen one. Some readers were offput. The Crowleyean magicians made special magic cakes with a blood as the binding, magic ingredient. Guess which blood was the MOST magical? That’s right, blood of the moon. Not so gross now, are we, easily offended readers?

Vampires were hot even in the 1930s. Apparently, Crowley once worked a big, elaborate magic spell involving a vampire and a werewolf. It appears Twilight owes a little something to the world’s wickedest man.

If you are interested in learning more about a time in history when upstanding gentlemen and ladies found it perfectly acceptable to get naked and freaky, as long as they were thinking about alternative beings from other dimensions, check this book out.

As for me, I’ll be reading Carlos Castaneda next. Don Juan had a thing for other worlds as well. And if you have any recommendations, please let me know by leaving a comment.

[Vera · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the book offers a great deal of detail, it lacks a compelling analysis of why Crowley was able to capture to imaginations of some many people across Europe and the North America.

[Chels S · Rating 3 out of 5]

People idolise THIS guy???!!.......Must be the very definition of "pathetic".

[Glen Damien Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent introduction to the bizarre world of Crowley.

[Χρήστος Δούκας · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creation Books, 2004. Paperback.