The Abbey of Thelema - WARNING, there are some disturing images and PG is required.

[TeeJF]

Led Zeppelin's guitarist, Jimmy Page had great interest in him too and bought his Loch side house

Thanks Big D. Yup, Pagey did indeed revere Crowley - he said that the man was a misunderstood genius - and as you say, he bought his Scottish gaff, Boleskine House in the early seventies. The first building on the site had originally been a small church (or kirk if you speak with a skirt on), and it allegedly burnt down with everyone trapped inside. Pagey bought the house which was built after the fire, or was the repaired kirk depending upon which source you read.

Page's dream sequence in the Led Zeppelin film The Song Remains the Same was filmed on the hill side directly behind the house.

Aren't there a whole load of mystical symbols cut into the centre of the album Led Zepp 4 which was I think Pagey's idea?

Crowley bought the house "in order to perform the operation found in The Book of the Sacred Magick of Abra-Melin the Mage " but he sold it to fund the publication of one of his books. He also went on record saying that the money from the house sale was nicked by George MacNie Cowie, the Grand Treasurer General of Ordo Templi Orientis, the Satanic society he was also a member of.

 

[krela]

Crowley, like Freud, is another shining example of how powerful an emotion shame is, and how in the right conditions it can lead charismatic psychopaths to create whole new world views to justify and normalise their self-perceived deviancy, worlds that vulnerable people will buy into.

I have had the misfortune of having to deal with a few of his disciples for various reasons.

Top report, thanks!

 

[Mars Lander]

you've opened a real can of worms with this one, but more the Boleskine element am watching vids of the place as we speak. Oh to have a little poke around there, like you am not interested in the spiritual and heebi jeebi side but its the thoughts and ideas this place conjured up in the occupants that resided there and what supposedly went on there , a different kind UK history and heritage if you like.

 

[TeeJF]

I really want to say he wasn't a satanist, but that's a whole other can of worms.

a friend visited in the 80s and has some strange tales to go with. I'll try and get a shot of his photos

Cheers bud.

One man's Satanist is another man's occultist but I take your point. Crowley went on record as saying, "I was not content to just believe in Satan, I wanted to be his chief of staff" so it is on that basis that I use the definition.

As to weird happenings or strange tails, we were more scared of having our collars felt by the Sicilian police when we went there than of finding Astoroth doing the ironing in the lounge. Apparently the locals watch over the place very closely, not from any desire to protect it - they'd rather it was bulldozed apparently - but because it attracts so many fruitloops on a pilgrimage.

I would be very interested to see what it looked like in the 80s, 30 years must have made a hell of a difference to the murals. To be honest I can't see the place lasting all that much longer. The walls are crumbly, the roof has gone almost throughout the entire house, the Chamber of Nightmares room excepted, but in there souvenir hunters have even removed many of the floor tiles.

 

[TeeJF]

worlds that vulnerable people will buy into.

I have had the misfortune of having to deal with a few of his disciples for various reasons.

Cheers Mr. K. Oh yes, you hit the nail right on the head there I think.

When you read about Crowley an immediate vision of a powerful personality born of defiance and rebellion against a strict fundamentalist Christian upbringing immediately leaps out of the page at you. Then when you consider the voices he heard - the dictation to him of his Thelemic master work by Aiwass when he went to Egypt is the best example - I tend to think of schizophrenia straight away, especially when you consider his age when he first started hearing these voices. Now add into the melting pot heroine, peyote and cocaine, all of which he was known to use to excess - and he was a heroine addict - then visions of angels and demons are readily explained. Many of the people closest to him ended up burnt out and committed to mental hospitals, or committed suicide, so to me it's a wonder that he retained any form of sanity and didn't go the same way.

 

[Mardy Bum]

Cheers bud.

One man's Satanist is another man's occultist but I take your point. Crowley went on record as saying, "I was not content to just believe in Satan, I wanted to be his chief of staff" so it is on that basis that I use the definition.

As to weird happenings or strange tails, we were more scared of having our collars felt by the Sicilian police when we went there than of finding Astoroth doing the ironing in the lounge. Apparently the locals watch over the place very closely, not from any desire to protect it - they'd rather it was bulldozed apparently - but because it attracts so many fruitloops on a pilgrimage.

I would be very interested to see what it looked like in the 80s, 30 years must have made a hell of a difference to the murals. To be honest I can't see the place lasting all that much longer. The walls are crumbly, the roof has gone almost throughout the entire house, the Chamber of Nightmares room excepted, but in there souvenir hunters have even removed many of the floor tiles.

The satan thing becomes a bit of a bugbear when researching the occult, sex magick was Crowley and the OTO's bag. Not to say Crowley wasn't up to all sorts of bad things, the old 'he's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy' is very apt! My friend didn't have much luck with the locals, but he did meet an old man outside the abbey who took the majority of his photos and then vanished, my memory is crap but I know he didn't get inside but it's entirely possible it was sealed up as this guy was a well seasoned squatter back then., he did get on the roof tho! Gonna pay him a visit and get the whole story out of him.

 

[krela]

Cheers Mr. K. Oh yes, you hit the nail right on the head there I think.

When you read about Crowley an immediate vision of a powerful personality born of defiance and rebellion against a strict fundamentalist Christian upbringing immediately leaps out of the page at you. Then when you consider the voices he heard - the dictation to him of his Thelemic master work by Aiwass when he went to Egypt is the best example - I tend to think of schizophrenia straight away, especially when you consider his age when he first started hearing these voices. Now add into the melting pot heroine, peyote and cocaine, all of which he was known to use to excess - and he was a heroine addict - then visions of angels and demons are readily explained. Many of the people closest to him ended up burnt out and committed to mental hospitals, or committed suicide, so to me it's a wonder that he retained any form of sanity and didn't go the same way.

Yeah it's pretty amazing what can happen when your mum tells you sexual urges are the work of the devil, which is where the whole angel/demon thing comes from. The results can be pretty scary, as in this case, but in reality it's also just very sad and unnecessary. It's horribly ironic really, it all stemmed from being told that perfectly normal things are abnormal, so he did abnormal things to normalise what he thought was abnormal.

Personally I would argue Crowley had very little sanity but was incredibly good at acting, which is the mark of a psychopath.

 

[TeeJF]

he did meet an old man outside the abbey who took the majority of his photos and then vanished,

And vanished? That would be Astoroth then...

Personally I would argue Crowley had very little sanity but was incredibly good at acting, which is the mark of a psychopath.

An interesting argument, and rather compelling.

What does come over in everything you read about him is the fact that he was extremely intelligent AND above all that he had an immensely powerful animal magnetism. On that subject he once took some artist to court for slander and when he walked out after the hearing a woman literally walked up to him and said that she wanted his child... never piggin' happens to me! Perhaps being a fruit loop does have its perks.

 

[krela]

Extreme charisma and persuasive power are both major psychopathic traits. Think about cult leaders, serial killers, etc. They all have their following.

 

[UrbanX]

"I think the guy was a gross, perverted sexual deviant, an addled alcoholic and drug addict, and almost certainly schizophrenic"

Thought I could feel my ears burning!

Fantastic report, looks a truly disturbing place. I'm surprised theres so much of it left considering the timescale and the attraction it must have. Interesting that he was friends with George Bernard Shaw - I visit GBS's derelict house quite regularly, and it's literally within a couple of miles of where Crowley stayed while he was at uni...

Thank you for such a detailed write up, was hooked the whole way through.

 

[Pen15]

"WOW"

That is some report!

You had me captivated all the way through. Even the comments afterwards were a compelling read. Thank you for your enlightening, educational and humourous content.

 

[tank2020]

The details of your reports never stop amazing me. I am not a religious person and believe that it has a lot to answer for. But the imagery I find fascinating. To think, in the world of religion if you believe in God, you by default believe in the Devil. Scary Stuff!

 

[Ace5150]

EXCELLENT report. Really enjoyed this one.
Previous poster mentioned Blizzard of Ozz and their 'Mr Crowley' (featuring a blistering Randy Rhoads solo), but there's ANOTHER song, by Gillan called 'Abbey of Thelema' which is just as good.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKPexx3fIN0[/ame]

 

[King Al]

Absolutely superbly comprehensive report this TeeJF! Fantactic read and interesting pics

 

[TeeJF]

To think, if you believe in God, you by default believe in the Devil.

I believe in the Devil... there's no doubting his existence... who do you think invented Travelodge, Starmucks and McDuffnalds?

QED

Thank-E-koyndly y'all for your lovely comments.

 

[Walrus75]

Blimey, the longer this thread gets the more interesting it becomes. Now this is what the t'internet is all about

Thanks Ace5150 - you just wisked me back to October 1979, Gillan at Preston Guild Hall... no 'Abbey of Thelema' but memories of Mr Universe live always puts a chuffing huge great smile on my mush

 

[wolfism]

Interesting thread, I guess that the more credulous you are, the more the occult has a chance to take a grip on you. If you're a skeptic, you'll probably remain so.

Probably best to give Boleskine House a wide berth nowadays, as although it was run as an upmarket B&B in the 1990's, it's a private house again and from what I've read, the owners are plagued by Led Zep groupies and Crowley-obsessed sad/mad/bad goths. Scotland is full of haunted castles, and centuries ago there were full-blown "wizards" who could give Crowley a run for his money in terms of magic(k), Michael Scot being a good example.

Or if you're interested in the Golden Dawn, Templars and so forth, have a look at Rosslyn..

 

[Dissimulate]

Just fascinating, you've now got me watching every documentary on Aleister Crowley.
First class stuff, great bit of history which in the next few hours I will most likely get very knowledgeable about :-D

 

[Quattre]

This poor Mr Crowley, what a sad sick little man. But your report is stunning, I enjoyed it a lot!