Aleister Crowley and the 20th Century Synthesis of Magick is in essence a biography; however, it doesn't concern itself with addressing everything about the man's life; rather, it focuses specifically on Crowley's magical beliefs and the occult systems he developed. Whenever one has a colorful and controversial historical character like Crowley biographers usually fall into two camps: they either portray he/she as inhumanly flawless, or they demonize them. Thankfully Dave Evans rides the fine line between the two and remains extremely objective.

It should be said: I knew a lot about Crowley a.k.a. "The Beast" before I started the book, and after reading it found I already knew about 70% of what it contained. However, one shouldn't judge a book due to one's pre-knowledge of the subject. That's hardly the book's failing. Plus a few new things I learned corrected some erroneous beliefs I held. The author believes that Aleister Crowley was one of the greatest minds of turn of the century Britain -- possibly the world, and certainly the greatest occultist since Queen Elizabeth's wizard, John Dee. Crowley was truly a Renaissance man. He was a master chess player, poet, scholar, British spy, yoga master (WAY before yoga was en vogue), world traveler, and brilliant mathematician. He was close friends with many of Europe and America's leading scientists, writers, and artists. He wrote over 70 books. Amazingly, over 100 years later ALL of them are still in print. How many writers can make that claim?

I don't have time to go into all of Crowley's accomplishments or his association with the Golden Dawn or the OTO (Ordo Templi Orientis); however, one of his greatest achievements was the creation of a philosophical and mind-based religion (still practiced worldwide over 100 years later) called Thelema. In a nutshell Thelema has only two core laws or beliefs: "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law." Many have misunderstood this statement over the years as, "Do whatever you want." However, what Crowley really intended was, "Follow your true Will" -- which isn't always easy. The second rule is: "Love is the law, love under Will" -- pretty self explanatory. Crowley believed the unconscious mind or the "true Will" was the source of one's real intellect and personal power, and that if one followed their Will (which he believed complimented the true Will of others) they would lead a fulfilled and harmonious life. He believed all the world's problems stem from confused people (I can't argue that) who aren't following their true Will and in turn causing a sort of human feedback. He believed one's true Will can be found through meditation, yoga, and ceremonial magick -- basically using mind, body, and aesthetics to tap the inner recesses of one's unconscious and, in turn, shape reality.

It's easy to see why Crowley was vilified so greatly in Edwardian England. He was pretty anti-establishment and counter culture for his day -- though a far cry from the evil arch-sorcerer he's often made out to be. I'm really looking forward to Dave Evans' follow-up book The History of British Occultism After Crowley -- a MUCH larger work covering a hundred years of British occultism including the Pagan movement and the modern school of Chaos magick. ( )