Aleister Crowley

Born Edward Alexander Crowley in Royal Leamington Spa, England, in 1875, Crowley studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he developed lasting interests in poetry, chess, mountaineering, and Western esotericism. He joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in 1898 and studied ceremonial magic, while traveling widely through Europe, Mexico, India, China, and Egypt.

In 1904, Crowley said he received The Book of the Law in Cairo, a text that became the foundation of Thelema, the religious and philosophical system he developed and promoted throughout his life. A prolific writer, he published poetry, novels, essays, and occult works, founded or led several esoteric organizations, and established the Abbey of Thelema in Sicily. He died in Hastings, England, in 1947, leaving a complex legacy as a pioneering and deeply controversial figure in modern occultism.