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Title: The Unknown God: W.T. Smith and the Thelemites by Martin P. Starr ISBN: 0-933429-07-X Publisher: Teitan Pr Pub. Date: November, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $49.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.4 (5 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: The Life of Frater 132
Comment: This book is one of most paramount books on Thelema that hasn't been written by Aleister Crowley himself. Martin P. Starr spent several years of research and had access to several people who contributed with his persistent desire to bring the truth without an agenda like many others have done in the past and present. It is one of the first books on a part of the authentic history of the 93 Current and follows the complex social influences that surrounded the early development of the O.T.O. and the profound spiritual career of W.T. Smith.
Rating: 3
Summary: Cultism for Cultists
Comment: What do you expect from a book written by an extreme cultist? Martin Starr is a very active member of a Crowley-organisation (A.'.A.'.) and a close collaborator of a widely-known Crowley-body, called O.T.O.
Although guised as a scholarly work, Mr Starr's book is of little scholarly value. It is like a book written by a member of Scientology about Scientology.
Nevertheless, it is worth reading as an interesting tidbit about people who consider the consumption of sexual fluids as their ultimate religious goal. No wonder, Mr Starr does not tell us about it.
Rating: 4
Summary: Fascinating
Comment: I've been studying magick for the last 20 or so years, and have long felt that Crowley was witty, insightful, inspired, etc. I usually end up defending his work, when I discuss it with people who aren't that familiar with him (no, he REALLY wasn't advocating human sacrifice hehe).
So I was looking forward to reading this. And boy is the book depressing. Crowley, for as inspired as his works are, was clearly the single worst influence on the Thelema movement during his lifetime. His constant greedy begging for money, his participation in the silly little drama-filled spats by long distance letter-writing, his incomprehensible telegrams, his unhealthy obsession with defaming Annie Besant & co, his obsession with suing people left and right, his obsession with the various Masonry groups...it's amazing that the Los Angeles Thelemites got anything done at all, with all of that going on. Heck it's amazing CROWLEY got anything done at all! Crowley himself drove more people to leave the Order, just based on hearsay and misunderstandings.
It is depressing, because this man was supposedly an Ipsissimus, and yet in his personal and business life, he behaved like some crack addict on the Rikki Lake Show! It's all the more disconcerting, because you know that Crowley is working with Freida Harris on the Book of Thoth while a lot of this soap opera is unfolding, which is probably his most enduring legacy.
Smith comes across as very sympathetic, though certainly not perfect. Most of the other people come across as very human, flawed people trying to better themselves. A few are clearly insane, and not in a good way. I must agree with the other reviewer, that it appears to have been more of a personality cult, than anything else. Whether the modern OTO is still like this, I wouldn't know. Though having read this book, I'm inclined to give any magick order a wide berth, and continue with solo work. (In fairness, every order I've read about has been plagued with similar problems).
I'm afraid the book will be nearly incomprehensible to anyone already not thoroughly versed in what Thelema is all about. But then anyone not thoroughly versed in the subject would probably not buy the book in the first place. The book is copiously sprinkled with footnotes; it was clearly well researched. I give it a 4 out of 5 only because it could have used more/better editing...it's a little hard to follow at times.
Fortunately the author doesn't ramble on as much as I do!
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Title: Perdurabo: The Life of Aleister Crowley by Richard Kaczynski ISBN: 1561841706 Publisher: New Falcon Publications Pub. Date: 24 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot by Lon Milo Duquette ISBN: 1578632765 Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser Pub. Date: November, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: The Magick of Aleister Crowley: A Handbook of the Rituals of Thelema by Lon Milo Duquette ISBN: 1578632994 Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser Pub. Date: November, 2003 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: John Dee's Five Books of Mystery: Original Sourcebook of Enochian Magic by John Dee, Joseph H. Peterson, Joe Peterson ISBN: 1578631785 Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser Pub. Date: February, 2003 List Price(USD): $55.00 |
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Title: The Complete Concordance to Aleister Crowley's The Book of the Law (Liber AL vel Legis) by Wolfgang Gregory Zeuner ISBN: 1890109509 Publisher: Crossquarter Breeze Pub. Date: 15 November, 2001 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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