Aleister Crowley, in a less intimidating moment (Apic/Getty Images)

I went to Catholic school for many years of my life, which means that many of us got particularly creative with our rebellion. I distinctly remember wanting to acquire evil, witchy powers after a sleepover viewing of “The Craft.” Alas, my desires were thwarted by my mother, who forbid any further sketches of pentagrams.

When you think of the occult, Aleister Crowley should be one of the first names that comes to mind. “The Great Beast” rejected his religious upbringing and set off for Cambridge, where he was able to indulge his homosexual longings, a desire for erotica and an interest in mysticism. He joined the Great White Brotherhood (Golden Dawn) and later a coven of witches, who were said to find his unorthodox sexual proclivities distasteful. (His views of women are less than impressive to this blogger.)

Things didn’t go well with the Golden Dawn. When the other leaders didn’t want to help him advance in his studies, Crowley allied himself with the head, Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers. Their relationship was stormy, like many of Crowley’s, and they sent demons and astral vampires after one another before being kicked out.

Crowley spent much of his time learning about yoga, Buddhism and the I Ching, but he was also involved in drinking, drugging and lots of sex. His published writings scandalized the public, who thought of him as very wicked. Mussolini even kicked him out of Sicily for his satanic activities.

Which is why I so enjoyed a post from Boing Boing, which talks about how he liked to watch his landlady’s rabbits, which he nicknamed the Chrysanthemums, and took pleasure in both heroin and sardines with curry powder.

Post your favorite Crowley facts in the comments!

One of mine: the name of one of his daughters, Nicole Ma Ahathoor Hecate Sappho Jezebel Lilith Crowley

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