The unknown God: W. T. Smith and the Thelemites
"This book is the first documentary study of Thelema, a 20th Century new religious movement in the magical family, founded by the occultist and prophet of a new age of personal freedom, Aleister Crowley (1875-1947). The history of the Thelema movement is recounted through the biography of its l...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Print Book |
| Language: | English |
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
New York, NY
Oxford University Press
[2024]
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| In: | Year: 2024 |
| Edition: | Second edition |
| Series/Journal: | Oxford studies in western esotericism
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| Further subjects: | B
Ordo Templi Orientis
B Smith, Wilfred Talbot (1885-1957) B Occultism (United States) |
| Parallel Edition: | Erscheint auch als: Starr, Martin P: Unknown God. - New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2024]. - 9780197744529 |
| Summary: | "This book is the first documentary study of Thelema, a 20th Century new religious movement in the magical family, founded by the occultist and prophet of a new age of personal freedom, Aleister Crowley (1875-1947). The history of the Thelema movement is recounted through the biography of its leader, Wilfred Talbot Smith (1885-1957), who was an early convert to Crowley's revealed religion, a unique brand of apocalyptic esotericism. Smith established Crowley's occult orders primarily the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO) in British Columbia and in California. Crowley provided the concepts; Smith and his associates made them take flesh, applying Crowley's doctrine of "Do what thou wilt" and the sex magic teachings of the OTO, cementing them as an essential part of the esoteric religious underground of the 20th century. This study provides a contextual overview of the elements of Crowley's novel bricolage, which includes Freemasonry, Theosophy, Rosicrucianism, Neo-Gnosticism and other related forms of Western Esotericism, demonstrating the considerable overlap between apparently disparate ideologies, groups, and participants. The book reconstructs Smith's social network, which included Cal Tech rocket scientist Jack Parsons, the Rosicrucian leader H. Spencer Lewis, the Hollywood film star John Carradine and gay liberationist Harry Hay"-- |
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| Item Description: | Includes bibliographical references and index |
| ISBN: | 0197744516 |