October 12
Edward Alexander Crowley's Birthday
 


Drawing of  Aleister by Esturricado.
 
Edward Alexander Crowley changed his name to Aleister because he shared the name of Alexander with his father whom he hated, After his father died, Alistair inherited his considerable family fortune, and went to study Trinity College where he began to develop an interest in the occult which he tied into some form of mysticism and bisexuality. 

Aleister joined a popular occultist group called The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn who attracted some other now famous members including William Butler Yeats, Maud Gonne, Constance Wilde (the wife of Oscar Wilde), and allegedly Bram Stoker. He began to use a wide variety of recreation drugs which prompted him to apply what be believed was the scientific method to ritual magic which had a sexual subtext and occultism. He famously spelled magic as magick to differentiate "the true science of the Magi from all its counterfeits." He moved to  Sicily 1922 to became the head of a Satanic cult. In 1923 Mussolini expelled him from Sicily.

Aleister popularized his magik/sexual drug-enhanced form witchcraft to a somewhat popular black magic/Satanist cult, and often referred to himself as 666, the biblical number for the antichrist. His influence has been profound, especially in Britain.  In 2002, a BBC poll described him as being the seventy-third greatest Briton of all time. He enjoyed the controversy that he and his writings generated .Lon Milo Duquette wrote in his 1993 book The Magick of Aleister Crowley that:

"Crowley clothed many of his teachings in the thin veil of sensational titillation. By doing so he assured himself
that one, his works would only be appreciated by the few individuals capable of doing so, and two, his works
would continue to generate interest and be published by and for the benefit of both his admirers and his enemies
long after death

Many pop musicians have been attracted to Aleister's writings. The Beatles included him in the montage on the cover sleeve of their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, between Sri Yukteswar Giri and Mae West. On the back cover of the Doors 13 album, Jim Morrison and the other members of the Doors are shown posing with a bust of Aleister Crowley. Ozzy Osbourne released a song titled "Mr. Crowley" on his solo album Blizzard of Ozz.

So to celebrate the man who has been  called “The Great Beast” and “The Wickedest Man in the World,”  we suggest serving up
as dish of Devil's Curry and renting a DVD of Crowley (2008) co -written by Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson.

Devil's Curry
 
 
Ingredients
 
3 TB vegetable oil
2 TB lime juice or as needed
I TB sugar
6 red onions, chopped
22 chili peppers, sun-dried
7 candlenuts
1 shrimp paste
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground galangal (blue curry)*
 		 1 tsp ground allspice
3 lemon grass*
1 TB mustard seed
2 cups water
2&1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast meat -
   cut into bite-size pieces
2&1/4 lb potatoes
salt to taste
1 TB distilled white vinegar
 
Instructions
 
  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. In a medium bowl combine  the onions, chile peppers, sugar candlenuts, shrimp paste, turmeric, galangal, allspice. lemon grass, and mustard seed. Blend together with a lime juice to form a fine paste. Add to skillet and sauté until fragrant and almost dry.
  2. Add 2 cups water and bring all to a boil. Add chicken and potatoes. Reduce heat and let simmer about 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked (no longer pink inside) and curry is quite thick in consistency.
  3. Add salt to taste. Remove from heat and add vinegar. Mix well and serve. This dish is best served with steamed white rice, as it is full of flavor.

*available at many Asian food stores or can be ordered on line from templeofthai.com
 

© 2011 Gordon Nary and Tyler Stokes