Aleister Crowley in India: The Secret Influence of Eastern Mysticism on Magic and the Occult

(Hardback)

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Sharing excerpts from Crowleys unpublished diaries, Tobias Churton tells the true story of Crowleys adventures in India from 1901 to 1906, culminating in his first experience of the supreme trance of jnana (gnostic) yoga, Samadhi: divine union. Churton shows how Vedantist and Advaitist philosophies, Hindu religious practices, yoga, and Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism informed Crowleys spiritual system and reveals how he built on Madame Blavatsky and Henry Steel Olcotts prior work in India. Churton illuminates links between these beliefs and ancient Gnostic systems and shows how they informed the O.T.O. system through Franz Hartmann and Theodor Reuss.

Churton explores Crowleys early breakthrough in consciousness research with a Dhyana trance in Sri Lanka, becoming a devotee of Shiva and Bhavani, fierce avatar of the goddess Parvati. Recounting Crowleys travels to the temples of Madurai, Anuradhapura, and Benares, Churton looks at the gurus of yoga and astrology Crowley met, while revealing his adventures with British architect, Edward Thornton. Churton also details Crowleys mountaineering feats in India, including the record-breaking attempt on Chogo Ri (K2) in 1902 and the Kangchenjunga disaster of 1905.

Revealing how Crowley incorporated what he learned in India into his own school of Magick, including an extensive look at his theory of correspondences, the symbology of 777, and the Thelemic synthesis, Churton sheds light on one of the most profoundly mystical periods in Crowleys life as well as how it influenced the larger occult world.

Reviews

Relying to a large degree on unpublished documents, Churtons narrative account demonstrates the extent of Crowleys engagement with both the theoretical and practical dimensions of Hindu and Buddhist teachings and their enduring influence on his magical philosophy. Crowleys efforts in conjoining the spiritual systems of the East and West have important implications for the study of comparative esotericism, and Churton deserves praise for his eloquent treatment of this fascinating subject. * Gordan Djurdjevic, Ph.D., author of India and the Occult *
The devil is in the details when it comes to the study of Aleister Crowley, and in this groundbreaking book Tobias Churton offers a compelling look at this all-too-overlooked period of Crowleys sojourns in South Asia. Much praise and credit is due to Churton for revealing the many strands of Crowleys life and relationships during this formative period--from his poetry to his mountaineering and from his interest in the yogi Sri Sabhapati Svami to his humorous and often purposely offensive social commentaries. Scholars of early modern Hinduism, Buddhism, and Western esotericism as well as general Crowley aficionados will all find much of interest here, especially given the wealth of historical context that Churton provides for the colonial-era history of India, for early Theosophy, and of course for Crowley right in the thick of it all with his mystical and magical aspirations. * Keith Cant, Ph.D. candidate in religious studies at the University of California, Santa Barbar *
In this excellent book, Tobias Churton examines Crowleys critically productive time as a student of yoga and Buddhism under his brilliant mentor Allan Bennett and sheds light on the wider context of the cultural push to bring Eastern mysticism to the West, a movement that has shaped both modern spirituality and world history itself. * Jason Louv, author of John Dee and the Empire of Angels *
Tobias Churton has once again uncovered--and more importantly, interpreted--some critical aspects of Aleister Crowleys life and legacy. As with Aleister Crowley in America, he has leveraged his unprecedented access to long-hidden archival material by and about the Great Beast; with these records Churton fills in additional pieces of the grand puzzle that is Crowley, so the reader can see a more complete picture of the experiences that shaped the development and interpretation of his mandate to spread Thelema to the world. * Toby Chappell, author of Infernal Geometry and the Left-Hand Path *

Author Bio

Britains leading scholar of Western esotericism, Tobias Churton is a world authority on Gnosticism, Hermeticism, Freemasonry, and Rosicrucianism. Appointed Honorary Fellow of Exeter University in 2005, he holds a masters degree in theology from Brasenose College, Oxford, and is the author of many books, including Gnostic Philosophy and Aleister Crowley in America. He lives in the heart of England.