Considering yesterday’s Thelema and Crowley related news piece, I decided to see what else was going on in the world of the “great beast”. It seems Crowley’s influence (or at least his reputation for wickedness) is as great as it ever was among artists.

On Halloween (of course) the Syndey Morning Herald reviewed a book by “Rosa Mundi” (thought to be a pseudonym of British author Fay Weldon) entitled “Vocational Girl”. The book follows the life of a part-time sexual escort who gets wrapped up in a Crowley-inspired world of ritualistic sex.

“At Alden’s house, she is soon corseted and cuffed to a custom-made bondage bed. So far, so titillating, so trite. But Alden’s purpose is not merely sex: he is an adept of Aleister Crowley’s early 20th-century occult faith of Thelema; and part of his research for a musical composition with which he hopes to attain enlightenment (and success on Radio 3) is based on recording Joan’s physiological responses to sexual torture.”

While the Herald’s reviewer ultimately enjoyed the book, the Guardian wasn’t so kind.

“It may all sound like the makings of a comic cult classic, but though I love Dennis Wheatley and Anne Rice as much as the next pagan, Vocational Girl has none of their panache or conviction.”

No word yet from the Thelemites on what they think of the book.

From books to a movie in the UK entitled “Puritan” where Crowley’s influence pops up once again. Derek Malcolm of the Evening Standard gives the film a generally positive review (even though he thinks the production is a bit uneven).

“The killing comes as no real surprise, since it transpires that Aleister (The Beast) Crowley once lived in Puritan’s house and was said to have summoned up the Devil there. Hadi Hajaig produced, directed, wrote and helped to edit this weird and sometimes rather wonderful film which is original, if pretty uneven. He’s distributing it himself, and you have to wish him luck.”

Adding to the spookiness of a “Satanic” Crowley are allusions to Whitechapel and the architecture of Nicholas Hawksmoor. No word yet on when we’ll see it here in America.

Finally, due to some gig listings on Google News, I discovered the existence of an avant-garde orchestral trio called the “Thelema Trio”.

“All great artists in the history of music had the privilege to work with the composers of their time. They used their talents to meet the new challenges and in this way the new music was introduced to the audience. Inspired by this tradition Thelema was formed in August 2002. The opportunity to work with composers themselves adds an extra and important dimension to our performance and our mentality. This is what our trio stands for. We are always open to new ideas and hope to expand our technical and musical skills. We want to inspire composers to write for this ensemble and to experiment beyond the frontiers of composition and instrumental technique. As it was also the idea of the abbeye of Thelema on other subjects in the early 20th century.”

Proving, perhaps, that the influence of Crowley and Thelema can indeed be sublime and not merely tawdry or wicked. You can find sound samples from the group on their web site.

Tags: Paganism