THE GREAT BEAST 666 - HOME PAGE A New Biography    AC's Occult Societies    Thelema    Kabbalah    Pictures News Items    Shopping    Glossary    Useful Links    Contact Us    Freebies    Symbols Search this Site Occult Signs, Symbols & Organisations Occult Symbols Alchemical Symbols Astrological Symbols Planetary Symbols Wiccan/Pagan Symbols World Pagan & Neo-pagan Symbols World Religions Ancient Egyptian Symbols Greek & Roman Gods & Goddesses Occult Societies & Organisations A New and Exciting Biography Last Will & Testament of Aleister Crowley Where are Crowley's Ashes? In Summary Life after Death In Conclusion And Finally .... Quotes from the Master Therion Magical Mottos of A.C. & his Associates Crowley's Biographers A Short but Concise Chronology AC’s Occult Societies Golden Dawn Astrum Argentum Ordo Templi Orientis The Gnostic Mass Full List of Crowley's Publications What is Thelema? The Purpose of Magick The Techniques of Magick Other Magical Practices Ceremonial/Ritual Magick Enochian Magick The Religion/Philosophy of Thelema The Holy Books of Thelema Other Important Publications Duty - Thelemic Rules of Conduct Liber II - Message of the Master Therion Liber IX - Keeping a Magical Record Possibly Liber DCLXVI - not Extant Liber LXXVII - Oz Babalon - The Scarlet Woman Thelemic Order of the G.D. Origin & Branches of Kabbalah Speculative Kabbalah Practical Kabbalah Lurianic Kabbalah Aspects of Kabbalah Ain Soph & the Sephiroth The Four Worlds The Three Pillars The Thirty-two Paths of Wisdom The Seventy-two Names of God The Tree of Life Some Traditional Jewish Literature Photographs/Images of A.C. Crowley's Sketches/Artwork Associates Occult & Other Symbols Occult Symbols Alchemical Symbols Astrological Symbols Planetary Symbols Wiccan/Pagan Symbols World Pagan & Neo-pagan Symbols World Religions Ancient Egyptian Symbols Norse Symbols Ancient Egyptian Gods & Goddesses Greek/Roman Gods & Goddesses Occult Societies & Organisations

Vantafrost Rutherford, New Jersey Forged from the grim, kvlt, and freezing streets of urban New Jersey Your company details and/or services will be displayed on the site in a box similar to this or that shown above in whatever borders or background, on whichever page you wish, on a permanent basis.  You can also include an image! All you have to do is make a one-off payment of £100 to help with the further development and on-going maintenance of this most informative website. More would be greatly appreciated if you can afford it, which will naturally attract added bonuses such as displaying your business on more than one page, and hitting visitors with 'IN YOUR FACE' advertisements. Early birds don't just catch the worms, they grab the prime positions. If you would like to help out this small but informative website, which will also benefit you through your own permanent advertisement on the site, . . . . . . just click on the Paypal ® link below:								Don't miss your opportunity to download the entire content of this site in a handy A4 pdf eBook to read at your leisure.  To get your personal copy of To Mega Therion, The Life, Times & Magick of Aleister Crowley. Click HERE for full details. In partnership with and affiliated to Links 2 the Occult the most informative site on the internet in respect of everything relating to all aspects of the occult. Uncertain of what to get your friends and family for that birthday or anniversary? Then why not surprise them with and let them choose for themselves? You can't go wrong!
				A Brief Introduction Hi there - please let me introduce myself!  My name is Brian Northmore.  I may well be 'getting on a bit in years', a fact of which I am often reminded by those supposedly nearest and dearest to me, but nevertheless I am proud to say I am the independent researcher, designer and writer of this most informative website.  Despite the fact that I have tried desperately to explain to my lovely wife that irrespective of the great deal of time spent involved in its development, during which she was more or less 'ignored', I can not possibly be a reincarnation of the subject because I was born in the year BEFORE he died, she remains unconvinced!  So, welcome to this site dedicated solely to the life and works of, in my humble opinion, the greatest magician of the 20th century, Edward Alexander Crowley, known to one and all as Aleister Crowley, The Beast 666.  Incidentally, you can rest assured that even after my demise, others are now capable of researching and updating the site.  Despite this, if you consider you can maintain the site and would like to own and run it, I AM ALWAYS OPEN TO SERIOUS OFFERS.  PLEASE Contact Us SHOULD YOU WISH TO CONSIDER PURCHASING IT AS AN ONGOING CONCERN. You might be interested to know that you are visitor number since the site was originally uploaded to our server.  It may seem at first glance that it does not attract many visitors, so perhaps we should explain that it does have a distinct disadvantage in the fact that a browser search on either 'to mega therion' or 'tomegatherion' tends to display details of the second album of a Swiss 'extreme metal' band going by the name of Celtic Frost.  In additon to this handicap, unlike the vast majority of other sites specialising in the occult (and probably millions relating to other themes), this counter is genuine, i.e. it started at zero and registers only once per unique IP address as opposed to once (or however many times it has been set to increment) for every visit.  We do like to know how many individuals have visited this site, and the only way we can get this information accurately is to set the counter accordingly. If you are a regular visitor you will certainly have noticed how the site has grown since it was originally uploaded, and, as time constraints permit (work really does interfere with leisure time), Tomegatherion will be developed further and eventually (hopefully) become the ultimate site on the internet covering all aspects of this enigmatic character.  From what we have seen, it can not be too far off that aim now.  As a result, it could be worth your while to Bookmark this site if you wish to see these further developments! It is probably worth mentioning that each highlighted link within the pages on this site performs one of three functions: Clicking on it takes you to a description of the highlighted word in the Glossary .........., or hovering over it displays further details relating to the higlighted word .........., or clicking on it takes you to a completely new page relating to the highlighted word (in some cases this may be one of the main menu items). For example, several paragraphs further down on this page you will see four highlighted links within that paragraph, these being Magus, publications, The Book of the Law and Thelema.  Of these, two are links to main menu items (publications and Thelema), one (Magus) takes you to the Glossary, while the other (The Book of the Law) will take you to a new page.  On the home page, there is no example of a link displaying further details relating to a highlighted word, so one has been created to give you an example of how it works.  Hover HERE for the example. Should you be unable to find whatever you might be looking for, we have incorporated a comprehensive Site Search engine dedicated to this site only.  If after having used the search facilty you still can not find anything relating to your keyword(s) please Contact Us.  Aleister Crowley, like so many of the world's other outstanding men who preceded him, was definitely a man born before his time.  He was also a man who did not suffer fools gladly living in Victorian and Georgian societies that could neither understand him nor even begin to appreciate his true genius.  His extensive writings so shocked the vast majority of the influential people of the time that he was most likely robbed of the praise that many of his works so richly deserved.  Fortunately the world today is a much more enlightened place, and even more fortunately for those of us still living in it, his publications live on.  To see a list of these publications, in particular those relating to the Astrum Argentum AA, the organisation he formed with George Cecil Jones after the collapse of the Golden Dawn, click HERE.  Crowley only ever referred to his organisation as the AA.  What the letters actually stood for was supposedly known by members only.  Israel Regardie, his one-time secretary, in Gems from the Equinox suggests it should be Astrum Argentinum, while others call it Argenteum Astrum, Arcanum Arcanorum, Argentinum Astrum, Argentinium Astrum and Astron Argon, although C.R. Cammell in his biography Aleister Crowley The Black Magician tells us it is Atlantean Adepts.  However, the concensus of opinion seems to be Astrum Argentum, which is the name we shall use throughout this site.  Liber LXI vel Causae is Crowley’s own account of the G.D., its breakup and how the AA came to be formed. Despite the fact he died 70 years ago, the name Aleister Crowley still instils revulsion and horror in the hearts and minds of many, although these tend to be uninformed bigots who know nothing whatsoever of the man except what they have been told by other uninformed bigots.  He gained much notoriety during and after his time on this earth, and was (in)famously dubbed The Wickedest Man in the World by the magazine John Bull, a title of which he was indubitably proud.  The same magazine ran headlines such as 'THE KING OF DEPRAVITY', 'A HUMAN BEAST' and 'A MAN WE'D LIKE TO HANG' after the scandal concerning the Abbey of Thelema.  Before you judge Crowley, we feel this snippet of information is of vital importance to balance what has been written about him since his death.  Israel Regardie in his Introduction to P.R. Stephenson’s The Legend of Aleister Crowley (1970) throws some interesting light on John Symonds (Crowley's literary executor and biographer): "Crowley died in 1947.  Why he appointed John Symonds as one of his literary executors is a mystery that will never be divined.  It is perhaps another example of Crowley's poor judgement about people.  Symonds wrote a disgusting book over a decade ago entitled 'The Great Beast'.  It is a malicious contemptible piece of work crammed with deliberate misinterpretation and ignorant understanding of what Crowley stood for.  This wretched work was followed by another, 'The Magick of Aleister Crowley'.  In this second book, Symonds has extrapolated from the diaries and other works by Crowley in such a contemptible manner as to make 'the old man' look like a complete idiot. Not content with this insolence, Symonds has steadfastly refused permission to me and several other writers to use any of Crowley's published material.  Evidently he has assumed that his literary executorship, instituted on behalf of and for the Ordo Templi Orientis, should be for his own personal gain." Aleister Crowley's interests and accomplishments were wide-ranging.  Apart from being a Magus, he was a chess master, an expert mountaineer and rock climber, an adventurer, and a truly prolific poet and writer as can be seen from his comprehensive list of publications which we are still researching.  In addition to these talents, he wrote and spoke several languages.  He was also a painter, astrologer, drug experimenter, and social critic.  His experiments with hallucinatory drugs quite clearly developed his growing addiction for heroin, a habit from which he suffered for the remainder of his life.  He is perhaps best known today for his extensive occult writings, in particular The Book of the Law, which became the central sacred text of his religion and philosophy of Thelema. It is certainly recommended that you read his autohagiography titled The Confessions of Aleister Crowley.  Apart from being a tremendous read, albeit it disjointed, and at times complicated, it may well alter any preconceived impression you have of the man, irrespective of what your thoughts were originally, saint or sinner.  The cost of Crowley's publications has rocketed since his death, so you may well consider the expense is not worth it.  In this case try your Public Library (assuming it is still open), which is from where I obtained and read my first copy many years ago, but you really should bear in mind that truly rare books can turn out to be a sound investment.  At Tomegatherion, we consider ourselves very fortunate as we recently acquired a copy of the 1989 reprint (in outstanding condition for its age) on eBay ® for less than £23 including postage.  We were also very lucky when we picked up an original First Edition of the 1969 print in hardback, also relatively cheaply and in wonderful condition - see the image to the right.  This was the first complete airing of this great tome, because prior to this only the first two parts of the book had ever been published!  Amazon ® is another web site you can try with complete confidence.  Second-hand bookshops used to be an excellent source, but, unfortunately for people like us, the owners of such premises have now realised the potential value of these books.  Shortly before Crowley's death, John Symonds, co-editor of Confessions, paid him a visit and persuaded him to get the remainder of the manuscripts typed, which he did.  The Master sent a copy to Symonds, complaining about the forty pounds cost, and the rest is history - The Confessions of Aleister Crowley is the subsequent result.  It is unbelievable to think that this incredible book recording the life and works of the world's greatest magician could have been lost forever! Should you find this site of interest and decide you wish to read and/or learn more (significantly much more) about magick and the occult in general, while at the same time demystifying the myths and taboos surrounding it, then why not visit our well-established partner site Links 2 the Occult?  This is probably/possibly the most informative site on the internet explaining all you need to know about the subject in layman's language.  It is highly recommended to anyone who wishes to broaden his/her outlook on magick and the occult! The Number of the Beast The Number of the Beast (Greek: Άριθμὸν τοῦ θηρίου (Arithmon tou Thēriou)) is a term found in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament that is associated with the first Beast of Revelation 13:18, the Beast of the Sea.  "Here is wisdom.  Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six".  Numbers were represented by letters in Koine (common) Greek and Ancient Hebrew (and Ancient Arabic).  The practice of converting Greek letters into Greek numerals is known as Isopsephy.  In Hebrew (and English), the practice is known as Gematria, where every letter corresponds to a number.  The sum of these numbers gives a numeric value to a word or name. In most manuscripts of the New Testament and in English translations of such, the number of the Beast is written as 666.  However, prior to the writing of the Book of Revelation it was believed that the number for the antichrist was 616, for in those days there were many people who were not enamoured of the Jewish people, particularly Roman Emperors (whose names were in Latin). Neron Caesar It is widely accepted amongst scholars that the Roman Emperor Nero (ruling 54 – 68 AD, which was around the time when John of Patmos wrote the Book of Revelation) is the first Beast of the Book of Revelation.  This interpretation was calculated by enumerating his name and title Neron Caesar to the Number of the Beast.  An Aramaic scroll from Murabba'at, dated to 'the second year of Emperor Nero', refers to him by this name and title; in Latin this is Nro Qsr (pronounced "Nerō Kaisar") and in Hebrew it is Nron Qsr (pronounced "Nerōn Kaisar").  To completely understand the following, a smattering of Kabbalah and the Sacred Alphabet is essential. Nro Qsr This is the Latin version of the name which drops the second Nun (נ), so that it appears as Nro and transliterates into Hebrew as נרו קסר, yielding 616: Resh (ר) Samekh (ס) Qoph (ק) Nun (נ) Vav (ו) Resh (ר) Total 200 60 100 50 6 200 616 Nron Qsr However, the preferred Greek version of the name and title used by John of Patmos transliterates into Hebrew as נרון קסר, and yields a numerical value of 666 still seen today: Resh (ר) Samekh (ס) Qoph (ק) Nun (נ) Vav (ו) Resh (ר) Nun (נ) Total 200 60 100 50 6 200 50 666 Aleister Crowley adopted the number 666 as a form of rebellion against his strict religious upbringing as a child, and the fact that his mother considered him to be the Beast, the Anti-Christ of the Apocalypse.  Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia is the fear of the number 666. Finally, how many of you are familiar with a roulette wheel in its current European format?  Add up the numbers on a standard roulette wheel and see what they total.  Bear this in mind next time you visit a casino. Return to top of page.

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				New, Revised, Updated & Fully Illustrated - To Mega Therion - The Life, Times & Magick of Aleister Crowley - your very own printable A4 pdf eBook As many of you have probably noticed, this site is still being updated, although on a not so regular basis as previously.  It contains far too much information to read in just one or two cursory visits, so why not get your own personal copy of the fully illustrated To Mega Therion - The Life, Times & Magick of Aleister Crowley eBook to print and read at your leisure?  This terrific book, which could so quickly and easily be yours, holds the entire contents of the To Mega Therion website (including the glossary and images, but excluding all advertisements and superfluous references) in a printable 500+ pages A4 pdf eBook.  The enhanced Biography is now at least twice the size that it was in the first edition, the Glossary of Terms contains 50 pages of vital information, all previous sections have been updated and many new topics have been added.  It is a magnificent tome covering exactly what it says in the title.  It is ideal for those who wish to read each page of this site, but who don't have the time to sit at a computer so to do.  The download costs £3.99 irrespective of where you live in the world. If you are truly interested in Aleister Crowley, the Great Beast 666, or simply wish to learn more about this enigmatic character who, despite his demise well over 60 years ago, seems to become more of a household name on a daily basis, we can promise you that you definitely won't be disappointed.  It has been a true labour of love of which we now feel justifiably proud (not just our own opinion we should add).  In addition to a Foreword and Table of Contents, the book contains 5 chapters: Chapter 1 - A Fully Illustrated Biography and Much More Chapter 2 - Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn Chapter 3 - Astrum Argentum AA Chapter 4 - Ordo Templi Orientis Chapter 5 - Thelema and 9 appendices: Appendix 1 - Official AA publications, Poetry, Novels, Essays & Other Miscellany Appendix 2 - The Book of the Law & Much More Appendix 3 - The Gnostic Mass Appendix 4 - Images of Aleister Crowley, his Associates & Artwork Appendix 5 - Kabbalah (including Basic Hebrew).  So, Madonna and Britney Spears, 'supposed pop idols', also study Kabbalah do they?  Okay, fair enough, it has been reported as such, but I seriously doubt if either, or any other so-called 'celebrity' jumping on the bandwagon and trying to 'impress' with his or her superior intellect (don't make me laugh) , would understand the smallest fraction of what is being discussed in this Appendix.  This really is serious stuff that Aleister Crowley interpreted as well as anyone before him and better than most (or all) since. Appendix 6 - Occult & Other Symbols -- NOW MASSIVELY UPDATED Appendix 7 - Miscellaneous Newspaper/Magazine Articles Appendix 8 - List of Free eBooks from tomegatherion.co.uk A Glossary of Thelema & the Occult Just take a look at the actual contents of this book - you will not believe it:           Foreword           Introduction           Chapter 1 - A Biography of the Beast 666 - & much more                     Aleister Crowley (12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947)                               Crowley’s Last Will & Testament                     In Summary                     Where are Crowley’s Ashes today?                     Life After Death                     In Conclusion                     And Finally ....                     Quotes From the Master Therion                     Magical Mottos of A.C. & His Associates                     Crowley's Biographers                               Biographers' Quotes                     A Short but Concise Chronology           Chapter 2 - The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn                     History                               The Origin of the Cipher Manuscript                               Giving Credulity to the Order                               Progression of the Order                               The Eventual Breakup of the Order                     The Historic Lecture - Golden Dawn by William Wynn Westcott                     Structure & Grades of the Golden Dawn                     In Summary                     Major Events in Chronological Order                     Some Prominent Members of the G.D. & Their Magical Mottos                               Isis-Urania                               Ahathoor / Alpha et Omega                               Amen Ra                               Stella Matutina           Chapter 3 - Astrum Argentum AA                     History                     Liber LXI vel Causae                             The Preliminary Lection                             The History Lection                     Continuation of the Order                     Grades Within the Order                               The Order of the S.S.                               The Order of the R.C.                               The Order of the G.D.                     Useful Rituals                     Some Prominent Members of the AAand their Magical Mottos           Chapter 4 - Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.)                     History                     In Summary                     Grades Within the O.T.O.                               Man of Earth Triad                               Lover Triad                               Hermit Triad                     Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica / Gnostic Catholic Church (E.G.C.)                               Membership of the E.G.C.                               The Creed                     Some Prominent Members of the O.T.O. & Their Magical Mottos           Chapter 5 - Thelema                     What is Thelema?                     The Purpose of Magick                               High & Low Magick                     The Techniques of Magick                               Invocation / Evocation                               Banishing / Purification                               Eucharistic Ritual                               Consecration                               Yoga                               Divination                     Other Magical Practices                               The Tree of Life                               Keeping a Magical Record                     Ceremonial / Ritual Magick                               Components of Ritual Magick                                         Magical Weapons                                         Magical Formulae                                         Vibration of God Names                                         Paranormal Effects                     Enochian Magick                               The Enochian Tablets                                         The Tablet of Union                                         The Elemental Kings                                         The Seniors                                         The Sephirotic Cross Angels                                         The Kerubic Square Angels                               The Enochian Keys                     The Religion / Philosophy of Thelema                               How Thelema Developed                               The Abbey of Thelema                               Thelemic Theology                               Thelemic Sacred Texts                               Thelemic Numbers & Words                               The Thelemic Calendar, Date & Time                                         Thelemic Holy Days                               Thelemic Customs                               In Summary                     Babalon - The Scarlet Woman                               Origin of the Name                               Who or What is Babalon                               The Cup/Chalice of Babalon                               Aspects of Babalon                                         The Gateway to the City of the Pyramids                                         The Office of the Scarlet Woman                                                   Crowley's Scarlet Women                                         The Great Mother                               Chapter 49 - Book of Lies                     Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn                               Magical & Mystical Grades of the Order           Appendix 1 - AA Publications, Poetry, Novels, Essays & Other Miscellany                     Understanding Crowley's Works                     Classes of Publications                               An Explanation of the Numbering given to the Books                     Liber DCLXVI (666), which is not extant?                     Crowley's Poetry, Novels, Essays & Other Miscellany                               Obtaining Copies of Aleister Crowley's Publications           Appendix 2 - The Book of the Law + Much More                     Not Merely a Reproduction of Book 4 - Part 4 - Liber AL vel Legis ....                               Introduction                     The Book of the Law                     The Egyptian Gods/Goddesses Associated with the Book of the Law                               A Short Creation Myth                               Gods & Goddesses Referred to in the Book of the Law                               Other Gods/Goddesses Referred to by Crowley           Appendix 3 - The Gnostic Mass                     Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (Gnostic Catholic Church)                               Membership of the E.G.C.                               The Creed                     The Gnostic Mass (Liber XV)           Appendix 4 - Images of Aleister Crowley, his Associates & Artwork                     Images of Aleister Crowley                     Crowley's Sketches & Artwork                     Crowley's Associates           Appendix 5 - Kabbalah                     What is Kabbalah?                     Section 1 - The Origins & Branches of Kabbalah                               Speculative Kabbalah - The Doctrine of Creation                                         The Sacred Alphabet                                         Gematria, Notarikon & Temura                               Practical Kabbalah - The Doctrine of the Throne or Chariot                               Lurianic Kabbalah                                         Adam Kadmon - The Heavenly of Primordial Man                     Section 2 - Aspects of Kabbalah                               Ain Soph & the Sephiroth                               The Four Worlds                               The Three Pillars                               The Thirty-two Paths of Wisdom                               The Seventy-two Names of God                                         The Tectractys                               The Tree of Life                                         The Kabbalistic Tree of Life                     Some Traditional Jewish Literature           Appendix 6 - Occult & Other Symbols                     Occult & Other Symbols                               Occult Symbols                               Alchemical Symbols                               Astrological Symbols                               Planetary Symbols                               Wiccan/Pagan Symbols                               World Pagan & Neopagan Symbols                               World Religions                               Ancient Egyptian Symbols                               Norse Symbols                               Ancient Egyptian Gods & Goddesses                               Greek/Roman Gods & Goddesses                               Occult Societies & Organisations           Appendix 7 - Miscellaneous Newspaper/Magazine Articles relating to Aleister Crowley           Appendix 8 - Free eBooks available from tomegatherion.co.uk           A Glossary of Thelema & the Occult Click HERE to download an A4 sample of the book to give you an example of how good the site looks in this format. Having seen the sample, should you then decide to purchase this book at the amazingly low price of £3.99, (and who wouldn't after seeing it?) please go to our Shopping Page. Return to top of page.