The Forbidden Lecture: Gilles De Rais

by Aleister Crowley

A rare banned lecture from the Beast himself, Aleister Crowley, encompassing and thoroughly exploring his major themes - originally to have been delivered before the University Poetry Society by Crowley on the evening of Monday, February 3, 1930.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Thelema, Psychology, Magic

62 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Aleister Crowley was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, novelist, mountaineer, and painter. He founded the religion of Thelema, proclaiming himself as the prophet destined to guide humanity into the Æon of Horus in the early 20th century. A prolific writer, Crowley published extensively throughout his life.
Born Edward Alexander Crowley in Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, he was raised in a wealthy family adhering to the fundamentalist Christian Plymouth Brethren faith. Crowley rejected his religious upbringing, developing an interest in Western esotericism. He attended Trinity College, Cambridge, focusing on mountaineering and poetry, and published several works during this period. In 1898, he joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, receiving training in ceremonial magic from Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers and Allan Bennett. His travels took him to Mexico for mountaineering with Oscar Eckenstein and to India, where he studied Hindu and Buddhist practices.
In 1904, during a honeymoon in Cairo with his wife Rose Edith Kelly, Crowley claimed to have received "The Book of the Law" from a supernatural entity named Aiwass. This text became the foundation of Thelema, announcing the onset of the Æon of Horus and introducing the central tenet: "Do what thou wilt." Crowley emphasized that individuals should align with their True Will through ceremonial magic.
After an unsuccessful expedition to Kanchenjunga in 1905 and further travels in India and China, Crowley returned to Britain. There, he co-founded the esoteric order A∴A∴ with George Cecil Jones in 1907 to promote Thelema. In 1912, he joined the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), eventually leading its British branch and reformulating it according to Thelemic principles. Crowley spent World War I in the United States, engaging in painting and writing pro-German propaganda, which biographers later suggested was a cover for British intelligence activities.
In 1920, Crowley established the Abbey of Thelema, a religious commune in Cefalù, Sicily. His libertine lifestyle attracted negative attention from the British press, leading to his expulsion by the Italian government in 1923. He spent subsequent years in France, Germany, and England, continuing to promote Thelema until his death in 1947.
Crowley's notoriety stemmed from his recreational drug use, bisexuality, and criticism of societal norms. Despite controversy, he significantly influenced Western esotericism and the 1960s counterculture, and remains a central figure in Thelema.

Reviews

[Keith]

More a broadside against the anti-intellectual tendencies of religious authorities—particularly the Roman Catholic Church—than a proper defense of this companion-in-arms of Joan d'Arc. Where it is coherent, the argument may serve as a how-to manual for fomenting witch hunts by relying on tactics still commonly in use today, particularly antisemitism and "won't someone please think of the children!?" though of course those tactics are here lamented rather than lauded.

[E. Kahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in tandem with Georges Bataille's Trial of Gilles de Rais.

It's short, it's fun and it's a very little to do with Gilles de Rais and a lot to do with Crowley spitting fire against popular credulity and superstition. Funny how "the most evil man in the world's" ideas align with mainstream contemporary skeptics - a crowd he would have definitely hated.

[Shaun Phelps · Rating 5 out of 5]

A timely, cheeky exploration how the power of fear and outrage can overwhelm rational thought to accept absurdities. Worth reading, at the least to help deprogram some of modern media and political propagandized calls to arms.

[Walter Five · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is just the "Gilles De Rais" lecture and the short piece "How I Was Banned At Oxford University", no frills, in paperback. Full Moon Press always puts out a decently manufactured paperback, this is no exception.

Crowley collectors and bibliophiles will probably want the 1990 Mandrake Press limited dition "The Forbidden Lecture" with the lengthy introduction explaining the significance of both the lecture itself and its being banned, but its cost as a collectable makes its expense prohibitive to the less financially independent.

[Sarah Yasin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Revisionist drivel from one witch on the topic of another. People get so excited by banned books, but why? Because they offend Catholics? The only interesting part of this lecture is Crowley's rock-star endorsement of murdering children in the name of science and the betterment of humanity.

Crowley is a show-off. He is a dandy who flexes his cerebral muscles to gain the same effect of a peacock preening his feathers. I thought he was weird before reading this, and now I think the things he says are evil.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it from a historical perspective, seeing what Crowley had to say on the subject. Not quite buying his argument, but it was a good, brief, read.