Household Gods

by Aleister Crowley

A comedy by Aleister Crowley.

Genres: Occult, Plays, Fiction, Theatre, Poetry, Thelema

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1912

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

[Giulia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant and short read, a poem structured as a comedy (or a comedy structured as a poem, if you will). However, I would recommend reading other fictional works of Crowley before this one to get accustomed with his style. Otherwise the book will seem a little confusing or fucked up at first and it's not long enough to allow you to get used to it.

I really enjoyed Crowley's language with all his archaic words and metaphors, as previously encountered in Moonchild. I didn't expect much considering the total length of the book, but I can say I was pleasantly surprised.

[Keith]

The turn is amusing, but this is "comedy" in the literary sense for which the antonym is "tragedy," not in the sense of "I rofld." I only even bothered to read it because of a reference to it in the commentary to chapter 15 of The Book of Lies.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't get it. It's like Shakespearean late night Cinemax porn scene.

[Kanako Okiron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Household Gods is a real treat. A present for the inner mystic in your life.

[Kristi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing profound here that I came across. Short and sweet but I think only a Crowley fan should bother with this one, or maybe someone that wants an obscure play.
If you want depth, and aha!s .... read 777.

[Alex Sarll]

The Great Beast has always struck me as in part a comic figure, and verse drama definitely brings out his gift for bathos - whether intentional or not, I really can't tell. Swinburne did this sort of pagan decadence much better.

[Sarah Karasek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good and short enough that I'll definitely be re-reading it a few times. I usually hate reading plays, but this I could read like poetry. First Crowley piece I've read in it's entirety (I'm sure I'll be poo-pooed for that) so I can't really compare. Highly recommend to HIM fans though.

[Henrik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Double entendres galore!
It is a comedy in the old way, it has love, sex, betrayal, gods, death and sorrow, it's not much of a spoiler to say that it ends badly.
It's written on verse and flows nicely, well worth a read.
Beware, the flute scenes are naughty 😉

[S. Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

As to be expected from Aleister Crowley, a short, lyrical romp through pagan imagery and double-entendres, some Greek and Roman god cameos, and an appearance by Randy Pan the Goat Boy. Something about confusing lust with love, perhaps.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read Arthur Machen instead.

[Kenleigh A G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the way in which Crowley uses language here. By no means is this a bad read, and I’d be curious how I would feel upon reading it again.
Rating: 3.75/5 stars

[Don Bennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd little play…interesting word play and not entirely what I expected for a Crowley piece.

[Vincent Konrad · Rating 1 out of 5]

utter nonsense

[Sal Coraccio · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short occultist symbol-laden play set in verse. Somewhat clumsy verse and my guess it served either to mock Yeats, or to emulate him. Both he and Crowley were members of the Hemetic Order of the Golden Dawn, so - who knows.

Essentially a sex story; a flute is played, several things are made wet, a little death occurs, a bird is roused from the bush, etc. - puns and double entendres, all kinda Beavis and Butthead.

Still, the symbolism is interesting. You may recognize the Greek myth of Leda and the Swan. Leda, in this version is less than cryptically named Adela. And, spoiler alert, Zeus is killed,

Crowley was quite likely very high when he penned this, so it is probably only appealing to the Alistair Crowley completist - if that isn't the case, then grab it from inside a collection (Vol. 5 has it).

[Bob German · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an odd one. A very short play about a man and his servant girl, who is of course more than she appears.

It opens on an altar, where he is bemoaning his situation... his wife has run off into the woods to be with who-knows-who...

Ye household gods!
By these male tears I swear
That ye shall grant this prayer.
All things at odds

Shall be put straight--
Harmonized, reconciled
By some appointed child
Of some far Fate!

Which makes me wonder if Nick Cave was invoking this story in the song Do You Love Me?.... "She was given to me to put things right..."

The servant girl appears, and maybe you can guess where it goes from there.

[Fred Kohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short play- I read this twice in less than an hour. I very rarely read plays, so when I do I usually have to reread them to get the drift. It was fun- despite the title, nothing really occult here, unless you call a statue of Pan coming to life and making a short speech occult. As it's available as a free download, why not get it and read it, especially if you like short plays?

[Bobby Daugherty · Rating 2 out of 5]

More occult nonsense from the snake-oil salesman of the early 20th century.