Aleister Crowley: Blowhard Narcissist?

# Stuff You Should Know Episode Summary

This episode dives deep into the controversial figure Aleister Crowley, the infamous British occultist, magician, and self-proclaimed spiritual leader whose influence shaped Western mysticism and New Age spirituality for decades. Josh expresses his disdain for Crowley's narcissism and self-importance upfront, while the hosts explore his wealthy upbringing in an ultra-religious family, his rejection of Christianity, his travels across the globe collecting esoteric traditions, and his relentless pursuit of combining magic and sex into spiritual practice. From his involvement with secret occult societies like the Golden Dawn and the OTO to his creation of Thelema—his own religion based on the principle "Do what thou wilt"—the episode examines how this polarizing figure became central to occultism in the West, despite ultimately failing to create the massive religious movement he desperately sought.