On holidays for the next 2 weeks. More posts when I get back. See you soon.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Zoo Boutique ::: Forgive and Forget
The vocalist Duncan Jowitt (Dunk Rock) had been guitarist in an early line-up of Section 25 before the band signed to the Factory record label. In 2000 he formed UFX togheter with Rat Fink (Andrew Wilson), the drummer and guitarist for gothic rock band Alien Sex Fiend.
This 7'' was recorded at Ric-Rac Sound Studio, Leeds
Tracklist:
A Forgive And Forget
B Happy Families
Preview:
Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?camn3n4ofvn6fh9
De Brassers ::: De Brassers
Tracklist:
1. They Wanted Us Away
2. Sick In Your Mind
3. I Heard The Scream Before
4. He
Preview:
Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?v5k01s37b6cssub
The Cultural Decay ::: The Cultural Decay
Tracklist:
1. Brave New World
2. End Of The Corridor
Preview:
Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?d1nylcossyj
Siglo XX ::: Re-Released '80-'82
Siglo XX were influenced by Joy Division, but they never cared about trends or what was fashionable. Siglo XX existed until the late 80's and still have dedicated fans all over the world. The band name is Spanish for 20th century and was taken from a Spanish anarchist movement. In their own words: "We are marginals, but to us marginality is change, change is movement, and movement is life. The established is halted, gray and dead".
Tracklist:
1. The Naked And The Death
2. Art Of War
3. Lines Of Hope
4. Youth Sentiment
5. Obsession
6. Factory
7. La Vie Dans La Nuit
8. Individuality
9. Autumn
10. Caraibian Nightmares
11. The Fall
Preview:
Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?5gwzjcmjskx
Friday, August 19, 2011
Les Provisoires ::: Loin De La Plage
Tracklist:
A1 Ask (To) The Woman
A2 Nice Guys
A3 Loin De La Plage
A4 Any Cult
A5 Waiting For War
B1 Last Tango
B2 Urban Fear
B3 So Closed
B4 The Sense Of Doubt
B5 Quiet Room
Preview:
Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?lznzmwciiw4
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Man is a Bastard!
A few weeks back I posted wonderful footage taken over the Amazon which captured one of the world's last uncontacted tribes. Here is that footage:
http://gorish.blogspot.com/2011/07/uncontacted-tribe-extraordinary-aerial.html
Well here is some very disturbing news:
Amazon tribe pictured for first time earlier this year 'missing' after attack by armed drug traffickers
http://gorish.blogspot.com/2011/07/uncontacted-tribe-extraordinary-aerial.html
Well here is some very disturbing news:
Amazon tribe pictured for first time earlier this year 'missing' after attack by armed drug traffickers
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2024011/Uncontacted-Amazon-tribe-missing-attack-armed-drug-traffickers.html
Empusa ::: Domain
Tracklist:
01. Domain (1:44)
02. Desperate (5:53)
03. Slave (5:05)
04. Fallujah (5:38)
05. Dominion (5:25)
06. Broken (6:08)
07. Cybersex (5:56)
08. Therapy (3:28)
09. Careless (5:24)
10. Found (4:48)
11. Empty (4:20)
12. Never (3:39)
Preview:
Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?jh0ojn0nzmj
FÏX8:SËD8 ::: Humanophobia
This is typical industrial without being predictable. My God I love this album!!!
Tracklist:
1 Quiet (3:08)
2 Oblivion (5:11)
3 Blashpemia (4:31)
4 Damien (4:17)
5 Monolith (5:41)
6 Dementor (4:33)
7 Killing Field (4:53)
8 Tranquillized (5:56)
9 Ultraviolent (6:30)
10 Fetishist (4:59)
11 Guilty (6:11)
12 Minotaurus (5:29)
13 Burial Ground (4:47)
Preview:
Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?bmmhmz4hnbk
http://www.mediafire.com/?rx3xpnnwmzi
The Gift ::: Crashing Down
Tracklist:
1- Crashing down
2- It'll end in tears
Preview:
Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?4457mr3b6ram632
Formule Tag ::: Derniers Baisers
Tracklist:
A July
B1 Derniers Baisers
B2 Mata Hari
Preview:
Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?5p16wvp5f76e0db
Rineva 7 ::: Ennui 7"
Another rare, obscure French coldwave record.... their only release from the F.L.V.M. label that had some other nice releases too. Rineva 7 sounds quite a bit like Guerre Froide, especially on the excellent B-side "Brulure". Released in 1981.
Tracklist:
A Ennui
B Brulure
Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?5h6mtt12shjqjcx
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Citizen Useless
How about a blast of healthy (or is that unhealthy?) punk all the way from Jakarta?
Jakarta! There is Punk in Jakarta? Well this was the question I found myself asking the first time I came across the name Citizen Useless. But what about the sound? That's what counts right? That's why we all trudge the internet for hours looking for that dose of perfect sound, that little hidden gem which makes our search worthwhile.
Citizen Useless is that dose of sound your sick spirit craves. From their promotional blurb :
"Anti-emo warriors Citizen Useless formed in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2006 and have been terrorizing the inhabitants of the "free" world ever since! Their eclectic blend of high-intensity music, distorted guitars and intense live shows is an integrated mix of mid-era Agnostic Front, straightforward punk ala U.S. Bombs, and the pop sensiblities of NoFX set to "frappe." This ain't no nice frilly punk though, so hide your booze and your daughters when these boys roll into town."
Still not convinced? Read these reviews:
“Awesome old school punk rock in the vein of GBH, Black Flag and the Circle Jerks. Great vocals as the singer has the perfect hardcore voice and the music took me back to 1983 when punk rock was great. Production also has that 80’s feel and the riffs on this just ooze that old school style and this was a great release.”
— Chris Forbes, MetalCore Fanzine
“Loud music that was born in the punk subculture continues to move and spread around the world to this day. Citizen Useless is one band who dedicates themselves to this music. With the songs of relatively short duration, they introduce themselves through their studio album entitled “Don’t Die For Lies”. The character of the hardcore punk on this album stretches from the a sound influenced from the hardcore punk bands of America. ”
— Rama Wirawan, Semua Musik
Stop! What are you waiting for? Visit them and enjoy the sound (but watch those ears):
http://www.facebook.com/citizenuseless
Support the scene and make your purchase:
http://www.manicpogo.com/Citizen-Useless-The-Presidents-of-the-United-Mistakes-CD-MPPIG42.htm
Novostj / DsorDNE ::: 1983-1988
So absolutely rare! I mean, you just aren't going to get any rarer than this. Released on the Italian Hax label in 1988 on a very (I mean VERY) limited release, this is history right here. A very interesting industrial/experimental/darkwave mix of sounds.
Tracklist:
| A1 | Voce Di Edifici Vuoti | |||
| A2 | Non Credi, Non Credi... | |||
| A3 | La Voce | |||
| A4 | Nel Vuoto | |||
| B1 | DsorDNE (Versione Dal Vivo) | |||
| B2 | Tristi Di Rabbia | |||
| B3 | Apatia | |||
| B4 | Al Contrario |
Preview:
Download here:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=78KLQXXG
Bunny & The Lakers ::: Numbers
Post-punkish aggressiveness,minimal synth melancholic tunes, semi-industrial weirdness,late 70s kraut influences and what not...all nicely mixed up. It's all here.
Tracklist:
A1 Inhalation / Ventalation
A2 Cops On Parade
A3 Yalps From The Alps
A4 Shrieks From The Peeks
A5 Maid In Sweeden
A6 Batlore
A7 In Terms Of Germs
B1 TB Farm (Kiss Me Now)
B2 S.O.S.
B3 Weekend Guests
B4 Sandy
B5 Dolphin Bay
Preview:
Download here:
http://www.multiupload.com/L5LXKRRT3R
Corps Diplomatique ::: Paradis I
Released on the M.S.R. label in 1988, this is French coldwave at it's best. This 7" single was unfortunately their only release which is a real shame considering the quality you will find here. Really very strange sounds, at times totally dated (which merely adds to the strangeness of the recording) and in other places very interesting and experimental. This is so rare!!!!!
Tracklist:
A Paradis I 5:02
B Paradis II 5:02
Preview:
Download here:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RO6163PV
Various ::: Insane Music For Insane People Vol.5
My God what a treat! And what a rare treat at that, an Industrial/experimental showcase of awesomness you simply must have. This is history.
Tracklist:
A1 Fetus Productions – Flicker Flicker Flick 3:25
A2 Empty Wien – Thomas Szabdz 1:15
A3 Bene Gesserit – Nobody Can Know 2:45
A4 Jezebel – Mon Oeil, Mon Oeil 2:40
A5 Empty Wien – Mitch 2:50
A6 M.A.L. – Pure Emotion 3:05
A7 Cortex – Cortex X 1:15
A8 Human Flesh – Just Another Movie 5:20
A9 Let's Have Healthy Children – Fear No More 2:45
A10 Instead Of – 1983-84 Hennuyères-Bruxelles, Extrait 4 2:05
A11 I Scream – Conclusion 1:25
B1 Human Flesh – Monarch In My Kingdom 4:10
B2 Sue Ann Harkey – Kinetic Harmony 5:05
B3 Empty Wien – Leave It 2:40
B4 Fetus Productions – Anthem 3:50
B5 Twilight Ritual – Fear For Loosing You 6:55
B6 Empty Wien – The Djungle 1:30
B7 Pseudo Code – Stranger Than... 1:55
B8 Enno Velthuys – Conclusion 2:30
Download here:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=P4SE0WWR
Various ::: Sounds From Hands
Great experimental, noise compilation released on the Minus Haben label in 1992. Very limited release and difficult to find which is a shame because this album features some very good bands and some very good music.
Tracklist:
1 - Sigillum S - Chloroform Rewind: A Sharp Approach To Suppressing
2 - Skullflower - IIIrd Gatekeeper
3 - M.T.T. Mauro Teho Teardo - Mescaline Gun
4 - Massimo Toniutti - Balcone Con Balaustra
5 - The Grey Wolves - Incinerate
6 - Pacific 231 - Good Fucking, Tracy Lords
7 - Ramleh - Slammers
8 - Blackhouse - 4x4
9 - Nightmare Lodge - The Lift
10 - Asmus Tietchens - Nachtgalle
11 - Phallus Dei - Power (Ode To Death)
12 - Cindytalk - Empty Hand
13 - Jouissance - Cathedral Like Or Cave Like
14 - Master/Slave Relationship - Bloodbath
15 - Iugula-Thor - Xes Lived
Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/avs1jyv7a24fith/Sound%20From%20Hands.zip
Danza Morta ::: Danza Morta
Post-punk band from Italy which were active in the early 80's. A very strong influence on the early European post-punk scene they appeared on a few compilations alongside such acts as Splinters of Hate, Exex, Hat Hat y Venavil and others. Their sound is typical post-punk and very highly recommended.
Tracklist:
01 - Il Nulla
02 - Non Cantate Prima Dell'Alba
03 - Dopo l'Attacco
04 - Il Viaggio
05 - Fuori Controllo
06 - After
07 - More
08 - Freddo
09 - Non Esisto (Live)
Preview:
Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?inhaa8xbi8i13lh
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Theater of Hate ::: Westworld
Tracklist:
1. A1 "Do You Believe In The Westworld?"
2. A2 "Judgement Hymn"
3. A3 "63"
4. A4 "Love Is A Ghost"
5. A5 "The Wake"
6. B1 "Conquistador"
7. B2 "The New Trail Of Tears"
8. B3 "Freaks"
9. B4 "Anniversary"
10. B5 "The Klan"
11. "Nero"
12. "Incinerator"
13. "Propaganda"
Preview:
Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?zzm1d2tbc3kas4x
Trop Tard ::: Ils Etaient 9 Dans L'Obscurité
Most bands from France are known for the -sometimes excessive- use of synths but Trop Tard (means 'Too Late') stayed far away from that. Only bass, guitar and a drum machine. On the French New Wave site, they state that the band had 3 members, even one on drums but I think the album was made by 2 guys.
And yes, Joy Division is the main influence but Trop Tard created something of their own with it. I really like the guitar work on the album. And the vocals are full of 'ennui'.
Seems that Trop Tard released a bunch of tapes as well. Probably impossible to find. Even the LP hardly turns up for sale. Think it was released in the mid-80's (1985-86).
Tracklist:
1. Les Choses Qu'On Oublie Pas
2. Quelque Chose A Dire
3. Les Anges D'Aujourd'hui
4. Oublier La Vérité
5. La Chose
6. Maman
7. Trop Longtemps
8. Les Rêves De Peur
9. Oublier
10. Je M'Ennui
11. L'Analyse
12. Abandonné
13. Mort D'Une Ame
Preview:
Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?1cke1fgdf2f2c0n
Three Clouds In The Sky ::: A Long Forgotten Day
Tracklist:
1. A Pretty Picture
2. The Song Of Singing Violins
3. Ned Larkin's Eyes
4. Pheona
5. A Veil Of Haze
Preview:
Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?zz3pyov8zuxf848
Monday, August 15, 2011
The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog
A 1927 silent film by Alfred Hitchcock about a landlady who suspects her lodger is a murderer killing women around London.
Kirlian Camera / Andromeda Complex ::: Split
Electro experimental project formed in 1993 by Angelo Bergamini (keyboards and programming) and Celestino Pes (vocals and guitar). Andromeda Complex cease to exist in 1998 after four official releases produced by Angelo Bergamini.
Limited to 1000 handnumbered copies. It comes with transparent plastic envelope. Including a ghost track at the end of track 4. Track 4 is a home recording. A limited and handnumbered private edition about 100 copies, signed by Angelo Bergamini and Celestino Pes, also exists.
Tracklist:
01 Kirlian Camera - Krematorium III
02 Kirlian Camera - May
03 Andromeda Complex - Life Of Despair
04 Andromeda Complex - Beautiful Dreams Never Come True
05 Andromeda Complex - Unlisted Song
Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?cgmztmmnnmn
Andromeda Complex ::: Last Traces Of Forsaken Worships
This music is strongly driven by coldwave/industrial musical influences and the birth of the sampler machine.
Long odd rythmic drum-like box beats and cold synthetized atmosphere with some pretty sensual organic sounds. Very much into the old school of post industrialism and its a lot more 80s than the actual time the work was made (1998). This was their last release before they split.
Tracklist:
01 Tantz
02 Verbena College
03 Cold Souls
04 1939
05 Mea Domina (Invocation Remix)
06 Plenilunio
07 Alla Placenta
08 Depth
09 La Perception De L'Éternité
10 Gates Of Passion
11 Stella Cometa
12 Opera-Gloves
13 An Ideal For Loving
Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?n2gojj2inyf
Pura Sombar ::: Tongues falling from an opened sky
Pura Sombar is a duo of 2 cousins : Kecap Tilil and kecap Tuyul, they have released 2 albums on the French label CommA. Their music is quite hard to describe (ranging from melancholic psych folk, droney free rock, esoteric improvisations) so if you're curious about it just check samples on their myspace page
"Tongues falling from an opened sky" is their most spacey and droney recording to date. It was made with only stringed instruments (and effects). Its troubled, fragile harmonies (like fallen from broken spheres) will take you in a 21 min drift between stellar melancholy and oceanic peace...
Tracklist:
Tongues falling from an opened sky
Preview:
Download here:
http://www.archive.org/download/eg0_022/Pura_Sombar_-_Tongues_falling_from_an_opened_sky.mp3
Anastasia Vronski ::: The Kursk
"The Kursk was realized using analogical synth and underwater microphone recordings to create an illusion of the sounds heard by the sailors who perished in the wreck." Anastasia Vronski
Tracklist:
Kursk
Preview:
Download here:
http://www.archive.org/download/TheKursk/elru_103_01_kursk.mp3
Sunday, August 14, 2011
They Live
This movie is not so much about aliens who are hiding among us, but instead it taps into the deeply submerged suspicion held by most of us that we are being manipulated and taken advantage of by the elite of American society, by our leaders, by the rich, etc. Also, we sometimes feel that we are manipulated and programmed (in a subtle way) to respect hierarchical authority ( e.g., the "OBEY" subliminal command from the movie).
Some thinkers say that human societies are in a way being parasitized by the elite of their societies, and that the elite operate as a parasitic sub-society, living off of the lower classes. America might be said to be operated more in such a fashion (i.e., parasitized by the elite) than are the countries of western Europe. Obvious examples of this parasitic behavior are the "golden handshakes" and backscratching exchanged between corporate CEO's and the Boards of Directors of their companies. But it is far more pervasive than just that.
They Live uses the invisible alien elite as a proxy for our suspicions about how we are all being exploited by the elite of our real-life society, and how these elite are subtly programming us to accept this exploitation.
So, the major theme of the movie is not about being manipulated to be good little consumers in a crassly commercial world. No, it is far more profound than that. Instead, it is more about how the working class Americans in They Live are being exploited by the elite upper crust, who, in the movie, happen to be aliens, but who, in the real world, are a subsociety that use their collective power to exploit the rest of us.
Unfortunately, this movie sometimes has an unintentionally comic air to it. Still, the exploration of that theme is so rare in pop culture, and that theme is so profound, and reaches so far into what American society is, was, and is becoming, that this movie is a Must-See for anyone with an interest in politics and sociology.
Liaisons Dangereuses ::: Liaisons Dangereuses
Tracklist:
1. Mystère Dans Le Brouillard (4:25)
2. Los Ninos Del Parque (5:00)
3. Etre Assis Ou Danser (3:25)
4. Apéritif De La Mort (3:40)
5. Kess Kill Fê Show (3:28)
6. Peut Etre...Pas (6:18)
7. Avant Après Mars (3:48)
8. I Macho Y La Nena (3:58)
9. Dupont (3:50)
10. Liaisons Dangereuses (1:41)
Preview:
Download here:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KCFMOIVJ
Transmission [81-89] ::: The French Cold Wave
Fantastic compilation which covers the important years in French coldwave. The best from 1981 to 1989 and includes such legends of the scene as Asylum Party, End of Data and other essential acts which helped shape this little known genre. The best coldwave compilation ever!
01.-Asylum Party - The Sabbath (3:26)
02.-Baroque Bordello - Today (3:14)
03.-Clair Obscur - The Pilgrim's Progress (Instrumental) (3:56)
04.-Complot Bronswick - Born In A Cage (3:40)
05.-End Of Data - If You Like, Follow Me & So (3:20)
06.-Excès Nocturne - L'Echo Des Lumières (4:40)
07.-Gestalt - Deuxième Ombre (5:40)
08.-Guerre Froide - Demain Berlin (4:42)
09.-Kas Product - One Of A Kind (3:29)
10.-Leitmotiv - Attendre Encore (4:34)
11.-L'Enfance Éternelle - Behind The Beauty (3:42)
12.-Martin Dupont - I Met The Beast (3:41)
13.-Norma Loy - Power Of Spirit (4:25)
14.-Opéra De Nuit - Ami-Amant (3:46)
15.-Opera Multi Steel - Un Froid Seul (3:49)
16.-Pavillon 7B - Black Generation (4:45)
17.-Résistance - Across The Ocean (3:40)
18.-Tanit - Can An Actor Bleed (4:05)
Preview:
Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?muxjitezzzt
Bartok ::: Insanity
Here is another piece of coldwave history. Released in 1982 on the 'On Record' label, this 12# is an extreme obscurity all coldwave collectors must own. As far as I know this blog is the only place you will find this 12# shared. A dark post-punk/coldwave crossover.
Tracklist:
A- Insanity
B- I am the Bomb
Preview:
Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?ltaqq7c9q9p49jt
Friday, August 12, 2011
Vulture ::: Heaven
Strange dark noise with elements of warped lo-fi. This album is comprised of the early music of Vulture released between 1989 to 1991. Disturbing soundscapes which I can only say perfectly reflect the cover of the album.
Tracklist:
1-heaven 1
2-chemical ritual
3-cause of decay
4-my enemy
5-ghost of man kind
6-beast of fear
7-modern world
8-I want to destroy you
9-hellfactory
10-roodkapje
11-ghost of man son
12-eraserhead
13-heaven 2
Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?7mjulpjmdh788sk
Current 93 ::: DOGS BLOOD RISING
If you don't know Current 93 then this album is certainly a good place to start your journey. It is really an apocalyptic psychedelic trip between strength & despair.
Tracklist:
1-christus christus (the shells have cracked)
2-falling back in fields of rape
3-from broken cross, locusts
4-raio no terrasu (jesus wept)
5-st. peter's keys all bloody
6-dogs blood rising
Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?33vjfa33hoa2f03
Buddhist Influence on Aleister Crowley
by Dead Jellyfish
[This article originally appeared in Ashe Journal issue 3.1 2004]
[This article originally appeared in Ashe Journal issue 3.1 2004]
In examining the doctrines and teachings of the majority of modern occult traditions one finds themes relating to Aleister Crowley recurring quite frequently. These schools of Western esoteric practice bear very little in common with each other except for their common ties to Crowley. One could easily devote one’s life to tracing Crowley’s influence on various different magical lodges and other organizations, but that is not my intent here. A more interesting, and perhaps more valuable task would be to flush out what it was that influenced Crowley himself. A quick look at any of his material soon shows that Crowley was quite an eclectic fellow and borrowed ideas and imagery from many different traditions. Crowley’s title of Ankh-F-N-Khonsu, and use of the Gods Horus, Hadit, and Nuit within The Book of the Law show his use of Egyptian mythology and religion. The title of the Beast that he also uses for himself within The Book of the Law shows the impact that Christian apocalyptic ideology has had on him.
Of the many different forms of religion that have influenced Crowley, Buddhism would probably be one of the last of which most people would think of. The Book of the Law does not speak very kindly of Buddhism: “With my [the Egyptian God Horus] claws I tear out the flesh of the Indian and the Buddhist, Mongol and Din.” (Crowley, 1976, pg. 47) I intend to show, however, that this statement is quite misleading and that Crowley did indeed have a fair amount of Buddhist influence in his work. Unfortunately Crowley was quite prolific in his writing and a close, scrutinizing exegesis of his works is certainly out of the question for an essay of such a small size. Instead we shall examine some of his more obscure writings which seem to have been swept under the rug, and examining his most important book: The Book of the Law. If we can show that The Book of the Law had significant Buddhist influence then one can confidently say that all of Crowley’s work has at least some Buddhist influence since The Book of the Law provides the groundwork for the majority of the rest of his writing.
Most of Crowley’s views on Buddhism are laid out for us clearly in his essay Science and Buddhism. The goal of Crowley’s essay is to compare modern scientific conceptions with Buddhism and show that Buddhism is a ‘scientific religion’. The fact that Crowley chose such a goal for his paper is not surprising at all considering the era in which he lived in. A large momentum of movements comparing science and religion had been built by the time that Crowley had written this essay (1903). Key to this scientific religion movement was Paul Carus (b. 1852). Carus’ goal was to propound, develop, and establish the Religion of Science... In order to establish the Religion of Science it is by no means necessary to abolish the old religions, but only to purify them and develop their higher possibilities, so that their mythologies shall be changed into strictly scientific conceptions. It is intended to preserve of the old religions all that is true and good, but to purify their faith by rejecting superstitions and irrational elements, and to discard, unrelentingly, their errors. (Sharf, pg. 14)
Carus’ search for scientific religious truth eventually lead him to Buddhism which he saw as being the religious tradition that was best representative of his Religion of Science. The influence of Carus on Crowley is unmistakable since we find Crowley immediately stating that he does not want to take literal interpretations of obviously fictional passages, “but when Buddhism condescends to be vulgarly scientific; to observe, to classify, to think; I conceive we may take the matter seriously, and accord a reasonable investigation to its assertions.” (Crowley, 1906, pg. 245)
Crowley begins his scientific examination of Buddhism with the Four Noble Truths. The first truth is that
existence is sorrow. Crowley claims that the same truth is stated by Huxley in Evolution and Ethics, and that Huxley also states that the amount of pain that a creature endures varies with the degree of consciousness of the being. The second Noble Truth is that the cause of suffering is desire. Here, Crowley’s comparison of science and Buddhism becomes a little preposterous. He includes under the category of suffering the tendency of two molecules of hydrogen and chlorine to combine under certain conditions. He reasons that if death is painful to himself that it is also so for a molecule. The existence of desire is unpleasant - particularly the desire to continue to exist. The third truth is that the cessation of desire is the cessation of sorrow. This is of course is a simple logical inference from the second truth and needs no further explanation. The final truth is that there is a method of realizing the third truth, which is the eightfold path. As science progresses it tries to increase the happiness in our lives, and decrease the amount of suffering and thus it has similar goals to Buddhism.
In comparing Buddhist cosmology and science Crowley tries to show that the law of karma is identical to the law of causation. He gives the example “if I place a stone on the roof of a house, it is sure to fall sooner or later; i.e. as soon as the conditions permit.” (Crowley, 1906, pg. 249)
The next area of Buddhist cosmology that Crowley looks at are the three characteristics, which are change (anikka), sorrow (dukkha), absence of an Ego (anatta). To explain anikka Crowley once again refers us to Huxley who claims that what we perceive to be at rest is really unperceived activity, and “in every part, at every moment, the state of the cosmos is the expression of a transitory adjustment of contending forces, a scene of strife, in which all the combatants fall in turn.” (Crowley, 1906, pg. 246) Crowley utilizes the arguments of George Berkeley (“matter is immaterial”) to do away with Hindu ideas of a changeless, and perfect atman. The arguments of David Hume are added to those of Berkeley, doing away with the mind as well - since we don’t really have any proof for the existence of one’s own ego, except for the circular Cartesian “I am” argument which is no proof at all. Crowley with an example makes this more clear. (Crowley, 1906, pg. 247) The ordinary person makes the claim, “I lift my arm.” The Buddhist instead states, “There is a lifting of an arm.” This is known to the Buddhist through sensation and consequently our earlier statement becomes, “There is a sensation of the lifting of an arm.” The sensation is perceived by the Buddhist and now we have, “There is a perception of a sensation of the lifting of an arm.” The perception is caused by the inherent tendency to perceive we have, “There is a tendency to perceive the sensation of the lifting of an arm.” The last step we are able to make is to the consciousness of the tendency, and our final claim is, “There is a consciousness of a tendency to perceive the sensation of a lifting of an arm.” It is not possible to go further back, because there is no reason to believe, without any evidence, that there is some unity behind all consciousness.
The three characteristics are further explained by Crowley in his own jataka tale entitled The Three Characteristics. The story is framed by a larger tale of Sakyamuni telling a jataka story to a group of arahats in modern India. Gautama’s tale begins with the weaver Suraj Ju and his wife Chandi who have a child Perdu’ R Abu. This name is significant since perdurabo was Crowley’s motto while he was a member of the Golden Dawn which he joined in 1898. Perdu’ R Abu grew up, built a house and had wives. He saw his wives grow old and saw that a change occurred, and that in his heart a change also occurred. He examined other things in the wilderness and determined that everything is doomed to change, is subject to sorrow, and lacks any Ego.
Jehjaour, an evil magician, saw Perdu’ R Abu in his crystal ball, and realized that Abu was not far away from enlightenment and upon Abu’s arahatship Jehjaour would be destroyed. The name of Jehjaour is also significant because Iehi Aour (“Let there be light”) is the magical motto that Allan MacGregor Bennett took on for himself, and thus his role as the villain in this Jataka is indicative of Crowley’s falling away from the Golden Dawn. Jehjaour appealed to many different Deities for help to no avail. Eventually, though, he did procure the favour of Ganesha who was upset that Perdu’ R Abu had abandoned Him claiming that the Gods are just as mortal as humans. Ganesha told Jehjaour that in only seven rebirths Abu will cease to be reborn, and that they must ensure that each of Abu’s rebirths are as long as possible.
First Perdu’ R Abu is reincarnated as an elephant - the longest living of the beasts. This perceptive elephant took notice of the changes of the seasons, saw the forest as being full of sorrow, and “nobody need preach to him the absence of an ego, for the brutes have had more sense than to ever imagine there was one.” (Crowley, 1906, pg. 227) The elephant spent his days seated in meditation and took no notice at all when Ganesha manifested His divine form before him. When the elephant was only seventeen he was killed by some bacteria.
Next Ganesha reincarnated Abu as a parrot that is supposed to live for five hundred years. The parrot lived merrily in the forest and engaged in the ordinary passions. One day a Tibetan monk entered the forest and chanted, “Aum Mani Padme Hum.” The parrot mimicked the Lama, practiced the mantra every day, and realized the three characteristics. Eventually the parrot became the pet of an elderly lady who soon tired of its continuous chanting and had its neck wrung. The poor parrot was only eight years old.
Ganesha was infuriated at being foiled again and this time made Abu be reborn as a Nat (an elemental spirit) that would live ten thousand years. The family of Nats lived in the hollow of a tree, and one day a bhikkhu came and made his home in the same tree. The British Government learned of the Bhikkhu living in the tree and that he received offerings from the villagers every day. The young Nat overheard the government’s plans of evicting the monk, and cutting down the tree. From the government’s plans the Nat learned of sorrow, impermanence, and insubstantiality. The Bhikkhu was evicted, the tree chopped down, and the family of Nats perished (these events are very similar to Genesis 3). Abu the Nat had only reached the age of three.
Ganesha made the next incarnation of Abu be a flute-girl before Indra’s throne, thus dooming Abu to live for one hundred thousand years. Abu was the prettiest of Indra’s flute-girls and played the sweetest songs on her flute. One day while she was playing she realized the four Noble Truths. Shortly after a mosquito flew into her flute and all that came out was buzzing. Indra was furious and slew her on the spot. She was only eight months old.
Indra was guillotined for this heinous murder and Ganesha ensured that Perdu’ R Abu received the position. As Indra was entertaining Lady Bhavani one day, His mind wandered and He perceived a bank and saw within it sorrow, impermanence, and of course lack of Ego in the bankers. Lady Bhavani was enraged by Indra not paying attention to her and swallowed him whole. Indra had lived only seven days.
Jehjaour was very worried at this point for Perdu’ R Abu was not far off from arahatship. Ganesha set Jehjaour’s mind at ease by having Abu reincarnated as Maha Brahma. Abu’s only job as Brahma was to sustain the universe through meditation. He had read the Bible and understood the horrible results that would happen to humankind if a Deity decides to interfere. Brahma was confused, though, since he was supposed to be above all change, yet only an hour ago he was Indra. As he was pondering this, he saw a holy man meditating under a Bo-tree. Brahma went before Sakyamuni and asked to be enlightened. He wanted to know how he had risen from change and death to the state of being unchangeable. Gautama explained to Brahma that everything - including Brahma - has the three characteristics of suffering, change, and insubstantiality. Someone can “define a quirk as a two-sided triangle ... but that does not prove the actual existence of any such oxymoron.” (Crowley, 1906, pg. 230) Likewise, defining Brahma as eternal and unchangeable does not mean that He really is so. Shortly after, Huxlananda Swami (Thomas Henry Huxley) published a paper that shocked Brahma and caused his death at only six days old.
The death of Brahma enraged Jehjaour so much that his hate engulfed him and caused both himself and Mara to die and be reborn in Avici Hell to suffer the worst fate possible - being reborn as a clergyman of the Church of England. Perdu’ R Abu on the other hand was reborn to Western parents, and was there listening to the Buddha’s jataka tale. This man was Brother Abhavananda (“Bliss-of-non-existence” one of Crowley’s Eastern names). The Buddha asked him what the predicate of all existing things is and Abhavananda replied with the three characteristics. The Buddha then declared Perdu’ R Abu an Arahat and explained that he was the bacteria, the old lady, the British government, the mosquito, Bhavani, and Huxlananda Swami that caused the death of Abu in each life.
This tale is interesting since it shows Perdu’ R Abu actually working against the normal system of things and he obtains greater and greater ability at realizing truth the higher up he goes in the forms of rebirth. Normally a human rebirth is most desirable and someone in the position of Maha Brahma would never have a chance at realizing the three characteristics.
The next work of Aleister Crowley that we shall investigate is his Essay in Ontology in which he attempts to reconcile all the three major religious traditions (Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity) using mathematics instead of mysticism. It is interesting to note, however, that in the end of his paper he reverts back to mysticism, and applauds Buddhism as the only spiritual path of any significant importance. He begins his attempt at answering the metaphysical question of creation by examining the problem of the coexistence of infinite and finite beings. He represents this coexistence as a mathematical equation:
x = G + S + M (x - the purpose of the universe, G - God, S - Satan, M - humankind)
Therefore, one could easily express M as the resultant of G, S, and -x. If, however, God is infinite then the other factors cannot possibly affect it and thus Satan, humankind, and the purpose of the universe drop out of the picture. The very definition of God as infinite denies the existence and importance of humankind implicitly. If we instead define God as finite then we have obliterated the usual Christian reasons for worship and there would be no reason for worshipping G over S since either could be considered supreme. As a result of this problem, Crowley decides to define God as a finite being. This, of course, is an idea that is very compatible with Buddhism which does not see the Gods as infinite, or as being the ultimate creators of the universe.
If an infinitely powerful Deity did not create the universe then we are left with the problem of how the universe came into being, and how space and matter came to be. Crowley sums up the Buddhist teaching on this matter as the following:
Whence whither, why, we know not; but we do know that we are here, that we dislike being here, that there is a way out of the whole loathsome affair - let us make haste and take it! (Crowley, 1906, pg. 236)
Crowley considers this response of Buddhism to be inadequate and instead wants to “assert the absoluteness of the Qabalistic zero.” (Crowley, 1906, pg. 236) If we consider space to be infinite, as the physicists do, then we are left with two possibilities as to the nature of matter and the universe. Either matter fills space completely and thus is infinitely great, or if not then we must say that matter is infinitely small. Whether the universe is one billion light years across or is only three meters in diameter is irrelevant since either way it is infinitely small and in effect nothing. If on the other hand matter is infinite then either God is crowded out of the picture or this infinite matter is God Her/Himself. If God is infinite matter itself then we are presented with the problem of “why should an infinite Ego fill a nonexistent body with imaginary food cooked in thought over an illusionary fire by a cook that is not there?”
Thus, Crowley chose to claim that matter is finite, then investigates whether or not we can claim that the universe began with nothing. He defines ‘zero’ as being the absence of extension in any of the categories, and no positive proposition is valid regarding nothingness. If we were to suppose that time, space, being, heaviness, and hunger are the only categories then we could express a man x as x t + s + b + h + h. If this man eats then he is longer extended into the category of hunger. If you isolate this poor man and cut him off from time and gravity then you’d be left with x s + b. Should this man cease to occupy space and to exist then the result would be x0 which equals 1. Thus, whatever x is if it can be raised to the power of zero then the result is unity and the x factor itself is eliminated. If there was a zero before the existence of things then the zero could not have been extended in any of the categories because there would not have existed any categories for it to be extended into. This nothingness extended in no categories can be expressed as 00. Crowley uses the following equation to illustrate the transformation of nothingness into a finite universe:
Of the many different forms of religion that have influenced Crowley, Buddhism would probably be one of the last of which most people would think of. The Book of the Law does not speak very kindly of Buddhism: “With my [the Egyptian God Horus] claws I tear out the flesh of the Indian and the Buddhist, Mongol and Din.” (Crowley, 1976, pg. 47) I intend to show, however, that this statement is quite misleading and that Crowley did indeed have a fair amount of Buddhist influence in his work. Unfortunately Crowley was quite prolific in his writing and a close, scrutinizing exegesis of his works is certainly out of the question for an essay of such a small size. Instead we shall examine some of his more obscure writings which seem to have been swept under the rug, and examining his most important book: The Book of the Law. If we can show that The Book of the Law had significant Buddhist influence then one can confidently say that all of Crowley’s work has at least some Buddhist influence since The Book of the Law provides the groundwork for the majority of the rest of his writing.
Most of Crowley’s views on Buddhism are laid out for us clearly in his essay Science and Buddhism. The goal of Crowley’s essay is to compare modern scientific conceptions with Buddhism and show that Buddhism is a ‘scientific religion’. The fact that Crowley chose such a goal for his paper is not surprising at all considering the era in which he lived in. A large momentum of movements comparing science and religion had been built by the time that Crowley had written this essay (1903). Key to this scientific religion movement was Paul Carus (b. 1852). Carus’ goal was to propound, develop, and establish the Religion of Science... In order to establish the Religion of Science it is by no means necessary to abolish the old religions, but only to purify them and develop their higher possibilities, so that their mythologies shall be changed into strictly scientific conceptions. It is intended to preserve of the old religions all that is true and good, but to purify their faith by rejecting superstitions and irrational elements, and to discard, unrelentingly, their errors. (Sharf, pg. 14)
Carus’ search for scientific religious truth eventually lead him to Buddhism which he saw as being the religious tradition that was best representative of his Religion of Science. The influence of Carus on Crowley is unmistakable since we find Crowley immediately stating that he does not want to take literal interpretations of obviously fictional passages, “but when Buddhism condescends to be vulgarly scientific; to observe, to classify, to think; I conceive we may take the matter seriously, and accord a reasonable investigation to its assertions.” (Crowley, 1906, pg. 245)
Crowley begins his scientific examination of Buddhism with the Four Noble Truths. The first truth is that
existence is sorrow. Crowley claims that the same truth is stated by Huxley in Evolution and Ethics, and that Huxley also states that the amount of pain that a creature endures varies with the degree of consciousness of the being. The second Noble Truth is that the cause of suffering is desire. Here, Crowley’s comparison of science and Buddhism becomes a little preposterous. He includes under the category of suffering the tendency of two molecules of hydrogen and chlorine to combine under certain conditions. He reasons that if death is painful to himself that it is also so for a molecule. The existence of desire is unpleasant - particularly the desire to continue to exist. The third truth is that the cessation of desire is the cessation of sorrow. This is of course is a simple logical inference from the second truth and needs no further explanation. The final truth is that there is a method of realizing the third truth, which is the eightfold path. As science progresses it tries to increase the happiness in our lives, and decrease the amount of suffering and thus it has similar goals to Buddhism.In comparing Buddhist cosmology and science Crowley tries to show that the law of karma is identical to the law of causation. He gives the example “if I place a stone on the roof of a house, it is sure to fall sooner or later; i.e. as soon as the conditions permit.” (Crowley, 1906, pg. 249)
The next area of Buddhist cosmology that Crowley looks at are the three characteristics, which are change (anikka), sorrow (dukkha), absence of an Ego (anatta). To explain anikka Crowley once again refers us to Huxley who claims that what we perceive to be at rest is really unperceived activity, and “in every part, at every moment, the state of the cosmos is the expression of a transitory adjustment of contending forces, a scene of strife, in which all the combatants fall in turn.” (Crowley, 1906, pg. 246) Crowley utilizes the arguments of George Berkeley (“matter is immaterial”) to do away with Hindu ideas of a changeless, and perfect atman. The arguments of David Hume are added to those of Berkeley, doing away with the mind as well - since we don’t really have any proof for the existence of one’s own ego, except for the circular Cartesian “I am” argument which is no proof at all. Crowley with an example makes this more clear. (Crowley, 1906, pg. 247) The ordinary person makes the claim, “I lift my arm.” The Buddhist instead states, “There is a lifting of an arm.” This is known to the Buddhist through sensation and consequently our earlier statement becomes, “There is a sensation of the lifting of an arm.” The sensation is perceived by the Buddhist and now we have, “There is a perception of a sensation of the lifting of an arm.” The perception is caused by the inherent tendency to perceive we have, “There is a tendency to perceive the sensation of the lifting of an arm.” The last step we are able to make is to the consciousness of the tendency, and our final claim is, “There is a consciousness of a tendency to perceive the sensation of a lifting of an arm.” It is not possible to go further back, because there is no reason to believe, without any evidence, that there is some unity behind all consciousness.
The three characteristics are further explained by Crowley in his own jataka tale entitled The Three Characteristics. The story is framed by a larger tale of Sakyamuni telling a jataka story to a group of arahats in modern India. Gautama’s tale begins with the weaver Suraj Ju and his wife Chandi who have a child Perdu’ R Abu. This name is significant since perdurabo was Crowley’s motto while he was a member of the Golden Dawn which he joined in 1898. Perdu’ R Abu grew up, built a house and had wives. He saw his wives grow old and saw that a change occurred, and that in his heart a change also occurred. He examined other things in the wilderness and determined that everything is doomed to change, is subject to sorrow, and lacks any Ego.
Jehjaour, an evil magician, saw Perdu’ R Abu in his crystal ball, and realized that Abu was not far away from enlightenment and upon Abu’s arahatship Jehjaour would be destroyed. The name of Jehjaour is also significant because Iehi Aour (“Let there be light”) is the magical motto that Allan MacGregor Bennett took on for himself, and thus his role as the villain in this Jataka is indicative of Crowley’s falling away from the Golden Dawn. Jehjaour appealed to many different Deities for help to no avail. Eventually, though, he did procure the favour of Ganesha who was upset that Perdu’ R Abu had abandoned Him claiming that the Gods are just as mortal as humans. Ganesha told Jehjaour that in only seven rebirths Abu will cease to be reborn, and that they must ensure that each of Abu’s rebirths are as long as possible.
First Perdu’ R Abu is reincarnated as an elephant - the longest living of the beasts. This perceptive elephant took notice of the changes of the seasons, saw the forest as being full of sorrow, and “nobody need preach to him the absence of an ego, for the brutes have had more sense than to ever imagine there was one.” (Crowley, 1906, pg. 227) The elephant spent his days seated in meditation and took no notice at all when Ganesha manifested His divine form before him. When the elephant was only seventeen he was killed by some bacteria.
Next Ganesha reincarnated Abu as a parrot that is supposed to live for five hundred years. The parrot lived merrily in the forest and engaged in the ordinary passions. One day a Tibetan monk entered the forest and chanted, “Aum Mani Padme Hum.” The parrot mimicked the Lama, practiced the mantra every day, and realized the three characteristics. Eventually the parrot became the pet of an elderly lady who soon tired of its continuous chanting and had its neck wrung. The poor parrot was only eight years old.
Ganesha was infuriated at being foiled again and this time made Abu be reborn as a Nat (an elemental spirit) that would live ten thousand years. The family of Nats lived in the hollow of a tree, and one day a bhikkhu came and made his home in the same tree. The British Government learned of the Bhikkhu living in the tree and that he received offerings from the villagers every day. The young Nat overheard the government’s plans of evicting the monk, and cutting down the tree. From the government’s plans the Nat learned of sorrow, impermanence, and insubstantiality. The Bhikkhu was evicted, the tree chopped down, and the family of Nats perished (these events are very similar to Genesis 3). Abu the Nat had only reached the age of three.
Ganesha made the next incarnation of Abu be a flute-girl before Indra’s throne, thus dooming Abu to live for one hundred thousand years. Abu was the prettiest of Indra’s flute-girls and played the sweetest songs on her flute. One day while she was playing she realized the four Noble Truths. Shortly after a mosquito flew into her flute and all that came out was buzzing. Indra was furious and slew her on the spot. She was only eight months old.
Indra was guillotined for this heinous murder and Ganesha ensured that Perdu’ R Abu received the position. As Indra was entertaining Lady Bhavani one day, His mind wandered and He perceived a bank and saw within it sorrow, impermanence, and of course lack of Ego in the bankers. Lady Bhavani was enraged by Indra not paying attention to her and swallowed him whole. Indra had lived only seven days.
Jehjaour was very worried at this point for Perdu’ R Abu was not far off from arahatship. Ganesha set Jehjaour’s mind at ease by having Abu reincarnated as Maha Brahma. Abu’s only job as Brahma was to sustain the universe through meditation. He had read the Bible and understood the horrible results that would happen to humankind if a Deity decides to interfere. Brahma was confused, though, since he was supposed to be above all change, yet only an hour ago he was Indra. As he was pondering this, he saw a holy man meditating under a Bo-tree. Brahma went before Sakyamuni and asked to be enlightened. He wanted to know how he had risen from change and death to the state of being unchangeable. Gautama explained to Brahma that everything - including Brahma - has the three characteristics of suffering, change, and insubstantiality. Someone can “define a quirk as a two-sided triangle ... but that does not prove the actual existence of any such oxymoron.” (Crowley, 1906, pg. 230) Likewise, defining Brahma as eternal and unchangeable does not mean that He really is so. Shortly after, Huxlananda Swami (Thomas Henry Huxley) published a paper that shocked Brahma and caused his death at only six days old.
The death of Brahma enraged Jehjaour so much that his hate engulfed him and caused both himself and Mara to die and be reborn in Avici Hell to suffer the worst fate possible - being reborn as a clergyman of the Church of England. Perdu’ R Abu on the other hand was reborn to Western parents, and was there listening to the Buddha’s jataka tale. This man was Brother Abhavananda (“Bliss-of-non-existence” one of Crowley’s Eastern names). The Buddha asked him what the predicate of all existing things is and Abhavananda replied with the three characteristics. The Buddha then declared Perdu’ R Abu an Arahat and explained that he was the bacteria, the old lady, the British government, the mosquito, Bhavani, and Huxlananda Swami that caused the death of Abu in each life.
This tale is interesting since it shows Perdu’ R Abu actually working against the normal system of things and he obtains greater and greater ability at realizing truth the higher up he goes in the forms of rebirth. Normally a human rebirth is most desirable and someone in the position of Maha Brahma would never have a chance at realizing the three characteristics.
The next work of Aleister Crowley that we shall investigate is his Essay in Ontology in which he attempts to reconcile all the three major religious traditions (Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity) using mathematics instead of mysticism. It is interesting to note, however, that in the end of his paper he reverts back to mysticism, and applauds Buddhism as the only spiritual path of any significant importance. He begins his attempt at answering the metaphysical question of creation by examining the problem of the coexistence of infinite and finite beings. He represents this coexistence as a mathematical equation:
x = G + S + M (x - the purpose of the universe, G - God, S - Satan, M - humankind)
Therefore, one could easily express M as the resultant of G, S, and -x. If, however, God is infinite then the other factors cannot possibly affect it and thus Satan, humankind, and the purpose of the universe drop out of the picture. The very definition of God as infinite denies the existence and importance of humankind implicitly. If we instead define God as finite then we have obliterated the usual Christian reasons for worship and there would be no reason for worshipping G over S since either could be considered supreme. As a result of this problem, Crowley decides to define God as a finite being. This, of course, is an idea that is very compatible with Buddhism which does not see the Gods as infinite, or as being the ultimate creators of the universe.
If an infinitely powerful Deity did not create the universe then we are left with the problem of how the universe came into being, and how space and matter came to be. Crowley sums up the Buddhist teaching on this matter as the following:
Whence whither, why, we know not; but we do know that we are here, that we dislike being here, that there is a way out of the whole loathsome affair - let us make haste and take it! (Crowley, 1906, pg. 236)
Crowley considers this response of Buddhism to be inadequate and instead wants to “assert the absoluteness of the Qabalistic zero.” (Crowley, 1906, pg. 236) If we consider space to be infinite, as the physicists do, then we are left with two possibilities as to the nature of matter and the universe. Either matter fills space completely and thus is infinitely great, or if not then we must say that matter is infinitely small. Whether the universe is one billion light years across or is only three meters in diameter is irrelevant since either way it is infinitely small and in effect nothing. If on the other hand matter is infinite then either God is crowded out of the picture or this infinite matter is God Her/Himself. If God is infinite matter itself then we are presented with the problem of “why should an infinite Ego fill a nonexistent body with imaginary food cooked in thought over an illusionary fire by a cook that is not there?”
Thus, Crowley chose to claim that matter is finite, then investigates whether or not we can claim that the universe began with nothing. He defines ‘zero’ as being the absence of extension in any of the categories, and no positive proposition is valid regarding nothingness. If we were to suppose that time, space, being, heaviness, and hunger are the only categories then we could express a man x as x t + s + b + h + h. If this man eats then he is longer extended into the category of hunger. If you isolate this poor man and cut him off from time and gravity then you’d be left with x s + b. Should this man cease to occupy space and to exist then the result would be x0 which equals 1. Thus, whatever x is if it can be raised to the power of zero then the result is unity and the x factor itself is eliminated. If there was a zero before the existence of things then the zero could not have been extended in any of the categories because there would not have existed any categories for it to be extended into. This nothingness extended in no categories can be expressed as 00. Crowley uses the following equation to illustrate the transformation of nothingness into a finite universe:
The multiplication of the infinitely great by the infinitely small results in an unknown finite number extended into an unknown number of categories. Thus, because of mere chance this complicated system of things came out of nothing. We should not misinterpret this as meaning that this nothingness existed for “the idea of existence was just as much unformulated as that of toasted cheese.” (Crowley, 1906, pg. 237) We should also not think of this nothingness as a void occupying infinite space since that would be extending our zero into the category of space.
In The Book of the Law this original nothingness is referred to as Nuit. Nuit is the Egyptian Goddess of the sky, and was the wife of Seb and the mother of Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys. She represented “the feminine principle which was active at the creation of the universe.” (Budge, pg. 120) To Crowley, Nuit was the sum total of all potential outcomes and possibilities out of which any individual substance was created. We find Crowley crying out to Nuit, “O Nuit, continuous one of Heaven, let it be ever thus; that men speak not of Thee as One but as None; and let them speak not of thee at all, since thou art continuous!” (Crowley, 1976, pg. 21) The act of the primordial nothing begetting the universe is described in the Law as “None, breathed the light, faint & faery, of the stars, and two.” (Crowley, 1976, pg. 22) Here the ‘light, faint & faery’ is referring to the One (Hindu Brahman, Gnostic Pleroma, Taoist Chi) and the two refers to the dualities of masculine/feminine, good/evil, God/Demon, Yin and Yang. This account of creation is strikingly similar to the one given in chapter 42 of the Tao-Te Ching:
The Way gave birth to the One;
The One gave birth to the Two. (Henricks, pg. 11)
What is the end result of all this? It is that we are stuck here in a finite universe occupied by a myriad of finite beings all battling against one another and “the war of the contending forces as they grind themselves down to the final resultant must cause endless agony.” Thus, through contemplation of this system of things Aleister Crowley came to realize the first noble truth. Once one has realized the necessity of suffering the next step is to figure out a method for the cessation of suffering. In theory one could wait until the finite universe gets reabsorbed back into the original nothingness out of which the universe was created. Unfortunately the category of causality has been formed and has already accumulated sufficient momentum that the reassimilation of the universe into the original cosmic nothing is nearly impossible.
Crowley believes that the goal of the majority of religions is the annihilation of the self by dissolving one’s self into an infinite deity. Buddhism, however, aims at extinction period. Thus, the Hindu goal of merging into Brahman is illusionary, but the practices to arrive there may be useful at least in the early stages. Crowley summarizes the task of the Buddhist as:
"He must plunge every particle of his being into one idea: right views, aspirations, word, deed, life, willpower, meditation, rapture, such are the stages of his liberation, which resolves itself into a struggle against the laws of causality. He cannot prevent past causes from taking effect, but he can prevent present causes from having any future result." (Crowley, 1906, pg. 240)
To still present causes from having future results Crowley advocates meditation which he defines as the absolute restraint of the mind to the contemplation of a single object. To Crowley mindfulness must be achieved prior to meditation. For a person to become mindful she or he must first have iron willpower. Crowley perceives magical ceremony to have entirely identical ends as meditation, and is a magnificent rocket ship to Nirvana. Through sensation, action, and though the magician indicates the single goal of the ritual.
Although The Book of the Law may talk about ripping the flesh off of the Buddhist, it does contain in it another reference to Buddhism that is not negative at all. In the third chapter of The Book of the Law Crowley says, “Choose ye an island! Fortify it!” (Crowley, 1976, pg. 39) This seems to be a reference to the section of the Dhammapada that Crowley translates as, “Let the wise man an island build against the fatal current strong.” (Crowley, 1976, pg. 46) Juan Mascaro translates the same passage as, “The wise man who by watchfulness conquers thoughtlessness is as one free from sorrows ascends the palace of wisdom and there, from its high terrace, sees those in sorrow below; even as a wise strong man on the holy mountain might behold the many unwise far down below on the plain.” (Mascaro, pgs. 38-39) It is clear that Crowley has departed from regular translations of the Dhammapada with this one particular line, and I believe The Book of the Law is referring to this line of the Dhammapada. Normally this statement is interpreted as one of paranoia and violence which it is commonly interpreted as - especially with the description of Horus as a “god of War and Vengeance.” (Crowley, 1906, pg. 39) just above the line regarding the island. However, if one interprets this ‘island’ as one’s own mind, and protecting it to mean meditating and keeping out false thoughts then this would indeed be a very Buddhist concept. This combined with the prevalent theme of nothingness (as represented by Nuit) makes The Book of the Law a book that is very compatible with Buddhist philosophy. Crowley’s statement of tearing the flesh of the Buddhist is no less anti-Buddhist than the Ch’an monk who claims that the Buddha is a stick of dung.
Bibliography
Budge, E. A. Wallis. Egyptian Religion. New York: Gramercy Books, 1959.
Crowley, Aleister. The Book of the Law. Maine: Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1976
Crowley, Aleister. Collected Works of Aleister Crowley Vol. II. Society for the Propagation of Religious Truth, 1906.
Lao-Tzu. Te-Tao Ching. Translated by Robert G. Henricks. New York: Ballatine Books, 1989.
Sharf, Robert H. “Zen of Japanese Nationalism.” History of Religions, Vol. 33 No. 1
In The Book of the Law this original nothingness is referred to as Nuit. Nuit is the Egyptian Goddess of the sky, and was the wife of Seb and the mother of Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys. She represented “the feminine principle which was active at the creation of the universe.” (Budge, pg. 120) To Crowley, Nuit was the sum total of all potential outcomes and possibilities out of which any individual substance was created. We find Crowley crying out to Nuit, “O Nuit, continuous one of Heaven, let it be ever thus; that men speak not of Thee as One but as None; and let them speak not of thee at all, since thou art continuous!” (Crowley, 1976, pg. 21) The act of the primordial nothing begetting the universe is described in the Law as “None, breathed the light, faint & faery, of the stars, and two.” (Crowley, 1976, pg. 22) Here the ‘light, faint & faery’ is referring to the One (Hindu Brahman, Gnostic Pleroma, Taoist Chi) and the two refers to the dualities of masculine/feminine, good/evil, God/Demon, Yin and Yang. This account of creation is strikingly similar to the one given in chapter 42 of the Tao-Te Ching:
The Way gave birth to the One;
The One gave birth to the Two. (Henricks, pg. 11)
What is the end result of all this? It is that we are stuck here in a finite universe occupied by a myriad of finite beings all battling against one another and “the war of the contending forces as they grind themselves down to the final resultant must cause endless agony.” Thus, through contemplation of this system of things Aleister Crowley came to realize the first noble truth. Once one has realized the necessity of suffering the next step is to figure out a method for the cessation of suffering. In theory one could wait until the finite universe gets reabsorbed back into the original nothingness out of which the universe was created. Unfortunately the category of causality has been formed and has already accumulated sufficient momentum that the reassimilation of the universe into the original cosmic nothing is nearly impossible.
Crowley believes that the goal of the majority of religions is the annihilation of the self by dissolving one’s self into an infinite deity. Buddhism, however, aims at extinction period. Thus, the Hindu goal of merging into Brahman is illusionary, but the practices to arrive there may be useful at least in the early stages. Crowley summarizes the task of the Buddhist as:
"He must plunge every particle of his being into one idea: right views, aspirations, word, deed, life, willpower, meditation, rapture, such are the stages of his liberation, which resolves itself into a struggle against the laws of causality. He cannot prevent past causes from taking effect, but he can prevent present causes from having any future result." (Crowley, 1906, pg. 240)
To still present causes from having future results Crowley advocates meditation which he defines as the absolute restraint of the mind to the contemplation of a single object. To Crowley mindfulness must be achieved prior to meditation. For a person to become mindful she or he must first have iron willpower. Crowley perceives magical ceremony to have entirely identical ends as meditation, and is a magnificent rocket ship to Nirvana. Through sensation, action, and though the magician indicates the single goal of the ritual.
Although The Book of the Law may talk about ripping the flesh off of the Buddhist, it does contain in it another reference to Buddhism that is not negative at all. In the third chapter of The Book of the Law Crowley says, “Choose ye an island! Fortify it!” (Crowley, 1976, pg. 39) This seems to be a reference to the section of the Dhammapada that Crowley translates as, “Let the wise man an island build against the fatal current strong.” (Crowley, 1976, pg. 46) Juan Mascaro translates the same passage as, “The wise man who by watchfulness conquers thoughtlessness is as one free from sorrows ascends the palace of wisdom and there, from its high terrace, sees those in sorrow below; even as a wise strong man on the holy mountain might behold the many unwise far down below on the plain.” (Mascaro, pgs. 38-39) It is clear that Crowley has departed from regular translations of the Dhammapada with this one particular line, and I believe The Book of the Law is referring to this line of the Dhammapada. Normally this statement is interpreted as one of paranoia and violence which it is commonly interpreted as - especially with the description of Horus as a “god of War and Vengeance.” (Crowley, 1906, pg. 39) just above the line regarding the island. However, if one interprets this ‘island’ as one’s own mind, and protecting it to mean meditating and keeping out false thoughts then this would indeed be a very Buddhist concept. This combined with the prevalent theme of nothingness (as represented by Nuit) makes The Book of the Law a book that is very compatible with Buddhist philosophy. Crowley’s statement of tearing the flesh of the Buddhist is no less anti-Buddhist than the Ch’an monk who claims that the Buddha is a stick of dung.
Bibliography
Budge, E. A. Wallis. Egyptian Religion. New York: Gramercy Books, 1959.
Crowley, Aleister. The Book of the Law. Maine: Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1976
Crowley, Aleister. Collected Works of Aleister Crowley Vol. II. Society for the Propagation of Religious Truth, 1906.
Lao-Tzu. Te-Tao Ching. Translated by Robert G. Henricks. New York: Ballatine Books, 1989.
Sharf, Robert H. “Zen of Japanese Nationalism.” History of Religions, Vol. 33 No. 1
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Memorial Voice ::: Ne Veut Plus Vivre
Melodic street punk act with cold macabre/melancholic touch. I'm not kidding, they could be easily describe as coldwave punk.
Enjoy!
Tracklist:
01) "Dance" Première
02) Tes Bombes
03) "TTA" C'est Fini
04) New Rose
05) Réseau X
06) Petit Louis
07) Mémorial Stakanof
08) Drapeau Noir
09) Der Dance
Download here:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2TC1A1AK
Various Artists ::: Vision Et Conception Du Monde / Die Weltanschauung
Excellent compilation tape from France featuring Italian and Spanish bands. A musical range from experimental to minimal synth. Not much info to be found about the bands but they where all among the leading acts from 1985.
Tracklist:
A1. Déficit Des Années Antérieures (DDAA) - Untitled (6:04)
A2. Un Département - Untitled (7:19)
A3. Vivenza - Idéologie Et Force De Travail (4:35)
B1. Ampzilla's Delight - Untitled (3:48)
B2. Der Akteur - Comtemplutio Mundi (3:40)
B3. FâLX çèrêbRi - Desaster (2:57)
B4. Blinddarm - Bach-Cage-Bach (5:47)
Download here:
http://www.multiupload.com/BZTOIZC4E8
Joy Division ::: Heart & Soul
For Joy Division fans this is the closest thing to perfection...
Tracklist:
CD1
01 Digital 2:52
02 Glass 3:56
03 Disorder 3:31
04 Day Of The Lords 4:50
05 Candidate 3:04
06 Insight 4:28
07 New Dawn Fades 4:47
08 She's Lost Control 3:57
09 Shadowplay 3:55
10 Wilderness 2:38
11 Interzone 2:16
12 I Remember Nothing 5:56
13 Ice Age 2:25
14 Exercise One 3:08
15 Transmission 3:37
16 Novelty 4:01
17 The Kill 2:16
18 The Only Mistake 4:19
19 Something Must Break 2:53
Disc One, or "Unknown Pleasures Plus", brings together JD's first Factory album as the title suggests, out-takes from the UP sessions that later surfaced on "Still", a few compilation tracks and the 'Transmission'/'Novelty' single. As they're all more or less from the same period, collecting all these songs on one CD works really well.
1 & 2 -- recorded at Cargo Studios, Rochdale; released on A Factory Sample (1/79) [reissued on Substance (7/88)]
3-12 -- recorded at Strawberry Studios, Stockport; released as Unknown Pleasures (5/79)
13-14 & 17-19 -- recorded at Strawberry Studios, Stockport & Central Sound, Manchester; released as Still (10/81)
15 & 16 -- recorded at Strawberry Studios, Stockport; released as untitled 7" vinyl (10/79) [reissued on Substance (7/88)]
20 & 21 -- recorded at Strawberry Studios, Stockport; released on Earcom 2: Contradiction (10/79) [reissued on Substance (7/88)]
CD2
01 She's Lost Control 12" 4:56
02 Sound Of Music 3:56
03 Atmosphere 4:11
04 Dead Souls 4:57
05 Komakino 3:54
06 Incubation 2:52
07 Atrocity Exhibition 6:05
08 Isolation 2:53
09 Passover 4:46
10 Colony 3:55
11 Means To An End 4:07
12 Heart And Soul 5:51
13 Twenty Four Hours 4:26
14 The Eternal 6:07
15 Decades 6:13
16 Love Will Tear Us Apart 3:27
17 These Days 3:26
Disc 2, or "Closer Plus", features material recorded in 1980 or late 1979, and brings together the "Closer" album and great singles like 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' and 'Atmosphere', as well as some out-takes and a re-recorded version of 'She's Lost Control'. Needless to say; this is brilliant collection of exceptional songs.
1 -- recorded at Strawberry Studios, Stockport; released on 12" vinyl (9/80) [reissued on Substance (7/88)]
2 -- recorded at Pennine Sound Studios, Oldham; released on Still (10/81)
3 & 4 -- recorded at Cargo Studios, Rochdale; released on Licht Und Blindheit (3/80) [3 reissued on 12" vinyl (9/80) & 4 reissued on Still (10/81); both reissued on Substance (7/88)]
5 & 6 -- recorded at Britiannia Row, London; released as 7" Flexi (4/80) [reissued on Substance (7/88)]
7-15 -- recorded at Britiannia Row, London; released as Closer (7/80)
16 -- recorded at Strawberry Studios, Stockport; released on Substance (7/88)
17 -- recorded at Pennine Sound Studios, Oldham; released on Substance (7/88)
CD3
01 Warsaw 2:26
02 No Love Lost 3:42
03 Leaders Of Men 2:34
04 Failures 3:44
05 The Drawback 1:46
06 Interzone 2:11
07 Shadowplay 4:10
08 Exercise One 2:28
09 Insight 4:05
10 Glass 3:28
11 Transmission 3:51
12 Dead Souls 4:55
13 Something Must Break 2:54
14 Ice Age 2:36
15 Walked In Line 2:47
16 These Days 3:27
17 Candidate 1:57
18 The Only Mistake 3:43
19 Chance (Atmosphere) 4:54
20 Love Will Tear Us Apart 3:22
21 Colony 4:03
22 As You Said 2:01
23 Ceremony 4:21
24 In A Lonely Place (Detail) 2:26
Disc 3, or "Rarities", is the collection of hard to find tracks many JD collectors and long-time fans have been waiting for. As well as containing the 4 songs from JD's first EP "An Ideal For Living" and songs from the much-bootlegged RCA Arrow Studios sessions in May 1978, we also get material that has never been in circulation before, not even among the most ardent JD tape collectors. The 4 Genetic demos from March 1979 offer alternative if not terribly different, but none the less very interesting studio versions of songs like 'Transmission' and 'Insight'. Another definite highlight of this CD is the rehearsal room recording of 'Ceremony' and 'In A Lonely Place' (detail). The latter is missing the final verse, either due to reasons of taste (the "hangman" line being judged as too controversial or upsetting perhaps) or simply because the tape ran out during the recording or so the story goes, depending on who you want to believe. The sound quality of these two tracks leaves something to be desired, but as the only JD "studio" versions of these two songs they are essential listening for any serious JD fan.
1-4 -- recorded at Pennine Sound Studios, Oldham; released on An Ideal For Living 7" vinyl (6/78) [reissued on 12" vinyl (10/78) & on Substance (7/88)]
5-7 -- recorded at Arrow Studios, Manchester; previously unreleased RCA demos
8 & 20-21 -- recorded live on the John Peel Radio Show; broadcast 2/79 & 12/79, released on The Peel Sessions (90)
9-11 & 14 -- recorded at Eden Studios, London; previoisly unreleased Genetic Records Sessions
12-13 & 15-19 -- recorded at Central Sound, Manchester and Strawberry Studios, Stockport and Pennine Sound Studios, Oldham; previoisly unreleased Piccadilly Radio Sessions
22 -- recorded at Britannia Row, London; released on 7" Flexi (uncredited track, 4/80) [reissued on Video 586 12" vinyl (9/97)]
23 & 24 -- recorded at Graveyard Studios, Prestwich; previously unreleased
CD4
01 Dead Souls 4:15
02 The Only Mistake 4:05
03 Insight 3:46
04 Candidate 2:03
05 Wilderness 2:27
06 She's Lost Control 3:40
07 Disorder 3:12
08 Interzone 2:04
09 Atrocity Exhibition 5:57
10 Novelty 4:21
11 Autosuggestion 4:05
12 I Remember Nothing 5:32
13 Colony 3:53
14 These Days 3:50
15 Incubation 3:38
16 The Eternal 6:32
17 Heart And Soul 4:43
18 Isolation 3:14
19 She's Lost Control 5:26
Disc 4, or "Live", contains previously unreleased live material from 1979 and 1980. The sound quality of the live material isn't quite as good as what one might expect from a professionally recorded live album, but all in all not too bad. Some or most of the live material originate from audience recordings, but the quality of these performances make them fascinating to listen to all the same. It would have been nice if London Records had decided to include some exclusive live material on Disc 4 though, Peter Hook's private live tapes collection would have been a good place to start looking for some gems. All four live concerts that are featured on "Heart And Soul" have been in circulation among tape collectors for years, and the lack of any previously unheard live material is a little bit disappointing. Particularly as Hooky has played tracks from undistributed live tapes on the radio, so there are definitely more JD live recordings in existence.
1-10 -- recorded live at The Factory, Hulme; previously unreleased
11 -- recorded live at Prince of Wales Conference Centre, YMCA, London; previously unreleased
12-14 -- recorded live at Winter Gardens, Bournemouth; previously unreleased
15-19 -- recorded live at Lyceum Ballroom, London; previously unreleased
Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?9ihj2yr6je0g5dj
http://www.mediafire.com/?4q4qpc5s3husbh1
http://www.mediafire.com/?3mrwahdddzztusd
http://www.mediafire.com/?73yhoszsurqxc28
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