The Age of Illusions: Aleister Crowley and Rock & Roll
By Pastor Don Elmore
INTRODUCTION
The Age of Aquarius
When the moon was in the seventh house,
And Jupiter aligned with Mars.
And peace shall guide the planets,
And love shall steer the stars.
It is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius
This New Age of Aquarius that was a popular song in the 60’s, had been planned by a man who was known as the “wickedest man on the earth.” He was born in England in 1875 in a home of a Plymouth Brethren minster. His parents also ran a prosperous brewery. After they died (he was 11 when his father died), he inherited a vast fortune. This enabled him to travel all over the world—America, South America, Italy, Germany—joining and leading secret societies and occult organizations. But in several organizations he was so difficult to get along with that some of the occult groups kicked him out. In Italy, Mussolini expelled him for practicing “human sacrifices.”
He is known as the founding father of modern Satanism. He wanted to be Satan's Chief of Staff. He was a 33 degree Mason and a leader in the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO — a secret occult lodge). In 1904, he wrote the "Book of the Law" which mapped out the future of the New Age. He studied Yoga, Buddhism, Hinduism and black magic. He referred to himself as the “Beast — 666”. Some quotes of this evil man:
- “This book [The Law of Thelema (Beast)] lays down a simple code of conduct: Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, love under will. There is no law beyond Do what thou wilt.”
- “I am the snake that giveth knowledge and delight and bright glory, and stirs the hearts of men with darkness. To worship me take wine and strange drugs whereof I will tell my prophets and be drunk thereof. They shall not harm you at all.”
- “That religion they call Christianity, the devil they honor they call God...it is their God and their religion that I hate and will destroy.”
- “Every man and every woman is a star.”
- “If one follows my black magic, I can enable him to be a genius in music.”
FOLLOWERS OF THIS WICKED MAN
Surprising to many Christians, this most evil man has had an effect on their lives and the lives of their children and grandchildren. How? Even though he died in 1947, many ardent followers and disciples perpetuate his message. This man—Aleister Crowley—has indirectly been responsible for the destruction of hundreds of thousands of lives. Subtly, his code of conduct of the New Age of Aquarius has virtually replaced the Law of God of Christianity.
The mantel of Aleister Crowley was taken in the 1960’s by a Harvard Professor of Psychology by the name of Timothy Leary. He taught that spiritual “enlightenment” could be obtained through the use of the drug LSD. Leary had a powerful effect on people of his generation. He was a gifted and charismatic speaker and he used these gifts to corrupt the minds of many of the youth. He even described himself as a “forty-year-old, smart-aleck, atheist Harvard professor of psychology.” Timothy Leary admitted on the television show, Late Night America, that he was an admirer and follower of Aleister Crowley. In fact, he stated that he thought that he was appointed to carry on his work. Leary said that Crowley was in favor of finding yourself and to “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law under love. It was a very powerful statement...I’m sorry that he isn't around now to appreciate the glories he started.”
Leary made plans to spread the law of this new age (“Do want you want”) by using the tool of rock and roll music. He influenced:
- John Lennon of the Beatles
- Jefferson Airplane
- The Grateful Dead
- Jimi Hendrix
- … and many others
This self-appointed successor of Crowley, Timothy Leary, actually talked about God becoming incarnate in a particular band. He revealingly said “He [god] has come back as ...the four sided mandala...The Beatles. The means by which to spread the new gospel— music (rock and roll); The sacraments—drugs.”
ALDOUS HUXLEY
Another follower of Crowley was a well-known British writer who experimented with psychotropic drugs as “the tool of enlightenment.” One of his writings is called “The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell.” The door was psychedelic drugs. The keyboardist of the popular band, The Doors, explained a decade after Huxley’s book was published, how this band got their name:
“At the time, we had been ingesting a lot of psychedelic chemicals, so the doors of perception were cleansed in our minds, and we saw the music as a vehicle, in a sense, to become proselytizers of a new religion, a religion of self, of each man as god. That was the original idea behind The Doors.”
On the back cover of The Doors album entitled “ 13” is
Huxley regularly ingested psilocybin mushrooms with Timothy Leary. Leary recalls one of these times in the following statement: “Huxley’s eyes were closed. Suddenly he clapped his hands Your role is quite simple. Become a cheerleader for evolution. That’s what I did and my grandfather before me. These brain drugs will bring about vast changes in society. We (must ) spread the word. The obstacle to this evolution Timothy, is the Bible.”
Tony Sanchez, a friend and writer, lived a year with the Rolling Stones in order to gain insight to write a book about them had this observation, “The Beatles and Rolling Stones were meeting where they talked long into the night. About music and revolution and Chuck Berry and how they were all going to change the world.” Change the world to what? Change the world to the law of the New Age of Aquarius. In 1967, both bands testified of what they planned to do.
John Lennon identifies the Beatles with Crowley: “The whole Beatles idea was to do what you want. To take you own responsibility, do what you want and try not to harm other people. Do what thou wilst, as long as it doesn't hurt somebody.” Brian Jones, original guitarist of the Rolling Stones: “I believe we’re moving toward a new age in ideas and events. Astrologically we are at the end of the age called the Pisces Age—at the beginning of which people like Christ were born. We’re soon to begin the Age of Aquarius, in which events as important as those at the beginning of Pisces are likely to occur. There’s a young revolution in thought and manner about to take place.”
A number of rock musicians have been fascinated by the persona and ideas of Aleister Crowley. Many popular music groups make either reference to him or his work in their lyrics. Some of these groups are:
- The Beatles
- Rolling Stones
- Graham Bond Organization
- David Bowie
- Ozzy Osbourne
- Iron Maiden
- Marilyn Manson
- Behemoth
- Mudvayne
- Led Zeppelin
- The Police
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Devildriver
- Primal Scream
- The Doors
- Jimi Hendrix
- Beach Boys
So popular and influential is Aleister Crowley among the famous rock groups that he has appeared on many of their album covers. Besides being on the cover of The Doors album, he also appears on the cover of albums of the mega-popular bands of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Led Zepplin.
CROWLEY’S MINISTERS
The revolution was and is a success. Crowley’s plan has worked. His Age of Aquarius has overwhelmed Western Christian Culture.
What are the “glories” of Crowley’s Age of Aquarius? Immodest apparel, promiscuity, miscegenation, sodomy, rebellion, epidemic drug use, increased suicides, pornography, socialism, popularity of Eastern religions, rampant diseases, illegitimate children, purposeless lives. And who were his most influential ministers? It was hundreds of rock and roll bands, including the most famous.
Where were their pulpits? Millions of records, radios, television shows, tapes, movies, iPods, cell phones, etc. When did they preach? Almost every hour on the hour. How effective and clever. An average teenage child listens to hundreds of “sermons” a week from Crowley’s ministers to one from God’s ministers. No wonder the revolution was and is so successful.
There is no longer a need for the Hippies and the “Love and flower children” — they have converted most of the world. Rock and Roll music is practically everywhere and it is exalted by the world. Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones were the feature band for the National Football League’s 2006 season as well as their 2006 Super Bowl half-time show. Shamefully, the Queen of England bestowed national honors on both the Rolling Stones and Beatles.
CHRISTIAN SUICIDE
Christianity’s watchmen have failed to warn the sheep of the danger of Crowley’s Age of Aquarius ministers. The hypnotic, intoxication of the rock and roll music with its ungodly law of the Beast: “Do what thou will” has captured the minds of two generations of children.
Many Christian parents, including those who home schooled or sent their children to Christian schools; who made sure that they went to Sunday School, church and youth groups; and who dressed them modestly—only to witness the transformation of their teenage sons and daughters into servants of evil — have been completely dumbfounded as to how it possibly could have happened!
Think about it! The Beatles were the most popular band and sold millions of records for many years. At the height of their popularity, they made an album called: “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.” On the cover of this album—see page 6, they put the pictures of the people who they most admired. Who is on this cover gives a clear indication as to the purpose and agenda of The Beatles. For example: Sri Yukestawar Giri (Guru), Sri Mahavatara Babaji (Guru), Sri Paramahansa Yoganandu (Guru), Sri Lahiri Mahasaya (Guru), Mohandas Karamchand Ghandi (Indian leader), Aleister Crowley (second from the top on the left), Carl Gustav Jung (third from the left; second row from the top—Psychologist), Aldous Huxley (writer), Karl Marx (fourth from the right; second row from the top—Communist leader), as well as numerous actors, comedians, writers, and artists.
Eastern Gurus, Communists, occult leaders, haters of Christianity—these are the people that they admired? They themselves followed Crowley’s code of conduct. They practiced Eastern religions; sorcery (drug use; including LSD), promiscuity, drunkenness, miscegenation, blasphemy, hatred of Christianity, etc.
And just what were the messages being preached in their songs? As they themselves said: Change the world. Help to bring in the Age of Aquarius and end the Age of Christianity. And they did it with the blessings of millions of Christian parents and church leaders!
