Jamison asked:
"About a year ago I purchased a book of poems by Crowley. I was astonished. He was moons beyond the other poets of his Age, and he aspired to be of the first rank of English Poets. And yet now his poetry is almost forgotten. Do modern students of Crowley read and study his poetry? Do you think anything can be done to awaken the public to the beauty of his verses? I am curious to know your thoughts. Also, I am curious, did Crowley believe he was a good man. Did he intend to do evil or did he intend to do good? Did he worship Satan? Did he want to help Humanity or harm Humanity?"
David Allen Hulse answered:
"You raise some controversial questions, but my most recent writing project is THE GENESIS OF THE BOOK OF THE LAW (published by J.D.Holmes), being 3 pamphlets made up of a continuing timeline describing Crowley's life in relation to "The Book of the Law". I will try to respond to each of your questions, but please view them as my own personal views, rather than the gospel truth.
I had studied modern poetry deeply as a young man, and in my teenage years I wrote nothing but fictional short stories and poetry. Crowley's verse could not compete in his day and age with the innovative, new style of poetry championed by Ezra Pound, T.S. Elliot and even W. B. Yeats. For Crowley's style was a throwback to Victorian England's greatest champion of verse, Percy Bysshe Shelley. However, Crowley was a fine poet in his own right in that he had a real magical vision he was trying to entwine in his own verse. He was prodigious in his output. As to his modern followers (members of his organization the O.T.O.), I think they all have an appreciation for the masterful verse of Crowley. Much of his rituals that they practice are enlivened by his own rich poetry. As to awakening a modern public to the power of Crowley's poetry, I do not think that is possible. Many have tried in anthology of verse, but none have ever become popular among the masses.
Crowley felt that his mission was to bring everyone to an awareness of her or his Holy Guardian Angel. He wanted to make the average man into an adept by inventing a training program simple and efficient enough to do just this. He unfortunately never succeeded in developing such a plan of discipline but his magical order the A.A., a spin off of the Golden Dawn was his attempt.
Crowley was always split on whether he was doing good or evil. He said that in his youth on a wild night, with the wind whipping at his horse as he galloped into the darkness, God and the Devil battled for his soul. Only one won in the morning's light, but Crowley was never sure which one won.
Crowley worshipped the discarnate Egyptian entity known as Aiwass. Crowley viewed Aiwass as his own Holy Guardian Angel, the angel that watches over our spiritual progress here on earth. However, later in life Crowley came to identify Aiwass as a form of the God Mercury, and then ultimately a form of the Demon Shaitan. Crowley wanted to teach Humanity to find their individual true wills or purpose in life and do that to the exclusion of all else. In that sense he was a prophet for a new age. Hope this helped a little. Crowley is a complex man."
Shawn asked:
"I've bought both of the Keys, and your new Cube of Space Book. Great Books all - thank you! I hate to deface books though, and even if it is meant to I hate to cut out the model. Also, the model is a tad small. Have you given thought to printing a batch of larger ones and selling them?"
David Allen Hulse answered:
"Please write my publishers at Red Wheel/Weiser and request the larger cube. I suggested it to them myself, but requests from the public may change the tide. As to defacing the book, I understand. Send me a mailing address and I will send you an extra sheet of the folding cube so that you do not have to deface it. I agree it is small, but given the size of the book, it was a compromise that had to be reached."