RedHanded ShortHand: Aleister Crowley - The Beast 666
Mar 13, 2026
A dive into Aleister Crowley’s mysterious final days and the legends that followed. They trace his journey from strict religious upbringing to scandalous rebellion. The story covers secretive occult orders, strange rituals at Boleskine House, and bizarre Algiers ceremonies. Later life scandals, theatrical stunts, and his odd cultural afterlife are all teased with dark humour.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Crowley Died Alone In Hastings
- Aleister Crowley died in a run-down guesthouse called Netherwood House in Hastings, feeding his heroin habit and reading in room 13.
- Hastings refused cremation so his ashes were sent to the US and buried in Karl Germer's garden in New Jersey, creating local curse lore.
Religious Upbringing Shaped Crowley's Rebellion
- Crowley grew up in a strict Plymouth Brethren household and turned radically away from that piety after his father's sudden death in 1887.
- That religious repression and trauma help explain his later embrace of occultism, libertinism, and self-styled satanic persona.
Jerome Pollitt Sparked Crowley's Decadence
- At Cambridge Crowley fell for Jerome Pollitt, a ten-year-older performer who introduced him to the decadent movement and inspired Crowley's poetry.
- Crowley's erotic and literary life intensified there, producing scandalous erotic verse he had to publish abroad under a pseudonym.