Boleskine House
Encyclopedia
Boleskine House was the estate of author and occultist Aleister Crowley
from 1899 to 1913. It is located on the South-Eastern shore of Loch Ness
in Scotland
, two miles east of the Village of Foyers
. The house was built in the late 18th century by Archibald Fraser.
In The Confessions of Aleister Crowley
(Chapter 22), he continues:
Crowley eventually sold the manor in order to fund the publication of The Equinox
, Vol. III. However, he later alleged that the funds were stolen by the Grand Treasurer General of Ordo Templi Orientis
, George MacNie Cowie.
Kiblah. This is an Arabic word which refers to the direction of Mecca
, the holiest shrine of Islam
. It has a slightly different meaning in Thelema, as it is mentioned in several rituals written by Crowley where it is identified with the East. The Gnostic Mass
and Liber Reguli http://hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib5.html both identify the principal orientation (sometimes known as "Magical East") as being towards Boleskine. It is considered to be the focal point of the magical energies (also called the "93 Current") of the Aeon of Horus
. In this way it is similar to Jerusalem in Judaism
and Mecca
in Islam
.
As Sabazius X (1998) notes:
in Scotland at 57°15′55.3"N 4°28′28.8"W.
Crowley describes Boleskine in Confessions:
The home includes the entrance hall, five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a drawing room, dining room, family room, kitchen, utility room, and the cellars. The grounds (about 47 acres) includes the Gate Lodge, which was originally the home for a coachman. It has a living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom, as well as a pond, small garden and an orchard.
guitarist and Aleister Crowley enthusiast, Jimmy Page
, who once called Crowley "a misunderstood genius of the 20th Century" .
Page's fantasy sequence in the Led Zeppelin concert film
The Song Remains the Same
was filmed at night on the mountainside directly behind Boleskine House.
Page claimed that the house was haunted by a decapitated head.
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...
from 1899 to 1913. It is located on the South-Eastern shore of Loch Ness
Loch Ness
Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, two miles east of the Village of Foyers
Foyers
Foyers is the name of a village in the Highland local government council area of Scotland, lying on the east shore of Loch Ness...
. The house was built in the late 18th century by Archibald Fraser.
Background
Crowley purchased the home in order to perform the operation found in The Book of the Sacred Magick of Abra-Melin the Mage. To perform it, Crowley says,One must have a house where proper precautions against disturbance can be taken; this being arranged, there is really nothing to do but to aspire with increasing fervor and concentration, for six months, towards the obtaining of the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian AngelHoly Guardian AngelThe term Holy Guardian Angel was possibly coined either by Abraham of Würzburg, a French Cabalist who wrote a book on ceremonial magick during the 15th century or Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, the founder of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, who later translated this manuscript and...
.
In The Confessions of Aleister Crowley
The Confessions of Aleister Crowley
The Confessions of Aleister Crowley : An Autohagiography, by Aleister Crowley , is a book written in six parts, the first two parts published in 1929. It is subtitled "An Autohagiography" which refers to the autobiography of a Saint, a title which Crowley would also have associated with the...
(Chapter 22), he continues:
The first essential is a house in a more or less secluded situation. There should be a door opening to the north from the room of which you make your oratory. Outside this door, you construct a terrace covered with fine river sand. This ends in a "lodge" where the spirits may congregate.
Crowley eventually sold the manor in order to fund the publication of The Equinox
The Equinox
The Equinox is a series of publications in book form that serves as the official organ of the A.'.A.'., a magical order founded by Aleister Crowley...
, Vol. III. However, he later alleged that the funds were stolen by the Grand Treasurer General of Ordo Templi Orientis
Ordo Templi Orientis
Ordo Templi Orientis is an international fraternal and religious organization founded at the beginning of the 20th century...
, George MacNie Cowie.
Kiblah of Thelema
Aleister Crowley considered Boleskine to be the ThelemicThelema
Thelema is a religious philosophy that was established, defined and developed by the early 20th century British writer and ceremonial magician, Aleister Crowley. He believed himself to be the prophet of a new age, the Æon of Horus, based upon a religious experience that he had in Egypt in 1904...
Kiblah. This is an Arabic word which refers to the direction of Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
, the holiest shrine of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. It has a slightly different meaning in Thelema, as it is mentioned in several rituals written by Crowley where it is identified with the East. The Gnostic Mass
Gnostic Mass
A Gnostic Mass is a religious Mass administered by a Gnostic church. Several such churches exist, each with its own Gnostic version of the Mass. Some of these are:* Ecclesia Gnostica celebrates a Gnostic traditional Mass called The Gnostic Holy Eucharist...
and Liber Reguli http://hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib5.html both identify the principal orientation (sometimes known as "Magical East") as being towards Boleskine. It is considered to be the focal point of the magical energies (also called the "93 Current") of the Aeon of Horus
Aeon (Thelema)
In the religion of Thelema, it is believed that the history of humanity can be divided into a series of Aeons, each of which was accompanied by its own forms of "magical and religious expression"...
. In this way it is similar to Jerusalem in Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
and Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
in Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
.
As Sabazius X (1998) notes:
Thus, the location of Boleskine House is to be the OmphalosOmphalosAn omphalos is an ancient religious stone artifact, or baetylus. In Greek, the word omphalos means "navel" . According to the ancient Greeks, Zeus sent out two eagles to fly across the world to meet at its center, the "navel" of the world...
or Center of Power for Thelema, and is to continue as such for the duration of the Aeon of Horus, regardless of the physical presence of the Stèle or of the house itself. Thus, O.T.O. Lodges, Profess-Houses and Gnostic Mass Temples are ideally to be oriented towards Boleskine.http://www.hermetic.com/sabazius/kiblah.htm
House and grounds
Boleskine House is located on the South-Eastern shore of Loch NessLoch Ness
Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...
in Scotland at 57°15′55.3"N 4°28′28.8"W.
Crowley describes Boleskine in Confessions:
The house is a long low building. I set apart the south-western half for my work. The largest room has a bow window and here I made my door and constructed the terrace and lodge. Inside the room I set up my oratory proper. This was a wooden structure, lined in part with the big mirrors which I brought from London.
The home includes the entrance hall, five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a drawing room, dining room, family room, kitchen, utility room, and the cellars. The grounds (about 47 acres) includes the Gate Lodge, which was originally the home for a coachman. It has a living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom, as well as a pond, small garden and an orchard.
Ownership by Jimmy Page
From the early 1970s until 1991 Boleskine was owned by famed Led ZeppelinLed Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
guitarist and Aleister Crowley enthusiast, Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
, who once called Crowley "a misunderstood genius of the 20th Century" .
Page's fantasy sequence in the Led Zeppelin concert film
Concert film
A concert movie, or concert film, is a type of documentary film, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by a musician ....
The Song Remains the Same
The Song Remains the Same (film)
The Song Remains the Same is a concert film by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. The recording of the film took place during three nights of concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York City, during the band's 1973 concert tour of the United States. The film premiered on 20 October 1976, at...
was filmed at night on the mountainside directly behind Boleskine House.
Page claimed that the house was haunted by a decapitated head.
Sources
- Sabazius. (1998). The Kiblah. Retrieved on 14 May 2006.
- Thelemapedia. (2004). Boleskine House. Retrieved 2 May 2006.
External links
- The Kiblah, by Sabazius X°
- Aleister Crowley at Boleskine House
- A half-hour BBC Scotland documentary on Google about Crowley and Boleskine House A film narrated by Robert Powell, includes interviews with Colin WilsonColin WilsonColin Henry Wilson is a prolific English writer who first came to prominence as a philosopher and novelist. Wilson has since written widely on true crime, mysticism and other topics. He prefers calling his philosophy new existentialism or phenomenological existentialism.- Early biography:Born and...
, Kenneth AngerKenneth AngerKenneth Anger is an American underground experimental filmmaker, occasional actor and author...
and others.