EPISODE · May 5, 2026 · 50 MIN
Mystics | Aleister Crowley: The Wickedest Man In The World | 3
from Legacy
What happens when you raise a child telling him he's the Beast — and he decides to prove you right? Could a manwho genuinely repelled everyone around him have quietly shaped the culture we live in today? And, is the world ofsex, drugs, and rock and roll actually the legacy of a repressed Victorian occultist with a god complex?Peter and Afua descend into the dark, theatrical, and genuinely troubling life of Aleister Crowley: English occultist,self-declared Great Beast 666, and the man who may have done more than anyone to wire transgression, desire, andspiritual hunger into the DNA of modern culture.0:00 The wickedest man in the world — and why he owned it6:00 The Exclusive Brethren: the suffocating sect that made Crowley inevitable10:00 Cambridge, cigars, and erotic poetry: the beast is unleashed15:00 Golden Dawn and the occult underground of Victorian London20:00 Mountaineering, meditation, and the spiritual pick-and-mix24:00 Cairo, 666, and the Book of the Law26:00 Rose Kelly: the woman without whom none of it happens33:00 The Abbey of Thelema and a scandal that shocks even the tabloids38:00 How Crowley became the Beatles' and Led Zeppelin's spirit animal42:00 Jack Parsons: the rocket scientist who performed Crowley rituals by night44:00 Was Crowley a feminist? (Afua has thoughts)48:00 The stain that runs through modern culture straight back to himJoin Legacy Plus for bonus episodes, early access, Q&A's, fewer adverts and more.legacy.supportingcast.fmWatch Legacy on YouTube and Spotify video.Stay connected with Legacy:Instagram: @originallegacypodcastTikTok: @legacy_productionsExplore more from Peter and Afua — essays, sources, and ideas:Substack: peterfrankopan.substack.com | afuahirsch.substack.comJoin Legacy+ for bonus episodes, early access, Q&A's, fewer adverts and more.legacy.supportingcast.fmStay connected with Legacy:Instagram: @originallegacypodcastTikTok: @legacy_productionsExplore more from Peter and Afua — essays, sources, and ideas: Substack: peterfrankopan.substack.com | afuahirsch.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What this episode covers
What happens when you raise a child telling him he's the Beast — and he decides to prove you right? Could a manwho genuinely repelled everyone around him have quietly shaped the culture we live in today? And, is the world ofsex, drugs, and rock and roll actually the legacy of a repressed Victorian occultist with a god complex?Peter and Afua descend into the dark, theatrical, and genuinely troubling life of Aleister Crowley: English occultist,self-declared Great Beast 666, and the man who may have done more than anyone to wire transgression, desire, andspiritual hunger into the DNA of modern culture.0:00 The wickedest man in the world — and why he owned it6:00 The Exclusive Brethren: the suffocating sect that made Crowley inevitable10:00 Cambridge, cigars, and erotic poetry: the beast is unleashed15:00 Golden Dawn and the occult underground of Victorian London20:00 Mountaineering, meditation, and the spiritual pick-and-mix24:00 Cairo, 666, and the Book of the Law26:00 Rose Kelly: the woman without whom none of it happens33:00 The Abbey of Thelema and a scandal that shocks even the tabloids38:00 How Crowley became the Beatles' and Led Zeppelin's spirit animal42:00 Jack Parsons: the rocket scientist who performed Crowley rituals by night44:00 Was Crowley a feminist? (Afua has thoughts)48:00 The stain that runs through modern culture straight back to himJoin Legacy Plus for bonus episodes, early access, Q&A's, fewer adverts and more.legacy.supportingcast.fmWatch Legacy on YouTube and Spotify video.Stay connected with Legacy:Instagram: @originallegacypodcastTikTok: @legacy_productionsExplore more from Peter and Afua — essays, sources, and ideas:Substack: peterfrankopan.substack.com | afuahirsch.substack.comJoin Legacy+ for bonus episodes, early access, Q&A's, fewer adverts and more.legacy.supportingcast.fmStay connected with Legacy:Instagram: @originallegacypodcastTikTok: @legacy_productionsExplore more from Peter and Afua — essays, sources, and ideas: Substack: peterfrankopan.substack.com | afuahirsch.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Mystics | Aleister Crowley: The Wickedest Man In The World | 3
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