One must find out for oneself, and make sure beyond doubt, 'who' one is, 'what' one is, 'why' one is... Being thus conscious of the proper course to pursue, the next thing is to understand the conditions necessary to following it out. After that, one must eliminate from oneself every element alien or hostile to success, and develop those parts of oneself which are specially needed to control the aforesaid conditions.
Aleister CrowleyThe True Will is thus both determined by its equations, and free because those equation are simply its own name, spelt out fully.
Aleister CrowleyWe place no reliance On virgin or pigeon; Our Method is Science, Our Aim is Religion.
Aleister CrowleyThe ordinary man looking at a mountain is like an illiterate person confronted with a Greek manuscript.
Aleister CrowleyIn every Magical, or similar system, it is invariably the first condition which the Aspirant must fulfill: he must once and for all and for ever put his family outside his magical circle.Even the Gospels insist clearly and weightily on this.Christ himself (i.e. whoever is meant by this name in this passage) callously disowns his mother and his brethren (Luke VIII, 19). And he repeatedly makes discipleship contingent on the total renunciation of all family ties. He would not even allow a man to attend his father's funeral!Is the magical tradition less rigid?Not on your life!
Aleister Crowley