Theatre Magick: Aleister Crowley and the Rites of Eleusis

366 Pages·2003·9.23 MB·English

by  Tracey W. Tupman

THEATRE MAGICK:
ALEISTER CROWLEY AND THE RITES OF ELEUSIS

DISSERTATION

Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate

School of The Ohio State University

by

Tracy W. Tupman, M.A.

* * * * *

The Ohio State University
2003

Dissertation Committee:
Approved by
Dr. Joy H. Reilly, Advisor

Dr. Alan Woods ________________________________
Advisor
Dr. Lesley Ferris Theatre Graduate Program
ABSTRACT

In October and November of 1910 seven one-act plays were produced at Caxton
Hall, Westminster, London, under the collective title The Rites of Eleusis. These public
productions were as much an experiment in audience and performer psychology as they
were an exotic entertainment. Written, produced and directed by leading cast member,
Aleister Crowley, The Rites of Eleusis attempted to present a contemporary interpretation
of an ancient myth in order to reignite the role and importance of mysticism in modern
society. Through exposing the audience to a variety of sensory stimuli such as incense,
rhythmic music, dance, and poetry, it attempted to create within the audience itself an
altered state of consciousness which would make them co-celebrants within the
performance/ritual. As Crowley stated in the original broadsheet advertisements for the
productions, the Rites were intended “to illustrate the magical methods followed by a
mystical society which seeks for illumination by ecstasy.” But Crowley intended much
more: he hoped the audience would not merely view an “illustration,” but experience an
actual state of “ecstasy.” for “self-development” not only to the performers onstage, but
also to the spectators. This experiment to recreate not only the “performer-priests” of
antiquity but to include the audience as a part of the production foreshadowed the later
work of theatre anthropologists and theorists such as Richard Schechner, and serves to
illustrate one of the first attempts in the twentieth century to consciously create a
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psychological connection between theatrical and religious practice within the western
hegemonic society.
A close reading of the first Rite demonstrates that there are specific occult
motivations for every artistic decision reflected in the actual productions. Thus, the
position in which performers are discovered at the opening of a rite is not merely an
aesthetic choice, but is also reflective of specific criteria established by qabalistic,
astrological, or other occult requirements. The costumes and properties used within the
Rites are also dictated by deeper symbolism.
The appearance of performativity in a religious or worshipful context is repetitive
throughout history, and time after time it is spirituality that gives birth to the drama,
rather than spirituality evolving from a performative context.
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DEDICATION

To the memory of my Father, who taught by example,
To my Mother, who teaches by words,
And to my Daughter, Caitlin, who taught the most important lesson of all.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank my committee members as a group for their seemingly
limitless support and flexibility during the protracted production of this document.
Specifically, my thanks goes to Dr. Alan Woods for his probing questions during our
conversations and his willingness to reign me in and keep me focused on the topic at
hand. Dr. Lesley Ferris gave me much food for thought in our discussions and lead me to
ways of interpreting connections which had not occurred to me previously. Finally, my
advisor, Dr. Joy Reilly must be commended for keeping faith in me and for her
willingness to go out of her way, even to coffee shops on Saturday mornings, to get me
feedback and enormously instructive criticism.
I would also like to thank Dr. W. F. Ryan and the staff of the Warburg Institute in
London for their patience and cheerfulness during my research there. Several of their
days were spent carrying boxes of materials back and forth for my examination, and this
was always done with a friendly and helpful demeanor which was most reassuring to a
researcher not certain he would find anything of value.
Personal friends also played a large role in the successful completion of this
project. Megan Mateer was of invaluable assistance in the technical creation of this
document and in goading me to kept my nose to the grindstone. Lord Shadow of The
Shadow Realm in Columbus, Ohio was a font of information about Crowley and served
as my initial contact with the local OTO. He was also the source of many rare Crowley
works which he generously allowed me to examine.
Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Paul Daum who, so many years ago, got me
excited enough about theatre history that it moved from a hobby to a passion.
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VITA

December 16, 1955………………….Born – Anderson, Indiana

1983…………………………………B.A. Education, University of Akron

1983-1985…………………………...Graduate Assistant, Theatre,
University of Akron

1985…………………………………M.A. Theatre Arts, University of Akron

1988…………………………………Instructor, Speech and Communication,
Charles County Community College,
La Plata, Maryland

1994-1999…………………………..Graduate Administrative Assistant,
The Ohio State University

1999-present………………………...Undergraduate Academic Advisor,
The Ohio State University

2000-present Instructor, Theatre, Business Presentation,
Ohio Dominican University

FIELDS OF STUDY

Major Field: Theatre
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
Dedication..........................................................................................................................iv

Acknowledgments................................................................................................................v

Vita.....................................................................................................................................vi

List of Figures......................................................................................................................x

Introduction..........................................................................................................................1

Chapters

1. The Theatre of Spirituality.....................................................................................41

1.1 Introduction....................................................................................................41
1.2 The Beginnings of Myth................................................................................42
1.3 Mythic Performances.....................................................................................53
1.4 The Idea of Symbolism..................................................................................66
1.5 Symbolist Poetry............................................................................................69
1.6 Symbolist Music............................................................................................73
1.7 Richard Wagner.............................................................................................75
1.8 Symbolist Theatre..........................................................................................76
1.9 Symbolism and Psychology...........................................................................80
1.10 Conclusion.....................................................................................................87

2. The Theatre of the Golden Dawn...........................................................................88

2.1 Introduction....................................................................................................88
2.2 The Occult World of the Nineteenth Century................................................89
2.3 The Masonic Connection...............................................................................96
2.4 The Golden Dawn........................................................................................100
2.5 Samuel Liddell Mathers and the Rites of Isis..............................................114
2.6 William Butler Yeats...................................................................................122
2.7 Annie Horniman and the Abbey Theatre.....................................................126
2.8 Florence Farr and the Egyptian Plays..........................................................132
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2.9 Conclusion...................................................................................................139
3. The Theatre of Aleister Crowley.........................................................................141

3.1 Introduction..................................................................................................141
3.2 Biographical Background............................................................................142
3.3 Crowley’s Magick........................................................................................163
3.4 Crowley in Fiction.......................................................................................165
3.5 Crowley and Film........................................................................................167
3.6 Crowley’s Essays on Theatre.......................................................................170
3.7 Crowley’s Other Works for the Stage..........................................................171
3.8 Film Scripts..................................................................................................193
3.9 The Ragged Rag-Time Girls........................................................................195
3.10 Doctor Faustus...........................................................................................197
3.11 The Mass of the Phoenix..............................................................................198
3.12 Conclusion...................................................................................................199

4. Aleister Crowley and the Rites of Eleusis............................................................202

4.1 Introduction..................................................................................................202
4.2 The Use of Pharmaceuticals in Ritual..........................................................203
4.3 The Original Rites of Eleusis.......................................................................206
4.4 The Origins of the 1910 Production............................................................208
4.5 The Cast.......................................................................................................224
4.5.1 Victor Neuburg...................................................................................224
4.5.2 Leila Waddell......................................................................................227
4.5.3 Ione de Forest......................................................................................231
4.5.4 George Raffalovich.............................................................................234
4.5.5 John Frederick Charles Fuller.............................................................239
4.5.6 Kenneth Martin Ward.........................................................................239
4.6 Performance Reconstruction........................................................................240
4.6.1 The Rite of Saturn...............................................................................243
4.7 Conclusion...................................................................................................257

5. Conclusion...........................................................................................................260

5.1 Introduction..................................................................................................260
5.2 Background of the OTO in America............................................................261
5.3 Vasilos Calitsis and The Mysteries of Eleusis.............................................264
5.4 Conclusion...................................................................................................267

Appendix A: A Time Line of Aleister Crowley..............................................................277

Appendix B: Looking Glass: October 29, 1910...............................................................280

Appendix C: The Bystander: November 16, 1910...........................................................284
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Appendix D: The Bystander: November 23, 1910...........................................................291
Appendix E: The Looking Glass: November 12, 1910....................................................295

Appendix F: John Bull: November 5, 1910.....................................................................303

Appendix G: The Sketch: August 24, 1910......................................................................308

Appendix H: The Mass of the Phoenix............................................................................312

Appendix I: The Lesser and Greater Rituals of the Hexagram.......................................315

Appendix J: The Rites Today..........................................................................................325

Bibliography....................................................................................................................341
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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Page

1. Hebrew Alphabet...............................................................................31
2. Planetary Numbers.............................................................................33
3. Tree of Life........................................................................................37
4. The Three Realms on the Tree of Life...............................................38
5. The Two Pillars on the Tree of Life..................................................40
6. The Sorcerer.......................................................................................50
7. Osiris Slain.........................................................................................54
8. Isis Weeping.......................................................................................54
9. Typhon and Apophis..........................................................................54
10. Osiris Risen........................................................................................54
11. “Drawing Two” from Chekhov.........................................................84
12. Dr. William Wynn Westcott holding a Golden Dawn Fire Wand...103
13. Dr. William Woodman in Masonic regalia......................................104
14. Samuel Liddell Mathers in his Lieutenant uniform.........................115
15. Samuel Liddell Mathers in The Rites of Isis....................................118
16. Moina Mathers in The Rites of Isis..................................................119
17. #36 Blythe Road, August 2002........................................................120
18. William Butler Yeats about the time of his membership in the
Golden Dawn...................................................................................124
19. Annie Horniman...............................................................................128
20. Florence Farr....................................................................................133
21. Aleister Crowley in his early teens..................................................143
22. Aleister Crowley wearing his “solar phallic” forelock about 1912.158
23. Square of Mars.................................................................................210
24. Seal of Mars.....................................................................................211
25. Planetary Attributes.........................................................................212
26. 124 Victoria Street, 2001.................................................................215
27. Banishing Pentagram of the East.....................................................218
28. Banishing Pentagram of the South...................................................219
29. Banishing Pentagram of the West....................................................220
30. Banishing Pentagram of the North...................................................220
31. Victor Neuburg................................................................................226
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