Born Edward Alexander Crowley, he was a remarkable poet, writer, mountain climber, and
occultist. His strong positions on
magick (his spelling), including the use of sexuality in magick, have made him highly controversial. He “received” (what today might be called “channeled”) a short text,
The Book of the Law, in 1904, and modified the
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn’s magical system to fit this revelation. It also became a religious system. Followers of this system are called
Thelemites.
SOURCE: Donald Michael Kraig