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How on earth is it a problem to say that Crowley "claimed" something, and use his autobiography as a source? He did claim that, and that is absolutely the best possible source! 21:03, 10 April 2013 (UTC)[[Special:Contributions/149.31.142.154|149.31.142.154]] ([[User talk:149.31.142.154|talk]]) |
How on earth is it a problem to say that Crowley "claimed" something, and use his autobiography as a source? He did claim that, and that is absolutely the best possible source! 21:03, 10 April 2013 (UTC)[[Special:Contributions/149.31.142.154|149.31.142.154]] ([[User talk:149.31.142.154|talk]]) |
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[[User:Yworo|Yworo]] ([[User talk:Yworo|talk]]) You make a good point! I think it's fine if the article states what Crowley claimed about himself as long as it's expressed " Crowley claimed to be a world class chess player, mason, etc etc" because that was the appeal of Crowley - he made himself into a larger than life figure and if we keep that out of the article because his 'autohagiography' is a primary source, it's doubtful we will find much support other than that and the article will also lose the appeal of Crowley's very creative ego. Lol even his autohagiography is claiming he is a saint! [[User:Halfman halfthing|Halfman halfthing]] ([[User talk:Halfman halfthing|talk]]) 23:01, 28 November 2013 (UTC) |
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== Biographers == |
== Biographers == |
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In Sgt. Pepper album, when you play the very end backwards, it says something like we'll all be back as Supermen and I think this is a reference to Crowley's philosophy. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.155.233.45 (talk) 21:27, 6 October 2011 (UTC)
Successful at chess?
"He was also successful in various other fields, including mountaineering, chess and poetry"
Chess? He joined and played in a university chess club, but gave it up after some time. How is that successful? At most he managed to defeat the club president, but so what? Seems a bit weird to claim that someone is successful in a field without backing it up with anyting substantial. 81.235.154.41 (talk) 21:00, 29 January 2012 (UTC)
- as with all things Crowley, it should be more about what Crowley claimed rather than what Crowley actually did. Crowley 'claimed' to be a world class chess master. There are other accounts from other authors, such as Israel regardie, where Crowley would demonstrate some phenomenal chess skills (such as playing two players simultaneously in another room, while he was having sex, and beating them both. Halfman halfthing (talk) 22:56, 28 November 2013 (UTC)
Dodgy photo
File:Aleister Crowley, Magus.png If that is the same person as the other 'Aleister Crowley' then some serious makeup has been used. Surely this photo is of a woman but the title is 'Aleister Crowley, Magus of the New Aeon' — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mtpaley (talk • contribs) 22:04, 12 September 2012 (UTC)
Male homosexuality "magic"
It is written in the text that it is sufficient to be a male homosexual to exert the most powerful magic. Now there are a lot of male homosexuals or "gays" I know and they are daily insulted by this very civil society of ours. Now if they had the power of magic, which is supposed to be very great wouldn't they make so that heterosexual people would be insulted instead of homosexual males? Stop writing bullshit, please: Crowley had many mistresses to go with him to perfom sexual magic, now if he considered heterosexual or lesbian sex to be less "powerful why would he take a woman, it is hard to convince a woman to do certain things, for his sexual thingies? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Aufels (talk • contribs) 10:52, 28 October 2012 (UTC)
- “Magick is the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will.” See? Aleister Crowley considered homosexual activity, particularly receptive anal sex, such a potent form of Magick simply—or most likely—because it made such very profound, life-changing impressions on him. And he wrote volumes of poetry about it. Yes, he also had many mistresses because he was bisexual and the office of the Scarlet Woman, Babalon incarnate, had to be filled. EIN (talk) 02:52, 30 October 2012 (UTC)
Too long!
Especially the absurd introduction. 35.24.46.141 (talk) 16:59, 5 November 2012 (UTC)
- The article isn't in any way too long, but you are right that the introduction is. Will edit that down a bit now. --Rodneyorpheus (talk) 14:00, 6 November 2012 (UTC)
You've overlooked the fact that wiki pages only usually propagate the introduction elsewhere and not the entire text. You left the introduction far too short. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dara Allarah (talk • contribs) 14:58, 6 November 2012 (UTC)
- I have not overlooked anything. Please see Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Lead_section and Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Biographies for the style guide that should be used. The sections that were added in to the lead were in no way a suitable overview for the general reader, and also contained Original Research, which is an absolute no-no on Wikipedia - see Wikipedia:No_original_research. Also please do not engage in a reversion war on these edits - if you have good reasons for wanting that paragraph in, discuss it here first and let's come to a consensus, that's how Wikipedia works. --Rodneyorpheus (talk) 23:13, 7 November 2012 (UTC)
There was no 'Original Research' used. We are allowed to use what is obvious and evident, such as the exact text of a work and any and every anagram or piece of Themuru (anagram) in it - as was common in middle ages to establish a first in a scientific truth, (for instance Galileo). The text is obvious, the anagram is obvious, and your revision is based on the self-interest of your membership of the OTO and nothing more. You didn't like the fact that Crowley wrote the Aiwass anagram that says 'I sin, I was the master' because - quite simply - you fear its implications, but I do not suggest that it means anything. However it is present and I feel we should let the readership make up its own mind rather than a member of the church taking down an independent Thelemic master? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dara Allarah (talk • contribs) 23:39, 7 November 2012 (UTC)
Given the disagreement then I've asked an editor to clarify whether an evident perfect anagram in a text constitutes Original Research or not. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Help_desk#Please_clarify_that_anagrams_are_not_regarded_as_original_research.3F
Dara Allarah (talk) 11:48, 8 November 2012 (UTC)
Deletion of cited material from Aleister Crowley
Stealthepiscopalian keeps deleting this from the article, although its clearly referenced:
"Furthermore, Crowley claimed to have discovered the Lost word of Freemasonry shortly after what he called the "abject anti-climax of the III°" which he received in Mexico.[1]"
He contradicts the source material. Dara Allarah (talk) 05:41, 23 November 2012 (UTC)
- Hello. Please note that you will need to provide citations to secondary sources, not to Crowley's "Autohagiography". Crowley should not be used as a source for his own claims. People are not reliable when writing about themselves. Please use expert sources who can not only report on the claim, but give some independent analysis of the claim's veracity. Thank you. Yworo (talk) 07:07, 23 November 2012 (UTC)
- Noted - thank you Yworo. I've removed all the primary sourced material from the article as well as some that came from self-published web blogs or internal newsletters. Dara Allarah (talk) 12:04, 23 November 2012 (UTC)
Please note that although I think the cleanup you have done here is excellent, it is not necessarily a problem to use self-published autobiographical sources. Wikipedia:Verifiability clearly states:
Self-published and questionable sources may be used as sources of information about themselves, usually in articles about themselves or their activities, without the self-published source requirement that they be published experts in the field, so long as:
- the material is neither unduly self-serving nor an exceptional claim;
- it does not involve claims about third parties;
- it does not involve claims about events not directly related to the source;
- there is no reasonable doubt as to its authenticity;
- the article is not based primarily on such sources.
--Rodneyorpheus (talk) 00:54, 25 November 2012 (UTC)
- See point 1. Nearly everything Crowley said about himself was an exceptional claim. Yworo (talk) 02:51, 25 November 2012 (UTC)
Dara Allarah is attempting to use Crowley's Wikipedia page to advance her own original research on Crowley and the Book of the Law involving a modified Tree of Life she calls "The Temple of Solomon". I deleted a link from the external link sections to a post of her own authorship. She has no reliable sources for any of these claims. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2001:558:6008:20:35A6:7210:CFF1:8BCC (talk) 03:13, 29 November 2012 (UTC)
I've deleted the Journal of Thelemic Studies from the external links. They have no peer review process and have produced 2 e-copies in 3 years, so it doesn't appear to be operating as a Journal no matter what its called. The only updated section is the blog. Odd that nobody noticed that... but I guess it's not talking about words that initiates are sworn to protect and keep secret, eh? lol. Dara Allarah (talk) 20:01, 29 November 2012 (UTC)
How on earth is it a problem to say that Crowley "claimed" something, and use his autobiography as a source? He did claim that, and that is absolutely the best possible source! 21:03, 10 April 2013 (UTC)149.31.142.154 (talk)
Yworo (talk) You make a good point! I think it's fine if the article states what Crowley claimed about himself as long as it's expressed " Crowley claimed to be a world class chess player, mason, etc etc" because that was the appeal of Crowley - he made himself into a larger than life figure and if we keep that out of the article because his 'autohagiography' is a primary source, it's doubtful we will find much support other than that and the article will also lose the appeal of Crowley's very creative ego. Lol even his autohagiography is claiming he is a saint! Halfman halfthing (talk) 23:01, 28 November 2013 (UTC)
Biographers
I've added a new section on Biographers and their affiliations to Crowley or his occult orders. It's so the reader has a window into the independence or otherwise of the biographers writing on Crowley.
Feedback and suggestions are welcome. Dara Allarah (talk) 07:56, 1 December 2012 (UTC)
None of this information is cited. I also don't believe it's relevant in any way. Do you have documentation of the lack of neutrality by O.T.O. members? There's no a priori reason to think they would be incapable of being neutral biographers. It's like claiming that an American couldn't possibly write a neutral biography of an American president simply by virtue of living in the same country his subject was once president of. Smells like a conspiracy theory Also, is a bullet list in the middle of an article like this acceptable? Hopefully someone who knows more than I do about Wikipedia standards can step in here... I'm just concerned about someone trying to wage a personal crusade via Wikipedia. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2001:558:6008:20:35A6:7210:CFF1:8BCC (talk) 17:13, 1 December 2012 (UTC)
- I was following the advice of a master editor who suggested it might improve the article.
- My view is that listing biographers that have affiliations does not take a stance on the neutrality or otherwise of the biographer. It merely allows readers the opportunity to judge the matter for themselves with an informed opinion.
- However - I'll add the citations tomorrow and will take out the bullets if they are against the style policy. Thank you. Dara Allarah (talk) 17:36, 1 December 2012 (UTC)
- I have to agree that listing the (supposed) affiliations of Crowley biographers makes no sense within the context of the article. Also, much of it is wrong, and all of it unsourced. For example: I am not a Crowley biographer, nor is Lon DuQuette or Jerry Cornelius. We each have published commentaries on aspects of Crowley's works, but nothing in any depth about his life. Tobias Churton is not to my knowledge an OTO member, nor has he ever claimed to be such. John Symonds was not a friend of Crowley (he barely knew him) but was his literary executor, hence his early access to Crowley's papers. Dr. Richard Kaczinski *is* an OTO member, but his biography of Crowley (and his recent "Forgotten Templars") are widely considered by third parties as first-class works and the best in the field. So overall, I can't see any reason for keeping such a section, it's entirely irrelevant as well as erroneous. --Rodneyorpheus (talk) 16:45, 2 December 2012 (UTC)
I have removed the section since it deals with erroneous and uncited claims about living persons, which is a total no-no on Wikipedia. --Rodneyorpheus (talk) 16:48, 2 December 2012 (UTC)
- I'm putting the work back up as I intend to cite it shortly today (as I indicated yesterday). Please leave it alone until I've added the citations and them feel free to quibble over them if you like.
- A biographer can include people that do partial biographies as part of a larger work, especially where they give the reader their opinion... which is why such matters as to their independence is important. And Tobias Churton most definately ought to be included since he claimed on a radio show that he had the full support of HB.
- As you have a conflict of interest in this matter perhaps you should step back and consider if you should really be editing this section of this page, Rodney? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dara Allarah (talk • contribs) 17:45, 2 December 2012 (UTC)
- Updated the section with citations and links. I decided to remove Churton from the list, because I couldn't find the link that said he was OTO, and when I reviewed the Lashtal interview I found his comments that "My work had the support of the OTO's World Head and of Gerald Yorke's son, John Yorke" as well as "I was extremely fortunate to be given access to Bill Breeze's own research" probably did not indicate an affiliation.
- Did I miss anyone off the list? If I did, it was accidental. Dara Allarah (talk) 20:36, 2 December 2012 (UTC)
- I also changed the sub-header to 'Biographers and their links to Crowley or his occult orders', and formatted the list according to the pointers in the wp manual of style. Dara Allarah (talk) 23:05, 2 December 2012 (UTC)
- I certainly do not have a conflict of interest, I am stating very clearly for the record that I am not a biographer of Aleister Crowley. Actually neither am I the Deputy Grand Master of UK Grand Lodge of OTO, so you're wrong on both counts there. I USED to be the Deputy GM but have not been for some time. If you still maintain that I AM a biographer of Crowley, please list the book I supposedly wrote and its publisher so that I can start claiming the royalties, I'm sure they would come in useful.
- You cite Jerry Cornelius' "In the Name of the Beast" as a bio of Crowley, when it is in fact a biography of Grady McMurtry.
- You cite a reference to Lon DuQuette being in OTO (that's never been any secret) but still don't cite what biography he supposedly wrote. To my knowledge he hasn't written one either.
- You refer to Richard Kacyzinki as a member of cOTO. There is no such organisation as cOTO. He is a member of OTO.
- You still refer to John Symonds as a friend of Crowley, referencing the headline in a short obituary (which headline was probably not even written by the obit writer, but by an editor with no knowledge of the subject) . At no time in the article does the obituary mention that Symonds and Crowley were friends, nor does any biography of Crowley that I know of. As far as I am aware, Symonds and Crowley met on very few occasions.
In short sir, you have once more crossed the line on statements about living people, despite me clearly advising you earlier that you were on extremely shaky ground here. Instead of heeding my advice, you repeat the error and try to justify it by accusing me of conflict of interest. Please don't engage in ad hominum attacks here: if you want to justify your work, then do so by sticking to Wikipedia policies and appealing to verifiable sources to back up your claims, not by personally attacking other editors. I have been an editor on Wikipedia for many years, with thousands of carefully referenced edits under my belt, and I don't think that anyone who has been around for any length of time here would seriously accuse me of putting my interests above the interests of creating fine articles.
On top of all those errors, I genuinely do not think that a list of Crowley biographers and their supposed relationships to Aleister Crowley, even if it WAS accurate, adds anything at all to the article. The article is about Aleister Crowley, and discussion of his biographers is best left to the specific articles on them, not in this one. I very much appreciate your attempts at improving this article, and I encourage you to continue to do so - but in this case I don't consider that anything about this section improves the article in any way. --Rodneyorpheus (talk) 07:56, 9 December 2012 (UTC)
- Rodney - Yworo suggested this section for good reason. Take it up with the master editor please. If there are small errors in the section then change them but if you remove the section entirely again then I shall report you and your conflict of interest.
- And I'm not a Sir. If you want to use formalities you may call me Miss Dara.
- I've already answered your issue about biographers. Partial biographies are used all over WP and you may be considered a biographer if you have written such. Lon has - as is even quoted in the main WP article. We can change your section to say that you were (not currently) the.... whatever it is you do for the O.T.O. *shrug* I've actually read 'In the name of the Beast' and accounts of meetings between Crowley and McMurtry and their correspondence is well documented by Jerry. I could easy use the work as an excellent source on Crowley as it contains McMurtys memories of Crowley. You appear to be inventing straw man arguments against the section. Stop it! I won't warn you again! Dara Allarah (talk) 01:12, 10 December 2012 (UTC)
- Without taking sides in this matter, I have reverted an unexplained removal of content. I later saw the discussion here, sorry to have missed it. Don't interpret my action as support for either side, an unexplained removal of content is still an unexplained removal of content, any way one looks at it, since there was no edit summary. Tgeorgescu (talk) 20:45, 16 December 2012 (UTC)
- Sorry about that, new to editing around here. I've removed it again, but added an edit summary. The content has no place on this page. --67.161.247.5 (talk) 20:51, 16 December 2012 (UTC)
- I've replaced it. The content was suggested by a WP Master Editor II - Yworo - to improve the page.
- Her exact comment on 18:05, 23 November 2012 was: "A section about the biographies, biographers, and their connection to Crowley and/or his Order might be a good improvement, so that readers have some idea which sources are likely to be more objective. The article has clearly mostly been written and edited by followers, and we have a continual problem with it becoming more of a hagiography over time, then needing to be NPOVed."
- Please see her talk page for further details. If you feel that "the content has no place on this page" then please qualify your opinion with a reason and add to this discussion before removing content without explanation. I would appreciate it if you would point out any content that is incorrect even though cited (do you have an alternate citation that is more up to date for example?). And could you please point out where the alleged "ad hominem attacks against living persons" are (as you claimed on Tgeorgescu's talk page)? That claim has me completely mystified. Thank you. Dara Allarah (talk) 22:07, 16 December 2012 (UTC)
- But what you've put in there doesn't tell the reader anything at all. Does being in O.T.O. mean that you can't be objective about Aleister Crowely? Do you have any sources to back that up? And Rodneyorpheus already answered most of your questions above, including the important issue of many of those people not being biographers at all. That information is far more appropriate to be added to the page of the individuals in question, unless you have some solid information to cite about the unreliability of works on Crowley.--2001:558:6008:20:146E:AC26:1874:BD65 (talk) 04:17, 17 December 2012 (UTC)
- I answered the question on neutrality (up to the reader) and on partial biographies / biographers to Rodney. Dara Allarah (talk) 07:18, 17 December 2012 (UTC)
- I agree, the information does not belong here. And by the way, there's no such thing as a "master editor", or at least, no such appellation we need pay the least bit of attention to -- other than a handful of tools which are not at all relevant to article content, we are all equal as editors of all articles (other than IP users, who sometimes are denied access to editing pages due to vandalism problems on those pages.) The edit warring should stop, please. --jpgordon::==( o ) 04:39, 17 December 2012 (UTC)
- I quite agree that parties with a conflict of interest should stop editing this section of the page and that if people seek to remove it then I would like to hear a valid reason for that removal otherwise it is simply vandalism/section blanking. I've requested arbitration from Yrowo. Can you leave the content until she can have a look at it and consider all the points made here. Thank you. Dara Allarah (talk) 07:18, 17 December 2012 (UTC)
- Well, it seems like this content is only supported by a single user who does not have a good argument for it being here other than paranoia about secret societies. Being a member of an organization is not grounds for calling into question the reliability of one's scholarly work. Dara Allarah, do you have any actual source for the relevance of this material (i.e., evidence that there actually is a neutrality problem in works on Crowley) other than your own suspicions about O.T.O. and A.'.A.'.? Los358 (talk) 05:12, 17 December 2012 (UTC)
- As the first user to try and blank the page (Rodney) had a conflict of interest and one user gave no reason for his opinion then I'm not too worried. I can demonstrate the problem of neutrality and independence very easily Los. Just ask any fraternity member to answer a question that his oaths prohibit him answering - and Q.E.D. There is a lot left out of Crowley biographies from fraternity members because of their oaths and other more independent biographers are less likely to know about certain relevant material to Crowley's life. For instance - Crowley discovery of the 'Lost Word' was clearly very important to him but we can't mention it on WP because its a primary sourced exceptional claim and there are no biographers to cite as secondary sources. So you can see the problem that over time we start to get a skewed picture of what were the high marks in Crowleys life depending on the independence of the biographers used on WP to talk about Crowleys life. Some sources can therefore be clearly seen to be more independent than others!
- Now there's a lot of O.T.O. biographers contributing to this page and for the most part they do a really smashing job - they quote letters, they dig into history, and its really independent... up to a point. For example: Remember that Crowley lept out of bed when he discovered the lost word and spent all night in a state of stunned rapture - going on to say in confessions that his time in Freemasonry was more profitable a study than any other. Does the WP article reflect that very important event? No. Does it make reference for how the Lost word influenced Abrahadabra or the Book of the Law or how it was used in the O.T.O. No. Why not? Well - the answer is clear to me and there's nothing independent about it. Q.E.D. !!! Dara Allarah (talk) 08:15, 17 December 2012 (UTC)
- User blocked for edit warring. --jpgordon::==( o ) 16:44, 17 December 2012 (UTC)
- I didn't ask for a demonstration, which constitutes original research, I believe; I asked for actual evidence. Dara Allarah has no grounds for the claims she's making other than suspicion about O.T.O. members, and undue emphasis on the "Lost Word." I also fail to see what Rodneyorpheus's conflict of intrest is. There is also no basis for the claim that "a lot" is left out of biographies on Crowley due to the Oaths of the biographers. O.T.O. initiation rituals have been published a number of times. If anything was truly missing, it would be very easy for Dara Allarah to simply use, say Francis King's book, as a source. Also, the claim to the importance of the "Lost Word" in Crowley's life is highly doubtful. Also note that many of the people on that list never swore oaths in A.'.A.'. or O.T.O. and thus are not relevantly covered by the above argument. For these reasons I am removing the section on biographers that she has repeatedly reverted. --Los358 (talk) 20:33, 19 December 2012 (UTC)
- I not only repeatedly reverted the section from being blanked outright but I CHANGED IT to accommodate the views and objections of the editors here as I did so. I don't see any acknowledgement from the editors that the points and objections they made have been addressed as I changing the section. Well - screw this. Go back to editing wp without me and pretend that your hydra headed fraternal nepotism is independent. It isn't. Never will be. We all know there is an informal O.T.O. group that set out to use these pages on wiki to promulgate Thelema. (And if you din't know that Los - read some of these guys Talk pages in a little more depth). Before I started editing here these guys were simply putting forward the story of the reception without the good grace to place the words 'claimed' or 'alleged' before it. It was just straight up O.T.O. religious doctrine. You keep and eye on them then!!! Bye. Dara Allarah (talk) 05:13, 20 December 2012 (UTC)
“Influences” and “Influenced”
Many Wikipedia articles about persons list the individual's influences in her or his infobox. Anyone who's cared to look into Crowley's works can confirm that there's an immense number of writers who can be added to that list. EIN (talk) 20:56, 14 February 2013 (UTC)
There's a character, Nicholas Nookshaft, from the Thomas Pynchon novel Against the Day, that was probably influenced by Aleister Crowley, because of time period, relationship with secret societies, and sexual magical references: http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_219-242 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.139.128.82 (talk) 21:59, 20 May 2013 (UTC)
Picture removal being discussed, or voted on?
There is a recent ungoing discussion about removing many of the Crowley pics from the commons. Please join in. Here is the link. Thanks. Aleister Wilson 9:43 27-2-'13
User Yworo's categorization of Crowley as Buddhist writer
Yworo (talk · contribs) has now started arguing that Crowley is a Buddhist writer, and has put him for this reason in the dharmic writers template, see Template_talk:Modern_Dharmic_writers#Adding_Aleister_Crowley. By the way, he even put Sam Webster in the template. (I see that Yworo has already participated in some disucssions on this talkpage). --Trphierth (talk) 17:10, 10 March 2013 (UTC)
- I haven't said he was a "Buddhist writer". I've said that he was just as much a "Dharmic writer" as Helena Blavatsky. There's a subtlety that you are missing here. Yworo (talk) 17:37, 10 March 2013 (UTC)
- based on the "subtlety" just stated, this looks like a violation of WP:POINT.Coffeepusher (talk) 17:44, 10 March 2013 (UTC)
- So to clear it up, I don't give a damn if Blavatsky is in the category, Aleister Crowley doesn't belong and that is what we are discussing here.Coffeepusher (talk) 17:46, 10 March 2013 (UTC)
- There are actually sources which call him Dharmic, namely Sam Webster and also the Journal of Thelemic Studies. See Template talk:Modern Dharmic writers. This is better than the sources provided for Blavatsky's inclusion on that template, which are none. So no, it's not WP:POINT. The template is defined to include not only traditional Buddhist and HIndu writers, but syncretic writers as well. Crowley definitely falls into the syncretic category as it is being used on that template. Yworo (talk) 17:49, 10 March 2013 (UTC)
- I'm sorry, you missed a subtlety in your argument where you provided an either or fallacy to show that Blavatsky shouldn't be included. This is WP:POINT. Coffeepusher (talk) 17:52, 10 March 2013 (UTC)
- Not really, I accepted the argument that Blavatsky should be included and argued that it followed from this that Crowley should be as well. They were both syncretic occultists who based much of their work on Eastern religions and made up the rest. But your thinking this is WP:POINT has now led me to believe that none of the "Syncretic" writers are actually "Dharmic" writers. So thanks for your help. Yworo (talk) 18:03, 10 March 2013 (UTC)
- I'm sorry, you missed a subtlety in your argument where you provided an either or fallacy to show that Blavatsky shouldn't be included. This is WP:POINT. Coffeepusher (talk) 17:52, 10 March 2013 (UTC)
As long as you don't include Crowley I don't care what this conversation "inspired you to do" just stop disrupting wikipedia to prove a point.Coffeepusher (talk) 18:13, 10 March 2013 (UTC)
- This user Yworo has been bullying me since long time with this kind of behaviour.
- Crowley is much more of a borderline case (as a dharmic writer) than Blavatsky, and with Bennet and Blavatsky already in the template and limited space it makes no sense to add him. But to respond to Yworo: Blavatsky was instrumental in the revival of Theravada Buddhism. Other members of her Society were even more closely linked to Indian and Hindu movements including Allan Octavian Hume, Annie Besant and others like Olcott who was instrumental in the revival of Singhalese Buddhism. Blavatsky's writings and life as a whole are more defined by Hindu and Buddhist religious thought than Crowley's. Blavatsky and Olcott converted to Buddhism. --Trphierth (talk) 18:34, 10 March 2013 (UTC)
- Crowley also was a convert to Buddhism. He writes about it in his early works. He also writes that he initially rejected the "Book of the Law" because he was a Buddhist and it offended his Buddhist sensibilities. He wrote an article on taking Buddhist refuge which made it clear that he had himself taken it (though that article is very hard to find). Yworo (talk) 18:36, 10 March 2013 (UTC)
- Only some days before you added Crowley as a dharmic writer, you wrote "Next someone will claim that Aleister Crowley is "dharmic" because some bloggers have written that he is (seriously), and all kinds of "Magicians" will have to be added to it as well." That just shows that you were trolling, or as Coffeepusher said, disrupting wikipedia and was another part of the wikilawyering and forum shopping (as User:MER-C said) you did. The consensus (by all others including User:Ekabhishek) was against the inclusion. He is not even on the Template:Kabbalah, on which he would make much more sense as an important example of the Western reception of the Kabbalah. --Trphierth (talk) 11:29, 23 March 2013 (UTC)
- Crowley also was a convert to Buddhism. He writes about it in his early works. He also writes that he initially rejected the "Book of the Law" because he was a Buddhist and it offended his Buddhist sensibilities. He wrote an article on taking Buddhist refuge which made it clear that he had himself taken it (though that article is very hard to find). Yworo (talk) 18:36, 10 March 2013 (UTC)
- I agree with Yworo that Crowley should be regarded as a Dharmic writer. Thelema is western Dharma, and Crowley wrote extensively on Buddhist & Taoist topics. In the blue equinox a quarter of the book is devoted to Crowley's commentary on Buddhist texts that have been translated by Blavatsky, and Liber Trigrammaton is about the Tao and it's a Class A text too. Liber CCXVI is about the Yi King. Crowley translated the Tao Teh King, and he gives Yi King correspondences to the Tree of Life in the back of the Book of Thoth. Likewise he comments on how the Black, Yellow and White 'schools' (including Buddhism) are united under the Law of Thelema in Magick without tears and in his preface to the Book of the Law. In my view, Crowley is not only a Dharmic writer but developed the Dharma for the west. The wheel turns and we should acknowledge his contribution imo. 188.31.55.189 (talk) 19:08, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
"Free" pictures
Based on information at the Commons deletion discussion, I've locally uploaded three pictures of Crowley which appear to be PD in the US. I have added two of them to the article- there is also File:Aleister Crowley, Magus.png, which I have not added to the article. Please also double check the information I have provided on the image pages. Thanks! J Milburn (talk) 12:04, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
Too long again
The article is growing too long and needs to be pruned to 30% of its present length. Xxanthippe (talk) 00:02, 28 August 2013 (UTC).
- As of this moment, the page is 86,568 bytes in length. Wikipedia's recommendation is that pages not exceed 100,000 bytes. Therefore, I respectfully see no reason for your assertion. In my opinion, the problem is not yet with the length of the page, but with the quality of much of the information. Many paragraphs in the latter half of the article are poorly or insufficiently referenced, in some instances not being referenced at all. This is a problem that I am endeavouring to rectify. Best, Midnightblueowl (talk) 11:00, 5 September 2013 (UTC)
Non-free file problems with File:A.'.a.'. seal.png
File:A.'.a.'. seal.png is non-free and has been identified as possibly not being in compliance with the non-free content policy. For specific information on the problems with the file and how they can be fixed, please check the message at File:A.'.a.'. seal.png. For further questions and comments, please use the non-free content review page. -- Toshio Yamaguchi 10:42, 7 October 2013 (UTC)
GA Review
- This review is transcluded from Talk:Aleister Crowley/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.
Reviewer: Quadell (talk · contribs) 12:35, 29 October 2013 (UTC)
Nominator: Midnightblueowl
I will begin this review shortly. – Quadell (talk) 12:35, 29 October 2013 (UTC)
- (While preparing this review, I noticed that I'm involved with another of your GANs, Midnightblueowl, as well as one of your FACs. I promise, I'm not stalking you; I just seem to be interested in many of the same subjects. I'll give you a little extra time, if you like, since you have so much open at once.) – Quadell (talk) 12:38, 29 October 2013 (UTC)
- Much appreciated Quadell! All the best, Midnightblueowl (talk) 19:11, 29 October 2013 (UTC)
This article is excellent, and could well be of "Featured" quality already. It is extremely thorough, well-written, and sourced to a professional level. I only have one major concern, which I wanted to bring up.
I can't see the sources, so I can't tell whether or not Crowley can be said with certainty to have been a British intelligence agent. Up until the "United States: 1914–1919" section, the article takes a cautious, guarded approach. For instance, it always says something like "Biographers Richard Spence and Tobias Churton suggested that Crowley had done so as an intelligence agent under the employ of the British secret service, speculating that he had been enlisted while at Cambridge" or "Spence has suggested that the purpose of the trip might have been to explore Mexican oil prospects for British intelligence." But then, in the "United States: 1914–1919" section, the prose switches to certainty. "In reality, Crowley was a double agent, working for the British intelligence services ... the real intention was to make the German lobby appear ridiculous in the eyes of the American public." Is that certainty warranted here, but not in the former instances? The article gives no information on the evidence used in making such a determination. Since you have access to the sources, and I don't, could you check on that for me?
Beyond that, I have a very minor question. When you refer to Trift, do you mean Trift Glacier? It's in the Urner Alps, not the Bernese Alps, but it is close by. Do you have a way of knowing?
I'll put this on hold. Once you've dealt with the "level of certainty of spying" question, I'll be delighted to promote this. – Quadell (talk) 18:47, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
- Hello there Quadell, and thank you for your comments. It is established fact that during the First World War, Crowley worked for British intelligence agencies operating in the United States, during which time he pretended to be a Fenian and hence a German sympathiser; we have firm, documentary evidence of this. That being the case, Spence and Churton have suggested that in earlier life, Crowley had also worked for British intelligence, and that many of his trips abroad were at the behest of these services. There is however no hard evidence to confirm these suggestions, which mean that they should be treated with a great deal of scepticism. I hope that this clears up your main query. Best, Midnightblueowl (talk) 19:49, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
- Oh, and regarding Trift... I'm afraid I really don't know. Maybe it's best to leave that until someone with better knowledge of the subject comes along and can confirm it ? Midnightblueowl (talk) 19:59, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
- I do believe it would be an improvement, and would make it clearer, to mention how we know that he was a British agent, just given the speculation about previous involvement. This is really not a GA requirement at all, just something I thought I'd mention, and you might want to shore that part up before it goes to FAC. – Quadell (talk) 20:38, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
This article is one of the most well-prepared, fascinating, and impeccably-sourced GANs I've had the pleasure to review. I'm happy to promote it. – Quadell (talk) 20:38, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
John Bull
"...right-wing tabloid John Bull" this might be an example of someone succumbing to their own prejudice, John Bull was published by Odhams in 1923, a company with a close association to Britain#'s Labour/Trade Union movement, that puts them the the Left of the political spectrum. However the left/right paradigm is riddled with preferential selection, of which this is an excellent example, making it useless as a meaningful adjective, so just get rid of it.46.208.16.228 (talk) 14:37, 20 November 2013 (UTC)
- ^ Crowley, Aleister. "The Confessions of Aleister Crowley - Chater 72". The Confessions of Aleister Crowley. hermetic.com. Retrieved 18 November 2012.