From An Occult Diary

Originally published: New York: Times Books, 1979.

Diary of a Drug Fiend was Aleister Crowley's first published novel, and is also reportedly the earliest known reference to the Abbey of Thelema in Sicily. The story is widely thought to be based upon Crowley's own drug experiences, despite being written as a fiction. This seems almost conclusively confirmed by Crowley's statement in the novel's preface: "This is a true story. It has been rewritten only so far as was necessary to conceal personalities."

Excerpt from Occult Diary Note: Throughout this book, words, phrases and sentences, interpolated for clearness' sake, are enclosed by parentheses and those of unde cipherable script are enclosed by brackets 1; and stars indicate cryptic signs or characters. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Robert Ogilvie Crombie is probably best known as one of the seminal figures in the history of the Findhorn Foundation community in northern Scotland. He was the elderly Scottish gentleman who spoke with nature spirits. But there was much more to this man's life and work than just his association with Findhorn. As a scientist, hermetic magician, and a researcher of the psychic realms, he was in many ways a key figure in the history of esotericism in the twentieth century. His story is less-well known than it could be simply because he worked in solitude and privacy. He did not write books and did not take students or attempt to found a group or an esoteric school. When he shared some of his inner work with the world at large, he did so through the lens of the Findhorn community. In so doing, he exerted a powerful influence on the imagination and spiritual work of thousands of people around the globe, particularly in how they view humanity's relationship and responsibility to the natural world. For anyone interested in the history of Findhorn, the Western occult and magical traditions, or the life of a working adept, this book is a must-read.