 Cover of the Weiser edition | |
| Author | Aleister Crowley |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Beresford Egan |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Occult |
| Publisher | Mandrake Press (1929) Samuel Weiser, Inc. (1970) |
Publication date | 1929 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (Hardback &Paperback) |
| Pages | 335 pp |
| ISBN | 0-87728-147-5 |
| OCLC | 656135722 |
| 823.912 | |
| LC Class | PR6005 .R7 |
Moonchild (a.k.a.,Liber LXXXI [Book 81], or The Butterfly Net) is a novel written by the BritishoccultistAleister Crowley in 1917. Its plot involves a magical war between a group ofwhite magicians, led bySimon Iff, and a group ofblack magicians, over an unborn child. It was first published byMandrake Press in 1929 and its recent edition is published byWeiser.
Albeit not strictly aroman à clef, the novel depicts numerous acquaintances of Crowley's, thinly disguised as fictional characters.Grady McMurtry's "Note onMoonchild" provides some insight into the possible real characters on which the author based the characters in the novel.[1] Crowley portraysMacGregor Mathers as the primary villain, including him as a character named SRMD, using the abbreviation of Mathers's magickal name.Arthur Edward Waite appears as a villain named Arthwaite, and the unseen head of the Inner Circle of which SRMD was a member. "A.B." istheosophistAnnie Besant. Among Crowley's friends and allies,Allan Bennett appears as Mahatera Phang,Leila Waddell as Sister Cybele, the dancerIsadora Duncan appears as Lavinia King, and her companion Mary D'Este (mother ofPreston Sturges, who helped Crowley write hismagnum opusMagick: Book 4 under her magical name 'Soror Virakam') appears as Lisa la Giuffria. Cyril Grey is Crowley himself, while Simon Iff, who advocates the Way of theTao, probably is the German occultist and head ofOrdo Templi OrientisTheodor Reuss, whom Crowley considered amentor.[2]
A year or so before the beginning ofWorld War I, a young woman named Lisa la Giuffria is seduced by a white magician, Cyril Grey, and persuaded into helping him in a magickal battle with a black magician and his Black Lodge. Grey is attempting to save and improve the human race and condition by creating ahomunculus, through impregnating the girl with the soul of an ethereal being—the Moonchild. To achieve this, she will have to be kept in a secluded environment, and many preparatory magickal rituals will be carried out. The black magician Douglas is bent on destroying Grey's plan. However, Grey's ultimate motives may not be what they appear. The Moonchild rituals are carried out in Southern Italy, but the occult organizations are based in Paris and England. At the end of the book, the war breaks out, and the white magicians support theAllies, while the black magicians support theCentral Powers.
On 28 October 1929, theAberdeen Press & Journal commented onMoonchild:
"We are constantly reminded of the moods ofAnatole France and the methods ofRabelais. From extensive dissertations on magic andspiritualism we are suddenly switched into humour that is sometimes normal, sometimes sardonic. From a glimpse into the blackest mysteries ofHecate we are transferred to a wonderful white vision of the poets. From the trivialities of peace we emerge into the horrors of the Great War.Moonchild is not more fantastic than a thorough going "thriller", but it is also a satire and an allegory, full of disorder and genius."[3]
Although Crowley was a prolific writer of treatises onWestern esotericism andoccultism, he penned only a few novels.Moonchild, his second published novel afterThe Diary of a Drug Fiend (1922), is his most famous. Over the years,Moonchild has exerted significant influence onpopular culture, particularly onrock music.Rory Gallagher's song "Moonchild", from his 1976 albumCalling Card, andJohn Zorn's 2006 albumMoonchild: Songs Without Words both pay tribute to Crowley's novel.[4]Iron Maiden's song of the same name, from their 1988 albumSeventh Son of a Seventh Son,not only references the novel's themes, but the line "hear the mandrake scream" is also a nod toMandrake Press, the book's original publisher.[5] The 1988 albumThe Nephilim, by Englishgoth rock bandFields of the Nephilim, makes several references to Crowley's work, while the top-charting single "Moonchild" directly references the novel. A song byKing Crimson, from their 1969 debut albumIn the Court of the Crimson King also has the same title, but the band's co-founder and lyricistPeter Sinfield has stated that it was not a conscious reference to Crowley's work.[6]
Thefantasy filmMoon Child (1989), by Spanish filmmakerAgustí Villaronga, was inspired by Crowley's work.[7] The unreleased soundtrack for the film was recorded by Australian goth pioneersDead Can Dance.[8] InMark Frost's epistolary novelThe Secret History of Twin Peaks, there is a chapter on Crowley which suggests thatMoonchild was a source of inspiration for his andDavid Lynch's cult TV seriesTwin Peaks, particularly with its two warring lodges (a Black and a White Lodge), and several minor characters.
Prior to writing this novel, during a visit toNew Orleans in December 1916, Crowley wrote a number of short stories where his character, Simon Iff, investigates various crimes and mysteries.[9]
A project calledBabalon Working was undertaken byJack Parsons andL. Ron Hubbard in 1946, inspired byMoonchild. Babalon Working was supposed to manifest anincarnation ofBabalon, who would then carry a "magickal child" or "moonchild".[10][11]
The aim of Parson's 'Babalon Working' was first to identify a female partner who would serve as his partner in esoteric sexual rituals; the partner would then become the vessel for the 'magickal child' or 'moonchild,' a supernatural offspring that would be the embodiment of ultimate power... According to Parson's account of March 2–3, 1946, Hubbard channeled the voice of Babalon, speaking as the beautiful but terrible lady...
The ultimate goal of these operations, carried out during February and March 1946, was to give birth to the magical being, or 'moonchild,' described in Crowley's works. Using the powerful energy of IX degree Sex Magick, the rites were intended to open a doorway through which the goddess Babalon herself might appear in human form.
