Timothy Leary: Heir to Aleister Crowley?

Timothy Leary was one of the most notorious figures of the nineteen-sixties due to his advocacy of the use of LSD. When preparing to stand for Governor of California against Ronald Reagan he was busted for a single joint and sentenced to twenty years in prison. During a series of incredible adventures he escaped from jail, lived with the Black Panthers in Algeria, and was eventually kidnapped by the CIA in Afghanistan and incarcerated again. Once considered the coolest man alive, his reputation now suffers from allegations of snitching and CIA involvement.

In a mysterious episode in 1971 Leary and the English writer Brian Barritt found themselves walking in the footsteps of occultist Aleister Crowley and Victor Neuberg in their legendary magickal workings in the Algerian desert that included the raising of John Dee’s “mighty demon” Chroronzon. Leary went on to claim that he was carrying on Crowley’s work. Although the subject has been discussed by other writers, Paul has a unique comprehensive interpretation of what Leary’s experiences might actually mean within the framework of Crowley’s system that hopefully helps us to assess his true stature.

Includes consideration of Charles Manson and the Laurel Canyon controversy.

1 hr 30 mins. 65 images.