# Episode 254 - Aleister Crowley & The Book of the Beast w/ Richard Kaczynski

An episode of [Midnight, On Earth](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1525599112), 14 Jun 2025, 1 h 30 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/5f21a23ad66cdc65d5610978/e/684dd37d5cc6cddadaee65cb/media.mp3

In this episode, I talk with Richard Kaczynski --renowned Crowley biographer, scholar of Western esotericism, and author of Perdurabo: The Life of Aleister Crowley—about his latest work: a fully annotated edition of The Sword of Song: Called by Christians The Book of the Beast. Originally published by Aleister Crowley in 1904 and long unavailable to the wider public, The Sword of Song captures a formative moment in his journey where satire, mysticism, and radical spiritual thought all converge. As editor of this new edition, Richard draws from Crowley’s preferred texts, unpublished manuscripts, and personal margin notes to present a definitive version of Crowley's book, which was originally published just before his encounter with Aiwass. We take a deeper look at the timeline of it's publication, and explore how it laid the groundwork for later works like The Book of the Law while reflecting on Crowley’s early life and philosophical journey. Along the way, we also take time to unpack some of the biggest rumors and misconceptions about Crowley himself—while shedding light on the lesser-known sides of the man behind “The Beast.” An incredible episode... Drop In! www.richard-kaczynski.com Richard Kaczynski Bio: Richard Kaczynski is a lifelong student, international speaker, and writer in Western esotericism, and an authority on the life and works of Aleister Crowley. The author of Perdurabo: The Life of Aleister Crowley, he lives in Raleigh, North Carolina. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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