Malmö University Publications
Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
The Magical Diaries of Leah Hirsig, 1923–1925: Aleister Crowley, Magick, and the New Occult Woman
Malmö University, Faculty of Education and Society (LS), Department of Society, Culture and Identity (SKI).ORCID iD: 0000-0002-7383-9857
Göteborgs universitet.
2025 (English)Book (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

This is the first official, annotated edition of the complete magical diaries of the Swiss-American occultist Leah Hirsig (1883–1975), lover and disciple of the British occultist Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), self-styled Great Beast 666 and founder and prophet of the new religion Thelema. A schoolteacher by training, who lived, loved, and traveled independently, Hirsig embodied New Woman ideals in her life and in her attraction to a counternormative occult movement. In the early 1920s, Hirsig was appointed Crowley’s Scarlet Woman—a title that identified her as the earthly avatar of the Thelemic goddess Babalon and as Crowley’s feminine counterpart. In this role, Hirsig was essential in stewarding the Thelemic community during an eventful period, which coincided with the establishment of an Abbey of Thelema at Cefalù, Sicily, and the authorship of several of Crowley’s important magical works. In 1924, Hirsig was replaced as Scarlet Woman but remained devoted to Thelema for several years. Hirsig’s magical diaries provide a unique window onto the possibilities and challenges faced by women occultists in the early twentieth century. They highlight how occult movements offered heightened opportunities for women’s leadership but were also impacted by wider gender inequalities. The diaries are presented with a selection of previously unpublished letters and poems by Hirsig and Crowley, which shed further light on their relationship and the period from Hirsig’s attraction to Thelema in 1919 until her departure from the movement in 1927–1930. The book also includes an extensive editorial introduction that situates Hirsig within Thelema, twentieth-century occultism, and women’s changing roles during this period.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
New York: Oxford University Press, 2025. , p. 360
Series
Oxford Studies in Western Esotericism
Keywords [en]
occultism, esotericism, Thelema, gender history, magic
National Category
History of Religions
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-78743DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780197580943.001.0001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105014671103ISBN: 9780197580943 (print)ISBN: 9780197580974 (electronic)OAI: oai:DiVA.org:mau-78743DiVA, id: diva2:1987117
Part of project
Power through closeness? Female authority and agency in a male-led new religion, Swedish Research Council
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2018–00439Available from: 2025-08-05 Created: 2025-08-05 Last updated: 2025-09-16Bibliographically approved

Open Access in DiVA

No full text in DiVA

Other links

Publisher's full textScopus

Authority records

Hedenborg White, Manon

Search in DiVA

By author/editor
Hedenborg White, Manon
By organisation
Department of Society, Culture and Identity (SKI)
History of Religions

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar

doi
isbn
urn-nbn

Altmetric score

doi
isbn
urn-nbn
Total: 1838 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf