Absinthe — The Green Goddess: A House of Pomegranates Esoteric Edition

For your delectation, the House of Pomegranates edition of Absinthe by Aleister Crowley. In 1918, Aleister Crowley, the British occultist and so-called wickedest man in the world, composed a lyrical essay on absinthe and aesthetics titled Absinthe – The Green Goddess. He wrote his essay (according to legend, while waiting for a female companion) in the Old Absinthe House in New Orleans. “Art is the soul of life,” he proclaimed, “and the Old Absinthe House is the heart and soul of the old quarter of New Orleans”.Crowley was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the prophet entrusted with guiding humanity into the Æon of Horus in the early 20th century. A prolific writer, he published widely over the course of his life. Born to a wealthy family in Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, Crowley rejected his parents’ fundamentalist Christian Plymouth Brethren faith to pursue an interest i