Moonchild (novel)

Plot summary

A year or so before the beginning of World 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 a homunculus, 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 the Allies, while the black magicians support the Central Powers.

Critical reception

On 28 October 1929, the Aberdeen Press & Journal commented on Moonchild:

Influence

Although Crowley was a prolific writer of treatises on Western esotericism and occultism, he penned only a few novels. Moonchild, his second published novel after The Diary of a Drug Fiend (1922), is his most famous. Over the years, Moonchild has exerted significant influence on popular culture, particularly on rock music. Rory Gallagher's song "Moonchild", from his 1976 album Calling Card, and John Zorn's 2006 album Moonchild: Songs Without Words both pay tribute to Crowley's novel. Iron Maiden's song of the same name, from their 1988 album Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, not only references the novel's themes, but the line "hear the mandrake scream" is also a nod to Mandrake Press, the book's original publisher. The 1988 album The Nephilim, by English goth rock band Fields of the Nephilim, makes several references to Crowley's work, while the top-charting single "Moonchild" directly references the novel. A song by King Crimson, from their 1969 debut album In the Court of the Crimson King also has the same title, but the band's co-founder and lyricist Peter Sinfield has stated that it was not a conscious reference to Crowley's work.

The fantasy film Moon Child (1989), by Spanish filmmaker Agustí Villaronga, was inspired by Crowley's work. The unreleased soundtrack for the film was recorded by Australian goth pioneers Dead Can Dance. In Mark Frost's epistolary novel The Secret History of Twin Peaks, there is a chapter on Crowley which suggests that Moonchild was a source of inspiration for his and David Lynch's cult TV series Twin Peaks, particularly with its two warring lodges (a Black and a White Lodge), and several minor characters.

Related writings

Prior to writing this novel, during a visit to New Orleans in December 1916, Crowley wrote a number of short stories where his character, Simon Iff, investigates various crimes and mysteries.

Babalon Working

Main article: Babalon Working

A project called Babalon Working was undertaken by Jack Parsons and L. Ron Hubbard in 1946, inspired by Moonchild. Babalon Working was supposed to manifest an incarnation of Babalon, who would then carry a "magickal child" or "moonchild".

Notes

References

1. McMurtry, Grady. "A Note on ''Moonchild''".
2. From notes in author's hand from his library copy — [[Swann Auction Galleries]], sale 2140, April 3, 2008, lot 45.
3. (28 October 1929). "Fantasy and Genius". [[Aberdeen Press & Journal]].
4. Noël, Benoît. "2021: Moonchild by Aleister Crowley".
5. "10 Evil Rock + Metal Songs Inspired by Aleister Crowley".
6. ""Peter Sinfield Q&A"".
7. "Moon Child".
8. "Moon Child".
9. Collected in ''The Simon Iff Stories and Other Works'' (Wordsworth Editions, 2012), {{ISBN. 978-1-84022-678-2.
10. Urban, Hugh B.. (2011). "The Church of Scientology: A History of a New Religion". Princeton University Press.
11. Urban, Hugh B.. (2006). "Magia Sexualis: Sex, Magic, And Liberation in Modern Western Esotericism". University of California Press.