Why pity him? He lived in pure hedonism, got everything he wanted out of life.
You should pity those he took advantage of instead.
You should pity those he took advantage of instead.
There were also allusions that he was gay, referencing Oscar Wilde's very public arrest, and commending his choice. I could be reading into the document a bit, but it felt that he was gay or bisexual, and lamenting the love he turned down earlier in life.
All in all, his letter exuded sadness, longing, and regret. That's why I said I pity him.
That too, isn't to say that I dont have pity for those he harmed as well... And there's a great deal of those he harmed. But the article is about Aleister.
He died a lonely, impoverished junkie.
Moreover, the 'junkie' part is misleading in that it sounds a lot worse than it was in his day. Crowley had chronic bronchitis (decades of smoking will do that to you) and heroin was commonly prescribed back then to help with symptoms. Not like he had to score smack on the street, he had access to top-notch pharma-grade heroin to use as he saw fit, something which isn't possible today. I'm quite envious actually and can't imagine a much better way to spend my final years.
Hard to say, personally my experience is that the junkie lifestyle seems less hollow and more appealing than it is, no matter the quality of the substance.