The Magical Diaries of Leah Hirsig, 1923-1925

Leah Hirsig was a Swiss-American occultist, follower and lover of the prominent British occultist Aleister Crowley in the 1920s. The self-styled Great Beast 666, Crowley was also the founder and prophet of the new religion Thelema. This annotated edition of Hirsig's complete magical diaries and previously unpublished correspondence between her and Crowley sheds new light on their relationship and the broader role of women in twentieth-century occultism. A schoolteacher by training who lived, loved, and travelled independently, Hirsig embodied the ideals of the New Woman, particularly in her attraction to a counter-normative occult movement. In 1920, 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 in Cefalù,