“If the Kingdom be Ruled According to the Tao” : Politics as “Eastern Wisdom” in Aleister Crowley’s Reception of the Daodejing
(2025) p.203-218- Abstract
The fascination with the “Eastern Wisdom” exhibited among esoteric movements in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century is often understood as an interest in spirituality. Existing research has focused on how these movements took an interest in beliefs in doctrines like karma and reincarnation, as well as in practices of meditation and divination. Although this characterisation is broadly correct, it is not the whole picture. This chapter explores a case where “Eastern Wisdom” was instead conceived in a way that explicitly included politics: Aleister Crowley’s interpretation of the instructions for government given in the Dàodéjīng. During the early twentieth century the Dàodéjīng was the focus of broad interest by Sinologists,... (More)
The fascination with the “Eastern Wisdom” exhibited among esoteric movements in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century is often understood as an interest in spirituality. Existing research has focused on how these movements took an interest in beliefs in doctrines like karma and reincarnation, as well as in practices of meditation and divination. Although this characterisation is broadly correct, it is not the whole picture. This chapter explores a case where “Eastern Wisdom” was instead conceived in a way that explicitly included politics: Aleister Crowley’s interpretation of the instructions for government given in the Dàodéjīng. During the early twentieth century the Dàodéjīng was the focus of broad interest by Sinologists, artists, and esoteric writers alike, among them Crowley. Although intensely engaged in divination and esoteric ritual practices, Crowley was also a utopian political thinker who wanted to see radical societal reform in line with his religious and political ideals. The chapter explores Crowley’s interpretation of the political aspects of the Dàodéjīng and how he strove to interpret them in light of his own religious beliefs. It suggests that, far from being exclusively private and individualistic, the esoteric understanding of “Eastern Wisdom” could include elements like political theory and utopian thinking.
(Less)
- author
- Nilsson, Johan LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-01
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Aleister Crowley, Daodejing, Daoism, Esotericism and politics, Orientalism, Religion and politics
- host publication
- Occult East Asia : Euro-American Perspectives - Euro-American Perspectives
- pages
- 16 pages
- publisher
- Brill
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105023722979
- ISBN
- 9789004746176
- 9789004746183
- DOI
- 10.1163/9789004746183_011
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 24e7c182-f9e7-4d44-9337-533295c91833
- date added to LUP
- 2026-01-12 09:37:04
- date last changed
- 2026-01-12 11:04:24
@inbook{24e7c182-f9e7-4d44-9337-533295c91833,
abstract = {{<p>The fascination with the “Eastern Wisdom” exhibited among esoteric movements in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century is often understood as an interest in spirituality. Existing research has focused on how these movements took an interest in beliefs in doctrines like karma and reincarnation, as well as in practices of meditation and divination. Although this characterisation is broadly correct, it is not the whole picture. This chapter explores a case where “Eastern Wisdom” was instead conceived in a way that explicitly included politics: Aleister Crowley’s interpretation of the instructions for government given in the Dàodéjīng. During the early twentieth century the Dàodéjīng was the focus of broad interest by Sinologists, artists, and esoteric writers alike, among them Crowley. Although intensely engaged in divination and esoteric ritual practices, Crowley was also a utopian political thinker who wanted to see radical societal reform in line with his religious and political ideals. The chapter explores Crowley’s interpretation of the political aspects of the Dàodéjīng and how he strove to interpret them in light of his own religious beliefs. It suggests that, far from being exclusively private and individualistic, the esoteric understanding of “Eastern Wisdom” could include elements like political theory and utopian thinking.</p>}},
author = {{Nilsson, Johan}},
booktitle = {{Occult East Asia : Euro-American Perspectives}},
isbn = {{9789004746176}},
keywords = {{Aleister Crowley; Daodejing; Daoism; Esotericism and politics; Orientalism; Religion and politics}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{203--218}},
publisher = {{Brill}},
title = {{“If the Kingdom be Ruled According to the Tao” : Politics as “Eastern Wisdom” in Aleister Crowley’s Reception of the Daodejing}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/9789004746183_011}},
doi = {{10.1163/9789004746183_011}},
year = {{2025}},
}