(Reprint of a basic introduction to Michael Crowley and Mountain Temple Center by Petrosz, written 2000-2005.)
HIGH
MAGICK'S MOUNTAIN
A
History of an Extraordinary Place
by
P.X.
(c)
2000-2005 Mountain Temple Center / Petros Xristos
1.
PREHISTORY OF THE MOUNTAIN
It
has been suggested to several persons while visioning on the Astral
Plane and higher Occult realms, and confirmed by archaeological
findings, that the sacred space known to us today as "The
Mountain" was utilized as an ancient Hohokam Indian sacred
space. In this area of the Sonoran Desert that has now been swallowed
up by the very recent growth of the city known to the white man as
Phoenix (itself a Magickal term representing Resurrection and
Continual Rebirth), just a few miles from The Mountain ancient
Hohokam petroglyphs have been found dating to 1000 A.D. (See: Deer
Valley Rock Art Center) We all know that many ancient
cultures utilized the high places available to them both for their
spiritual astronomical observations and for ritual uses.
The
Mountain is the remains of what once was a much larger rising of
volcanic rock surrounded on all sides by a gently rolling valley,
rocky and lightly covered with various types of desert brush. It is
bounded both on the East and on the West by two much higher desert
ranges that seem to function as etheric "wall" of
protection, making the Mountain itself a well-guarded hub of
pyramidal energy. What is most interesting to Magickians, and what
was discovered by Mr. Crowley himself during his long residence here,
is that both of these ranges (the Eastern and the Western) are cut
out in the rough silhouettes of the God and the Goddess. The range to
the East of the Mountain forms several gently rolling curvatures
that, to those properly guided, form the outline of the breasts and
"mound of Venus" of the ancient fertility Goddess. The
Western range likewise makes an outline against the horizon of the
God. In between them The Mountain itself sits like a Magickal Child
of both. No doubt, such features would not have been overlooked by
the spiritually attuned Hohokam.
2.
ESTABLISHMENT AND GROWTH OF THE CENTER
Mountain
Temple Center is co-owned and co-operated by Michael J. Crowley and
his wife Shari. Michael had been a student of the occult sciences for
forty years and Shari for over twenty. The couple bought the property
on the Mountain in July 1972. Originally the portion which is now the
center itself consisted of a small single-story house, which was
added to by the Crowley's in the 1980s to the point where today
(2002) the Center is three stories with about 2,000 square feet of
space.
The
"discovery" of this sacred power site by Mr. Crowley is
itself an intriguing magical tale and one only recently having come
to light. It seems that in his early days as a motorcycle enthusiast
and amateur afficianado of the occult, Crowley happened to ride into
one of those "Psychic Consultation" shops that have always
been ubiquitous in larger cities. This one happened to be in the
rustic town of Guadalupe, Arizona, a small enclave of Yaqui Indians
who had immigrated to the U.S. generations previously but who still
maintained some aspects of their traditional life amidst the usual
modern conveniences such as shops and gas stations. There, he was
accosted by an old Mexican-Indian woman who immediately noticed his
intense aura. Among other things that have not been publically
revealed, she told him that it was his destiny to lead a "sacred
place of magic on a hill." She prophesied that an owl would lead
him to this place. Of course Mike, being a hard-headed biker at the
time, was initially sceptical, as was his wife.
Weeks
passed and Michael had all but forgotten about the old brujera's
prophecy. And yet -- one hot summer evening while riding his Harley
around northern Phoenix, he noticed a low-flying owl that seemed to
keep a flight path almost parallel to his bike. Remembering the
prediction, and more or less on a whim, he decided to follow the owl
to see if it would actually lead him anywhere or if it would simply
go out of sight. In fact, it shortly led him up a treacherous-looking
incline on Lupine Avenue. Mike of course was an expert rider and had
little difficulty riding up the slope, though the wheels kicked up a
lot of dust and pebbles. The owl flew to the top of the hill and
alighted on a power line, under which Mike finally brought his bike
to a rest. From the top of the hill he could see a large swath of
northern Phoenix and, in the setting sun, could detect the faintest
of purple "auras" seeming to encircle the hill like a
vortex. Somehow, he knew that this was the place the
old witch predicted in the psychic reading. He made a note of the
location and told his wife Shari about it that night; within a day or
two the couple returned to the site and both agreed that it would be
a perfect location for the new home they had been looking for. They
were pleased to find that it was in fact for sale and at a very
reasonable price.
That
owl, or perhaps a descendant of it, can still be seen to this day
(2003) in the vicinity of the Mountain, and has been known to
occasionally alight on the rooftop or a nearby telephone pole, as if
watching over the progress of Mr. Crowley and his magical endeavors.
(The old Mexican seer, sadly, is long gone.)
When
it was decided to open the Mountain for public events and ceremonies,
the first tradition to be established was that of Gardnerian Wicca.
Michael was an avid student of Gerald Gardner's pioneering work in
20th-century Witchcraft, and credits Gardner's classic High
Magick's Aid with being one of his earliest introductions to
the ancient Craft of Wicca. Michael was and remains, also, a student
of the works of Janet and Stewart Farrar, with their emphasis on sex
magick. In 1986 the Mountain hosted its first public Wiccan ceremony,
in league with another local Coven.
The
Gods must have smiled upon the fledgling efforts of Mike and Shari,
for in January of 1987 Shari won a substantial amount of money in the
Arizona Lottery. This gift from "on high" was used the best
way possible, to finish the expansion of the Temple, so that the
community could immediately benefit from this karmic largesse.
The
Temple, in Phoenix, Arizona, sits atop a small mountain in the middle
of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve, in the north-central part of the
city. Like most of the hills in this desert city, it is rocky and
nearly treeless save for a few small mesquite and sage bushes around
the perimeter. The only animal life that can survive in the harsh
climate tends to reflect the intensity of the Magick here --
scorpions, wild jackrabbits, and birds of prey (such as the owl that
is occasionally seen perched on a nearby telephone pole and seems to
return seasonally.) The Mountain is also surrounded by other
mountains on top of which can be seen to those with a bit of subtle
vision, see a goddess form on one side (the East) and a god form on
the other (to the West.)
The
Center opened itself more widely to the public in 1992 when it began
to be publicized as a learning and study center, with a sizable
non-lending research library. Today the library at the Temple is one
of its most popular and talked-about features, as it seems to be one
of the first things that visitors see upon walking through the
sliding glass doors. Painstakingly assembled over a period of twenty
years or more, the Library now consists of thousands of volumes of
books, never yet counted, filling ceiling-high shelves all around the
room. The collection covers all aspects of the occult arts and
sciences, including astrology, numerology, mythology of various
cultures and historical periods, Wicca, Masonic lore, Meditation and
Spiritualism, New Age teachings and Healing, Rosicrucianism, and of
course, the Golden Dawn. Mr. Crowley also has (as one would expect) a
sizable collection of rare Crowley works (Aleister Crowley, that is).
The library itself contains numerous out-of-print and hard to find
editions of other works.
The
center has a look of spontaneity and organic growth in its design; it
has been converted from a private residence into a mixed
public/private structure. The center is intimite in size, with an
area on the first floor reserved for the permanent residents. The
second floor has an office/computer room, conference room, and the
excellent library already described. On the top floor two flights up,
veiled for restricted access, is the most sacred ritual space in the
Temple, used for higher-level Golden Dawn and other ceremonies. This
sacred space has a porch which overlooks the outdoor space. This
outdoor area consists of a magical working area in a thirty-nine foot
round circle, marked off by standing stones constructed to look like
a miniature Stonehenge. It is large enough to accomodate upwards of
fifty or more persons, and on at least one occasion there have been
closer to a hundred present, during one of the major annual Pagan
festivals.
The
Center has other facilities which function both for entertainment or
relaxation and also possess a spiritual purpose. For instance, it has
a large hot tub which has become rather famous (or infamous!) in the
community. While the hot tub can be a fun place for relaxing after a
ritual, it is also used regularly for the purification of
participants prior to certain ceremonies. Mike Crowley also uses it
for practicing the technique of "rebirthing" on students
who may be interested in this, where he guides the individual,
floating in the water, into psychic or astral perceptions.
A
small (three- to six-person) sweat lodge was recently completed
(2002), handbuilt from cinder blocks on site by officials and
students of the Temple. This new addition to the center will enable
further exploration of higher states of spiritual consciousness and
permit those who are interested in this method of self-development to
go deeper into their psyches (with suitable guidance from trained
mentors here.)
Mountain
temple center has had its ups and downs, and has experienced a
certain amount of gossip and backbiting from others in the Pagan
community of Phoenix. This sort of thing is widespread among pagans
and magickal groups all over, but the Center has attracted more than
its share due to the controversial nature of Mike Crowley, not to
mention Aleister Crowley. Mike has never claimed to be a "white
lighter," and anyone who is familiar with the work of Aleister
Crowley knows that Aleister was not exactly a "goody-two-shoe"
character either. Oftentimes, Mike's upfront, free expression of
sexuality (such as tantric magick and Gardnerian wicca) have caused
some "puritanical pagans" to whine a little, and
occasionally one may read a vague letter to the editor in some local
pagan newspaper complaining about Mike or the Mountain, but without
actually mentioning his name. Of course, those who are truly serious
about magickal work and spiritual growth know better than to take
this sort of stuff at face value. If anything, Mike has often said,
it only increases his reputation in the community, and helps scare
away the "wannabees" and undesirables.
3.
THE FARRARS
In
May of 1993 the Mountain welcomed the Farrars and Gavin Bone, who
were visiting Phoenix on a lecture tour. While in Phoenix they all
visited the Mountain, along with a number of other people from the
local magical and pagan community. While at the Mountain the Farrars
and Gavin enjoyed the hot tub along with a great number of the other
guests all at the same time. The Farrars and Gavin blessed the circle
and told Mike Crowley to be careful in utilizing the energies of sex
or tantric magick.
4.
Brief Interlude with the O.T.O.
Also
in 1993 the Crowleys met with members of the Ordo Templi Orientis
(O.T.O.) and became initiates in October of that year. On April 23,
1994 an official O.T.O. Camp named Mountain Camp was established. A
"Camp" in O.T.O. terminology refers to an officially
approved meeting place. Initially successful and popular, seeing a
number of new initiates come through the doors, in July of 1996 the
Camp was terminated by mutual agreement between Mr. Crowley and the
O.T.O. At the time, the house was being used by other family members
for non-O.T.O. gatherings and activities, and it was felt that the
needed privacy could not be guaranteed. Also, Michael Crowley wished
to focus his energies on what he felt was the more spiritually
fruitful and legitimate order, namely the Golden Dawn, and felt the
O.T.O. to be a distraction from this end. Time has shown this to be a
wise decision, as seven years later, the Golden Dawn temple
continues to thrive here at Mountain Center.
5.
A.U.M.
The
Mountain Center has always, thanks to Mike's insistence, been a place
of study and learning, as the library can prove. In May 1994, Mr.
Crowley (in league with Fra. Xristos) founded A.T.U.M., the Arizona
Thelemic University of Magick, to teach willing students the basics
of Aleister Crowley's philosophy. It's scope soon broadened to cover
all forms of magick, spirituality and myth, and it's now known simply
as the Arizona University of Magick (A.U.M.).
A.U.M.
promotes talks and classes on all aspects of magickal theory and
practice, including workshops and "hands-on" demonstrations
of techniques and rituals. In the nine years since its
founding, A.U.M. has welcomed many local (and a few visiting)
lecturers and has provided dozens of classes and worshops on such
topics as Astrology, Wicca, Norse Magick, Spiritualism, Herbs and
Plants, and so on. Classes have been held in several local bookshops
and halls, and are now primarily held in the Mountain's own
library/conference room, or in the outdoor circle. A.U.M. offers
non-accredited basic and advanced Certificates in Esoteric
Studies and Certificates in Magickal
Studies, as well as a Ministerial credential.
6.
GOLDEN DAWN
On
December 4, 1994 there was established at Mountain Center a Golden
Dawn Temple, chartered through The Hermetic Temple and Order of the
Golden Dawn in association with a national foundation, though as of
2001 Mountain Temple became independent. This Temple has proven to be
very successful and has initiated scores of candidates over the past
nine years. The Temple maintains a website and, with the help of
Petros (an independent spiritual teacher who works with the Temple)
serves initiates around the world thorugh e-mail correspondence
lessons and guidance. Mountain Temple G.D. currently has
"long-distance" initiates in Brazil, South Africa, Canada,
Germany, and elsewhere, as well as locally based.
The Golden Dawn organization, based out of MTC, has (almost miraculously) continued after the death of Magus Michael Crowley in 2008, and as of 2017 still works with an active core group of initiates, several of whom -- Neophytes at the time of Michael's death -- are now Adepts themselves.
7.
OTHER VISITORS AND TIRTHA MAHARAJ
In
addition to Janet and Stewart Farrar, Mountain Center has hosted
other bright lights of occultism and esoteric spirituality. These
include Lon Milo DuQuette and, in 1999, a Hindu holy man by the name
of Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj.
Maharaj
(as he is known by his disciples) appeared at Mountain Center on
August 16 of 1999. When told that he was to speak at the home of a
magician, he quipped, "Ah ho!" and reminded his listeners
of boyhood encounters he had had with similar magicians in his own
homeland. Maharaj's visit was not without an unusual, perhaps
supernatural element, as so often happens during events up here. As
he got into his lecture, shortly after sunset, a seasonal monsoon
storm began to brew. Common at this time of the year in Phoenix,
these storms can be violent and electrifying. With the thunder
cracking and lightning flashing all around, some of Maharaj's
devotees began to get a little worried about the Master's safety.
Maharaj called the lightning and thunder "Krishna's magic!"
and compared its potency and beauty to the illusions of man-made
"magic" such as technology. Maharaj made it clear that "So
long as we remember Krishna, maya [illusion] cannot come. The moment
we forget Krishna, maya comes."
As
Maharaj was leaving later with his devotees, those with him noticed
that the bottom of the Mountain was muddy and drenched with rain from
the wild storm. Only the top of the Mountain, in the sacred circle
where Maharaj held his satsang, had been spared the deluge. No doubt
he would attribute it to the grace of Krishna, and this is only
fitting for such a sacred space.
8.
THE BEASTS
No
description of the mystical, magickal Mountain would be complete
without mention of its two occult "mascots," symbols of its
weird energy: Harley, a fullblooded gray wolf with a friendly
disposition (except towards Mr. Crowley's pit-bulls) and high
intelligence; and Dragon Monster, a twenty-one foot, one-hundred
pound reticulated python who used to lurk in a small closet under the
stairs, meditating on its heated rock. No one was ever able to figure
out if Dragon Monster was a male or female, and no one was brave
enough to investigate it so closely.
Sadly
and weirdly, both of these magnificent beasts made their individual
transition to the higher realms in February of 1999. Both died within
a week of each other, Harley a week prior to and Dragon on the night
of Mike Crowley's 50th birthday celebration. Mike interpreted the
loss of both beasts as a necessary sacrifice to the Gods, to enable
further growth here. (Another serpent, somewhat smaller than the
first, now calls Mountain Temple home.)
One
of the Mountain's three pit-bull terriers, Max (an Adeptus Minor in
the G.D., perhaps the only canine ever so recognized) passed away
peacefully at the foot of his mistress' bed in December of 2002, at a
respectably advanced age. As of 2005, the other two terriers were
living elsewhere, and the Mountain is now home to two white wolf
hybrids.
The wolf hybrids survived the death of their master and died of old age, separately, between 2013 and 2015. They were since replaced by two new dogs, one of whom died of smoke inhalation in the disastrous Beltane Fire of 2017 which destroyed MTC.
9.
CONCLUSION
Let's
let Mike Crowley speak for the Center:
"Mountain
Center practices freedom, acceptance, and tolerance of all religious
or spiritual aspects of life, and all beliefs. Over time the
Center has
evolved as we all do, as time goes on. We continue
to promote freedom. We now focus on Golden Dawn work; however, we
continue to allow other groups rent the [outside] area and certain
(non-consecrated) ritual tools in order to do their own thing. Groups
who have enjoyed our facilities include ceremonial
Magickians, several
Wiccan covens, the Discordians, Chaos Magickians, Strega (Italian
wicca), Voodoo, Spiritualists, American Indian, Hindu, and Buddhist
practitioners. People come to the Mountain for research and for
intelligent conversations. Or just a good old bullshit session on any
subject or anything. Everyone has the right to say what ever they
want without being afraid of being told to shut up or they're wrong.
That's not to say you will not get an argument or a heated discussion
on that particular subject. The Mountain has had some wild parties
just to have a party and it can be very fun exciting, erotic, and
strange. Plain old fun with out the worry of being politically
correct!"
