Vampire Wars Limited Ability Set Crowleys Heresy

On January 5, 2010, a new Limited Edition Ability Set become available in the Akem's Gamble mission of Zynga's Vampire Wars, called Crowley's Heresy. Who was Crowley? And what is the story behind the symbolism of this LE ability set?

First, let's deal with the important game information. Crowley's Heresy is a typical Limited Ability Set (twenty days to collect the full set) that can only be gained though Akem's Gamble.

The first ability is Aiwass' Beckoning. Available January 5, 2010 to January 25, 2010. Aiwass' Beckoning is a movement ability (86 attack, 82 defense).

The second ability is Aeon of Isis. Available January 9, 2010 to January 25, 2010. Aeon of Isis is a defensive ability (66 attack, 102 defense).

The third ability is Aeon of Horus. Available January 14, 2010 to January 25, 2010. Aeon of Horus is a defensive ability (63 attack, 105 attack).

The fourth ability is Aeon of Osiris. Available January 19, 2010 to January 25, 2010. Aeon of Osiris is an offensive ability (101 attack, 67 defense).

As always with the Limited Edition Ability sets, if by some miracle (or if you have a lot of favor points to burn, typically brought with hard cold cash) you manage to collect all four of the abilities, you get a special ability as a capstone prize. In the case of the Crowley's Heresy Limited Edition Set, the big bonus ability is Master Therion (illustrated with a picture of the infamous Aleister Crowley making shadow puppets on the wall), an offensive ability that grants 183 attack and 82 defense.

So who was Aleister Crowley? And why is he being commemorated in this LE Ability Set?

Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley (October 12, 1875), was an English occultist and general publicity hound, who fancied himself the greatest occultist of his age, and was described by a journalist of his day as "the wickedest man in the world."

Crowley's training in the occult sciences, besides his extensive reading and experimentation, was rooted in the rituals and lessons that he learned from the Golden Dawn, an esoteric Order formed in 1888 London. Golden Dawn took and taught bits of magical lore taken from astrology, alchemy, Tarot, Kabbalah, Hermetics, fringe Freemasonry, and the medieval grimoires. Crowley moved up the Grade system of the Golden Dawn rapidly.

(It should be noted that the Golden Dawn of the 1890s was more akin to Freemasonry, with the Grades being easier to advance to, than it is to the esoteric organizations that today are referred to as Golden Dawn. Any member of Golden Dawn during that time period who desired to could have gone though the Grades at the same speed that Crowley did. This is not said to knock Crowley's accomplishment, but rather to put the exalted claims that his fans make about him into some perspective.)

It was with some shock that Crowley's application to the Inner (Second) Order (RR et AC) was rejected by the London lodge. The reason for the rejection was that the Inner Order members of the London lodge felt Crowley had some questionable habits. The London lodge members were also on the verge of schism with the last ruling founder of the system, Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers. Crowley went to Paris, where Mathers and his wife were residing, and threw his lot in with the besieged founder. Sometime during the confusion of the schism (the Revolt of the Adepts), whether by Mathers's hand, his association with Allan Bennett, or simple seizing of the moment, Crowley became an Adept Minor of the Second Order.

The schism did not necessarily help any of the parties involved. Crowley would later have a falling out with Mathers. Crowley would print the second account of the Golden Dawn's rituals in his Equinox series (the first time the rituals were published was during a criminal case), along with a bizarre philosophy rooted in a set of received "Holy Books."

The first Holy Book of Thelema was received by Crowley while he was in Egypt. The year was 1904, and Crowley had married the sister of one of his friends, Rose Edith Kelly. Rose, who had no interest in the occult, told Crowley that some entity was waiting for him. After testing her, he performed a ritual, and made contact with Aiwass.

Exactly what Aiwass was (or is) is still debated by members of the magical community. Some claim that Aiwass was a demon; others claim that Aiwass was Crowley's Higher Guardian Angel; and the list goes on. What is certain is that Crowley came out of the experience with the first Holy Book of Thelema: The Book of the Law.

The Book of the Law, and the subsequent Holy Books of Thelema, puts forth an esoteric theory that the history of mankind has been divided up into ages: The Aeon of Isis and the Aeon of Osiris. Furthermore, mankind was entering a new age: The Aeon of Horus. Aiwass insisted that Aleister Crowley was the first prophet of this new age.

Eventually, Crowley embraced this idea. Crowley would spend the rest of his life promoting the Law of Thelema: "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, love under will." Crowley would go by, and write under, several names and mottos, including Master Therion. Crowley died on December 1, 1947.

But his death does not end his story. Crowley's occult writing, which had only a small audience while he was alive, were rediscovered. In 2002, a poll by the BBC called him the seventy-third greatest Briton of all time. His ideas have inspired musicians, writers and artists. And his life has been the model for many of an occult villain, including this latest LE Ability Set for Zynga's Vampire Wars.