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Manon Hedenborg White & Henrik Bogdan talk about their book _“The Magical Diaries of Leah Hirsig, 1923-1925: Aleister Crowley, Magick, and the New Occult Woman_ (Oxford Studies in Western Esotericism; Oxford University Press, 2025)”.
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 This annotated edition of Hirsig's complete magical diaries and previously unpublished correspondence between her and Crowley sheds new light on their relationship and the broader role of women in twentieth-century occultism.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, Sicily, and the authorship of several of Crowley's important magical works.
In 1924, Hirsig was replaced as Scarlet Woman, but she remained devoted to Thelema for several years. Hirsig's magical diaries provide a unique window into the possibilities and challenges faced by women occultists in the early twentieth century. Her writing highlights how occult movements offered heightened opportunities for women's leadership while also being impacted by wider gender inequalities.
The diaries are presented with a selection of previously unpublished letters and poems by Hirsig and Crowley, providing insight into their relationship and the period from Hirsig's attraction to Thelema in 1919 until her departure from the movement in 1927-1930. The book also includes an extensive editorial introduction that situates Hirsig within Thelema, twentieth-century occultism, and women's changing roles during this period.
Manon Hedenborg White is an Associate Professor of History of Religions. Her research focuses on alternative religions, mainly from the late-19th century until today, including esotericism, New Religious Movements, and contemporary ("new age") spirituality. She has a particular interest in broader questions of gender, sexuality, and authority in religions. She obtained her doctoral degree in History of Religions at Uppsala University. Her doctoral dissertation was published as a monograph by Oxford University Press in 2020, as The Eloquent Blood: The Goddess Babalon and the Construction of Femininities in Western Esotericism. She has also co-edited the volume Esotericism and Deviance (Brill, 2023), special issues of the journals Aries, The Pomegranate, and Religion & the Arts. She is part of the editorial boards of the book series Oxford Studies in Western Esotericism (Oxford University Press) and Palgrave Studies in New Religions and Alternative Spiritualities (Palgrave Macmillan). Since 2025, she serves as President of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (ESSWE).
linktr.ee/mhedenborgwhite
Henrik Bogdan is Professor in Religious Studies. His main areas of research are alternative forms of religion, such as Western esotericism, New Religious Movemenets, and Secret/Initiatory Societies. Bogdan is a member of the Department Council (IR) at LIR, as well as a postgraduate education coordinator (FUK) for Religious Studies at LIR. He is the author of Western Esotericism and Rituals of Initiation (2007), published in a French translation, Ésoterism Occidental et Rituels d'Initiation (Arché, 2010). Bogdan has edited several publications, including Brother Curwen: Brother Crowley: A Correspondence (Teitan Press, 2010), Aleister Crowley and Western Esotericism (Oxford University Press, 2012); Occultism in a Global Perspective (Acumen / Routledge 2013); Sexuality and New Religious Movements (Palgrave, 2014); Handbook of Freemasonry (Brill, 2014), and Western Esotericism in Scandinavia (Brill, 2016).
Bogdan is editor of the book series 'Oxford Studies in Western Esotericism' (Oxford University Press), as well as co-editor of the book series 'Palgrave Studies in New Religions and Alternative Spiritualities' (Palgrave Macmillan). Bogdan is the Secretary of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (ESSWE) since 2016.
https://www.instagram.com/henrik_bogdan/
You can buy this book on our webshop: (https://shop.watkinsbooks.com/products/the-magical-diaries-of-leah-hirsig-1923-1925-by-manon-hedenborg-white-henrik-bogdan-ed?_pos=1&_sid=ed137e70f&_ss=r)
#Thelema
#Leah_Hirsig
#Aleister_Crowley