The Lady and the Beast

[Aeon418]

Deja Whitehouse's upcoming book - The Lady and the Beast: The Extraordinary Partnership between Frieda Harris and Aleister Crowley - is due out next month and may be of interest to Thoth Tarot lovers. It looks a bit pricey but I will still pick up a copy.

 

The Lady and the Beast: The Extraordinary Partnership between Frieda Harris and Aleister Crowley (Oxford Studies in Western Esotericism): Amazon.co.uk: Whitehouse, Deja: 9780197645147: Books

 

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Although Lady Harris is acknowledged as the artist of Aleister Crowley's Book of Thoth, to date, most studies have focused predominantly on Harris's role as Crowley's 'artist executant', and almost exclusively from Crowley's perspective. Whitehouse argues that Harris's involvement extended far beyond the artwork itself. The Book of Thoth was a collaboration in which each partner fulfilled a variety of roles; building on Crowley's magical theories and practices, and Harris's artistic skills and social awareness that enabled her to promote and exhibit their work as it evolved.

The Lady and the Beast presents a critical analysis of the life and works of Frieda, Lady Harris (1877 - 1962), wife of Sir Percy Harris (1876 - 1952), Liberal MP and party chief whip. Frieda Harris, née Bloxam, fulfilled her parents' expectations of finding a suitable husband, managing the family home and raising a family. She supported her husband's political endeavours, and in return he encouraged her to pursue her own interests, especially her painting. However, research indicates that Harris was already fascinated by mysticism and alternative belief structures prior to her meeting with Crowley in 1937. Her esoteric interests, combined with her demonstrable skills as a painter, made her ideally suited to illustrate Crowley's Thoth Tarot.

In manifesting Crowley's vision of the Occult Tarot, Harris's paintings embody the intersection of art and esotericism. Crowley (1875 - 1847) believed that the Tarot was fundamental to all magical disciplines and his Book of Thoth would become 'a standard Book of Reference, which will determine the entire course of mystical and magical thought for the next 2000 years.' Without Harris, there would be no Book of Thoth. Whitehouse presents a study of Harris's life and works, seeking to assess her true contribution to Western Esotericism.

 

[Wyrdkiss]

On 10/14/2024 at 2:48 PM, Aeon418 said:

Deja Whitehouse's upcoming book - The Lady and the Beast: The Extraordinary Partnership between Frieda Harris and Aleister Crowley - is due out next month and may be of interest to Thoth Tarot lovers. It looks a bit pricey but I will still pick up a copy.

 

The Lady and the Beast: The Extraordinary Partnership between Frieda Harris and Aleister Crowley (Oxford Studies in Western Esotericism): Amazon.co.uk: Whitehouse, Deja: 9780197645147: Books

 

 

thank you so much for this heads up.

[Aeon418]

4 hours ago, Wyrdkiss said:

thank you so much for this heads up.

 

I think the "heads up" was a bit premature. The book's release date has now been pushed back to March 2025. 🙁

[Wyrdkiss]

3 hours ago, Aeon418 said:

 

I think the "heads up" was a bit premature. The book's release date has now been pushed back to March 2025. 🙁

I'm still pleased to know about it. Got nothing but time, until we don't.  Bummer though, really looking forward to diving into this one. 

[Aeon418]

48 minutes ago, Wyrdkiss said:

I'm still pleased to know about it. Got nothing but time, until we don't.  Bummer though, really looking forward to diving into this one. 

 

Although Amazon hasn't listed one yet, there's always the chance that a Kindle edition might be released earlier. 🙂 

 

To whet your appetite in the mean time, I found this on the Oxford University Press website:

• Analyses unique primary sources such as diaries and correspondence not previously published or analyzed in depth
• Considers the role of women in Western Esotericism and the British Occult Revival
• Presents a full in-depth analysis of The Book of Thoth and its artwork from inception to completion and publication

 

Contents.

Chapter 1: Setting the Scene
Part 1 Life before Crowley
Chapter 2: A Victorian Childhood and Early Adulthood
Chapter 3: Mrs Percy Harris
Chapter 4: The Spiritual Path
Chapter 5: Concerning the Spiritual in Art
Part 2 The Crowley-Harris Partnership
Chapter 6: The Obliger
Chapter 7: Crowley's Magical Pupil
Chapter 8: 'Something Completely New in Art'
Chapter 9: The Book of Thoth
Chapter 10: Life after Crowley
Chapter 11: Conclusion

[Babalon Jones]

This looks great - thank you for the notice!

On amazon US it says it will be available December 27th. But it is $90 to pre-order now, which seems a lot for 256 pages; though it is a hardcover. Does not say if there are color, or any, illustrations, but maybe considering the price there are.

Ah well, I still want it now either way!

[Aeon418]

4 hours ago, Babalon Jones said:

But it is $90 to pre-order now, which seems a lot for 256 pages; though it is a hardcover.

 

Yes, the price tag is more than a little high. I've got my eye on two other books in the same Oxford Studies series that are very expensive too. 

 

The Eloquent Blood: The Goddess Babalon and the Construction of Femininities in Western Esotericism. Price: £87.29 😬 (RRP £112.50 😱)

 

Friendship in Doubt: Aleister Crowley, J. F. C. Fuller, Victor B. Neuburg, and British Agnosticism. Price: £78. 🤨

 

Plus they are republishing the rather excellent work by Martin P. Starr - The Unknown God: W. T. Smith and the Thelemites - for almost three times what I paid for the original first edition published by the Teitan Press. But admittedly that was 20 years ago.

 

But it is pay day this week, so..... 🙈🙉🙊

Edited October 21, 2024 by Aeon418

[Aeon418]

The Kindle edition of The Lady and the Beast is due out on the 20th of December.

[Aeon418]

Got it. Auto-delivered to my KIndle reader this morning. 🙂

 

Now all I need to do is find the time to read it. 

[Aeon418]

I've finished the book. So, a few thoughts.

 

Firstly, anyone hoping to deepen their understanding of the Thoth Tarot or the Book of Thoth will be disappointed. The book focuses almost exclusively on historical events and influences. 

 

Despite that I found the book an enjoyable read. Even though information on Harris's early life is sparse, Deja Whitehouse does a good job of drawing parallels between Harris and her contemporaries such as Annie Besant, Dion Fortune, and Ithell Colquhoun. But, admittedly, there's a lot of guess work and assumption. 

 

Frieda's marriage Percy Harris is an ongoing theme throughout the book. The marriage allows Frieda the space, luxury and leisure time to indulge her artistic aspirations. But it came with family obligations that were a constant source of annoyance and tension. This theme began to grate on my nerves after a while. And even Whitehouse reluctantly admits that there probably was a narcissistic streak to Frieda's character.

 

One thing that Whitehouse highlights several times is Harris's use of the term "pansy" to describe gay or effeminate men. From this Whitehouse draws the conclusion that Harris was a homophobe. But this does not seem to have impacted on her relationship with the bisexual Crowley.   

 

The chapters dealing with Harris and Crowley's partnership are the most substantial. But the focus is primarily on surface and historical events such as the struggles to paint in peace and the efforts to organise exhibitions of the paintings. Although Whitehouse does explore the strain that Frieda's association with Crowley put on her marriage. Percy Harris quite clearly did not like Crowley. But Frieda seems to have disregarded this sentiment, while simultaneously being mortified by the possibility that her association with Crowley might have effected her social standing.

 

The sections dealing with artistic and spiritual influences is based mostly upon Harris's library of books. But here Whitehouse admits to a difficulty. There is almost no indication as to when Harris acquired many of these books and was exposed to the ideas within them. Again, Whitehouse to forced into a bit of guesswork, but I found her suppositions reasonable.

 

The closing sections of the book deal with Frieda's travels  and her life on a houseboat with her "man-servant." A bit of a surprise is Harris's claim that she became a Muslim for a while at this point. I'm not sure how seriously to take this. It reminds me very much of Crowley's assertion that he was a Buddhist before 1904. Yeah, sort of.

 

Although it might not sound like it, I enjoyed reading The Lady and the Beast. Deja Whitehouse, while I might not agree with some of her opinions, writes in a very accessible and readable way. However, readers hoping to find insights into the Thoth Tarot will be disappointed. But if you put expectations aside, the book is an enjoyable read.

 

But the price tag is a little too high in my opinion.

Edited Monday at 01:05 PM by Aeon418