#Laila Waddell

[kemacroi]

The Rites of Eleusis by Composer Leila Waddell

The incarnation of Babalon

When I refer to famous female magicians, I always mention Dion Fortune and Moina Mathers. However, many others have been overshadowed by the charisma of their male colleagues or simply had no interest in the limelight. After all, in Magick, one never gains what one does not possess.

Leila Waddell was a companion of Aleister Crowley—whom no one in their right mind would call shy or foolish. She was consumed by her own art as a virtuoso violinist and teacher, dedicating much of her time to promoting the careers of other brilliant but unknown composers in early 20th-century Australia. It was in these artistic circles that she met Crowley, first joining the Astrum Argentum order and later the OTO, contributing her artistic skills by creating beautiful rituals incorporating dance, music, and exquisite poetry.

Perhaps her most important artistic-ritual work is The Rites of Eleusis, which are still practiced today. This piece, in seven acts—representing the seven traditional planets—was created to stimulate an exalted state in the audience, who are expected to be more than mere spectators. The contemporary critics were not kind; although they praised Leila's virtuosity, they analyzed aspects that made no sense to rationalize.

Sexual Magick was always very present in her artistic and magical work. It was Leila—whose magical name was Soror Agatha—whom Crowley called the Scarlet Woman, the personification of Babalon. Based on a positive reinterpretation of the Great Whore of Babylon from the biblical Book of Revelation, Crowley linked the goddess Babalon with the initiatory trial of crossing Daath, the Abyss. Babalon's articulation is the soteriological ideal with which Crowley challenged the prudishness of female sexual modesty and the bourgeois male rationality of his time.

She was a co-author and collaborator in Aleister Crowley's most important literary productions (The Equinox and Liber ABA, which can be downloaded from the magician's bio) and also had her own work as a novelist. Like many famous and unknown magicians, Leila was involved in political matters, especially supporting Irish independence.

Leila Waddell had a passionate and rich life. Consider this post about female magicians also as my political stance.

Here you can enjoy the Rites of Eleusis if you want to include it in your own practice.