“If the Kingdom be Ruled According to the Tao”: Politics as “Eastern Wisdom” in Aleister Crowley’s Reception of the Daodejing

Abstract

Abstract The fascination with the “Eastern Wisdom” exhibited among esoteric movements in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century is often understood as an interest in spirituality. Existing research has focused on how these movements took an interest in beliefs in doctrines like karma and reincarnation, as well as in practices of meditation and divination. Although this characterization is broadly correct, it is not the whole picture. This article explores a case where “Eastern Wisdom” was instead conceived in a way that explicitly included politics: Aleister Crowley’s interpretation of the instructions for government given in the Daodejing. During the early twentieth century the Daodejing was the focus of broad interest by sinologists, artists, and esoteric writers alike, among them Crowley. Although intensely engaged in divination and esoteric ritual practices, Crowley was also a utopian political thinker who wanted to see radical societal reform in line with his religious and political ideals. The article explores Crowley’s interpretation of the political aspects of the Daodejing and how he strove to interpret them in light of his own religious beliefs. It suggests that, far from being exclusively private and individualistic, the esoteric understanding of “Eastern Wisdom” could include elements like political theory and utopian thinking.