ThothWeb - Your Portal to the Unknown - How Aleister Crowley Introduced the Iconic Gray Alien

It is common within UFO and abduction narratives to find references to Whitley Strieber's groundbreaking and now classic book, Communion. Although there were several abduction oriented books before its publication, and many varying depictions of the gray alien, for whatever reason, that particular book and its cover image seemed to finally cement the UFO/abduction phenomenon and the image of the alien into our consciousness.

The image was powerful not only on this mass scale, but individually also; there are accounts of people noticing the cover's rather menacing bug-eyed alien and subsequently uncovering their own abduction encounters. In short, the image is and was undeniably powerful. But why?

There are many so called "nuts and bolts theorists"-those believing in the literal, tangible, straightforward reality of UFOs and aliens--who would argue (maybe rather exasperatedly) that the answer is obvious: that Strieber, being an "experiencer" himself, with full memory, and full writerly abilities, conveyed the abduction experience and attendant aliens in narrative and visual form, exactly. While it's possible, it's merely a logical deduction, and the alien story is an assumption.

Many might be surprised to learn that Strieber himself doesn't (or didn't) necessarily adhere to the nuts and bolts theory, or even that the entities are necessarily aliens. In a Barnes and Noble Author's chat transcript, dated April 12, 1997, he makes these following curious statements: "Is there such a thing as 'grays?' I don't know." " I don't know what the 'visitors' are." And, "I assume aliens are the answer when we don't know what's going on."

Even the aliens are vague on their origins and intentions. Upon further examination, even stories in which the aliens seem to allude that they are from another planet, it is clear they are not in admission of such. For example, in the Barney and Betty Hill abduction case, Betty, looking at a 3D "star map", asks one of her abductors to show her from where they originate. The answer is curious; the alien asks her if she knows where Earth is on the "map", and she replies that she doesn't. He then asks her if she doesn't even know where she is, how can he possibly tell her where they are from?

That the alien did not simply show Betty where earth was by pointing, and where his own home planet was by pointing, may imply an impossible fault with the question, rather than coyness on the alien's part.

So, if these entities we know as the grays are not from another planet, or perhaps not even aliens after all, then what? The theories and speculations are legion. It has been postulated that primates may have not been the only of earth's species to evolve into intelligent creatures, that the grays may be the end result of the evolvement of dolphins, turtles, whales, insects, or dinosaurs-and that these evolved forms may be either terrestrially or non-terrestrially oriented.

The grays have been proposed as being drones or robots. There are notions that they could be demonic hoaxsters. Then, there's the fairly worn out, if not now-pedestrian idea that they grays are evolved humans; "us, time traveling in the future," trying to save our species.

Then, there is the interdimensional theory. Although this theory is rather another obvious deduction, and has been around in generic forms for a while, in his brilliant and epic book, Supernatural, Graham Hancock makes an almost inarguable case that the traditional, psychedelic plant-induced shamanic visions and experiences, fairy lore, and now modern abduction/alien scenarios stem from and share the same root, a kind of trance-induced, other channel of reality, in which these same gray-beings have won the starring roles.

What is even more intriguing is that within the story of what could be the very first modern, recorded appearance of this same entity, he is clearly described as an interdimensional being, with no pretenses of alien origins. In this story, there are other ideas that fit within Hancock's theory, such as the use of a meditative trance, drug induced, for purposeful contact (as in shamanism) with the otherworld.

In 1917-1919, the occultist Aleister Crowley was living on the Central Park West area in New York City, with what would be one of his many female companions, Roddie Minor. During a hashish and opium induced trance, Ms. Minor described to Crowley her rich visions. It is important to note here, that many of the narratives and articles which tell of the ensuing experiences, referred to as The Amalantrah Workings, are somewhat quick to dismiss Ms. Minor's visions.

But, in actually reading her documenting text of them, it is clear they are not only archetypal in nature due to the characters and transformations involved, there are many specific details in line with the ancient shamanic visions and UFO experiences Graham outlines extensively and most exhaustively in his book. Notably, Minor describes the descent to a cave, tubes, a disembodied eye in the sky, an eagle, a turtle with human qualities, a platform in the sky (reminiscent both of shamanic descriptions and perhaps a UFO itself,) and a general storyline involving a baby. Anyone reading Graham's book will immediately be struck by these striking features within Minor's trance narratives.

Additionally, much has been made of her trance-received statement "It's all in the egg." The reproductive features of the shamanic visions and perhaps more familiar to us, the UFO abduction narratives, cannot be overemphasized here; the symbol of the egg has become entwined within such aesthetically and culturally. For example, from pop culture, recall pre-Communion Mork from Ork's spaceship. I own a copy of a 1974 children's short chapter book called A Man Named Egbert Ovum, in which Fred and Wilma Flintstone essentially undergo a type of abduction experience, albeit untraditional.

The alien's name, Egbert Ovum, is most curious; given that he is a male, and the story has nothing whatsoever to do with human reproduction (it does involve a main storyline of reproducing money.) It seems even in 1974, far before the mainstream, commonly held belief that abducting aliens are hell bent on creating hybrids and otherwise involved with human reproduction, the idea of an egg was somehow intrinsic to the alien. Also, the egg on its own symbolizes origins and a beginning, and within my postulation that Minor and Crowley introduced this gray-character into the modern era, it fits all the more.

So, with all this rich symbology within Minor's visions, it isn't surprising that Aleister Crowley took it seriously. He was quite experienced and actively engaged in exploring alternate and astral realms, and considered them, as do all the ancient shamanic cultures and many modern enthusiasts and researchers, to be "real." It is said he also recognized components of earlier "workings" (magickal practices) within her reports, so decided to conduct more formalized, regular sessions with her, culminating in what is known as The Amalantrah Working.

Amalantrah was a character within Minor's original visions, which became somewhat of an oracle channeled rather conversationally directly between Minor (and sometimes, others) and Crowley. Questions were asked and answers received, and much symbolic information gathered. From these sessions, Crowley drew a portrait of an entity which tangibly appeared, finally called "LAM."

Although there is a wealth of precise occult information concerning all the information gathered in the Amalantrah Working, the mythology and general narratives describing it generally follow the thought that Crowley opened up a magickal portal that allowed this entity LAM, others like him and their representational consciousness into the modern world.

It is also usually reported within such narratives that although Crowley made certain to close that opened portal, the rather bumbling occultists L. Ron Hubbard and Jack Parsons (the founders of Scientology and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, respectively) perhaps accidentally reopened it by the introduction of their own magickal endeavors, called the Babylon Working (much to Crowley's disgust.)

That the Babylon Working took place in 1946-just one year before the modern UFO era would be ushered in with Kenneth Grant's famous saucer sightings, and the Roswell announcement adds to its idea of opened portals and alien entities.

Nothing may be so poignant in this association though, as the LAM portrait drawn by Crowley in 1918, and given by him to Kenneth Grant, head of Ordo Templis Orientis organization in 1945, after an astral working, and just two years before Crowley's death. Grant has made statements concerning the importance of the LAM entity, whom he describes as a class of entity rather than a single persona. The portrait is to be used as a meditative device by OTO adherents, and is said to represent the dwarf-self, and the inner god.

Indeed, there has even been a formal "inner cult" developed by the OTO, with precise directions regarding meditation rites and techniques, for the purpose of communicating with the LAM consciousness. This can clearly be seen to parallel ancient shamanic trance practices, in which similar communication with similarly described entities are the goal.

Clearly, the LAM image is seen by many to be important and sacred. It is often pointed out that there is a great similarity to the modern gray alien, but that LAM lacks the all important feature of the 'wraparound-eyes.' If only Crowley had included those big praying mantis eyes, there might be some obvious connection here, some undeniable mystery to be decoded.

I have seen the portrait of LAM perhaps 200 times, and always viewed it within this idea of it being a curiously similar gray prototype. However, I dedided to 'stare into its eyes' as suggested by the OTO document.

After a minute or so, another, more familiar image emerged--that of a full blown gray. Crowley has drawn the wraparound bug eyes, and they can be seen when LAM's 'real' beady, lower eyes are negated, either as imagined, or by holding a pinky or a pencil across them. Looking at the drawing then, there is a fully formed gray-like bug eye on the right, and a lesser formed eye on the left.

I don't believe these light colored areas should or can be casually dismissed. Kenneth Grant himself notes that the white area on LAM's forehead is a "well developed Anja chakra." The other areas would seem to be of importance too. Viewing the portrait in this way, the face retains almost the exact same proportions of Strieber's gray that caused so much commotion on the Communion cover. Could Crowley have either consciously or unconsciously, visually, kind of subliminally, encoded the portrait so it becomes implanted in our collective visual record more subtly, only to make such an impact 80 years later, when its fullness is revealed?

That the gray alien has become a ubiquitous cultural icon may be no small matter. However easy it is to dismiss its presence as random, whimsical folly is a mistake. Yes, we turn on the television, and within ten minutes, can probably hope to view a local car commercial in which a wacky little alien swerves around in a flying saucer above SUVs and trucks, or walk into a dollar store and find gimmicky gray alien ID cards and alien bodies hanging from key chains.

But, the mass appropriation by mainstream culture of this gray icon may lend some credibility to what Graham Hancock asserts in Supernatural, Kenneth Grant, and innumerable theorists, writers, and ufologists assert-that, for better or for worse, this being is somehow deeply connected to us, intertwined with our existence, and may hold clues to our enlightenment and evolution as a species.

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