As I'm passionate about art and fashion, I love this photo spread. However, I have to admit I don't see great deal of coherence between the symbolism in the photos and Crowley's work. The captions discuss and quote the Book of the Law, but the title of the series is "The Golden Dawn of Aleister Crowley." Crowley was no longer involved in the branches that were left of the Golden Dawn at the time he (and his wife) received the Book of the Law. Further, the props in the photos seem to be stock items generally associated with the occult rather than being specifically Crowley-ite.
I don't know that there was any serious magical (or magickal) intention on the part of the photographer and designers. Rather, the Crowley theme seems to be primarily a creative and aesthetic choice.

I'm not complaining, though! :)

On Fri, Dec 17, 2010 at 11:17 AM, Pitch <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Aloha,

On 12/15/2010 6:35 PM, Caroline Tully wrote:

Gosh, this is arty….

http://www.la2day.com/the_golden_dawn_of_aleister_crowley_page_2

I think it’s a fashion shoot… Not being fashionable myself, it’s kinda hard to tell.

A few comments:

1.) The Intrawebs give us global reach for information--I found myself
kinda surprised that I got a nudge to The LA2Day ( me, here in West
Coastia, North America) from a Melbournian.

2.) Things are going on in and behind the scenes of these photos that
not clear from looking at them and reading the credits. I get a feeling
that there is an ongoing group or event runner in LA producing shoots
like this with some sort of underlying magical intention. Maybe to heighten
the magical charge associated with a fashion style/scene already somewhat
associated with fashion and the entertainment biz.

[The academic sort of question, I suppose, is: Are any folks looking at
the fashion-magic interface?]

3.) I do not get any draw toward magic in general or Crowley's approach
to magic in particular from these photos. But, after I looked at them twice,
I realized that I had already seen a few of them posted on other sexy/
fashion web sites. Without a hint of their magic-themed origins.

What I'm scratching my head about is just how much such photos
would or could draw anybody toward magic or Crowley? Especially
after they had been uprooted from any context and posted as single
images in Intraweb isolation or in a scrapbook context?

Now, I will add that I have found individual fashion photos presented
on the Intrawebs powerfully resonant with magical themes and energies
and my own experience. But they would not have been if I had not
already developed an integrated magical world view.

Lastly, I gotta say that my first take on your post's title, Caroline, was
that you were making some kind of clever play on Crowley's name--
"Arty Crowley!"

Musing Kowabunga! I Do Love To Surf! Rose,

Pitch