“You can’t expel something, because it will always come back to you — you’ve seen those exorcisms, they’re a mess! You need to heal the part of you that drew that energy in, and then the entity will dissolve. It may take several lifetimes, but that’s the only way you can get rid of that stuff.”
The inside cover of Led Zeppelin IV depicts the Tarot card, "The Hermit," while the album sleeve came adorned with four symbols, each representing a member of the band.
What do a lonely Scottish manor at the edge of Loch Ness, a notorious occultist and ceremonial magician, and possibly the most influential rock band ever, have in common? Apparently, quite a bit. Jimmy Page has never been subtle about his fascination with the dark and mysterious, and though many Led Zeppelin fans believe that the band’s involvement with anything occult-related went only so far as being a stage show, there is likely to be more than meets the eye. Lance Gilbert, author of, “The Led Zeppelin Curse: Jimmy Page and the Haunted Boleskine House,” is here on West of The Rockies to enlighten us a little about the link between Led Zeppelin and the world of magick and rituals, through his thorough research, as well as personal experiences.
"The Led Zeppelin Curse: Jimmy Page and the Haunted Boleskine House" by Lance Gilbert, available on Kindle.
In 1970, Jimmy Page, guitarist and founding member of Led Zeppelin, purchased the isolated Boleskine House in Scotland (by the Loch Ness), a manor previously owned by the infamous occultist, Aleister Crowley. Page had become obsessed with all things Crowley, and had already begun purchasing various Crowley-related items – what first piqued his interest in this is unclear, and how deeply he believed in the power of magick and his involvement therein also remain uncertain; however, we do know that he had a fascination with this dark topic, and weaved these ideas into his music and the band’s image.
The life and practices of Crowley are not to be taken lightly – often referred to as “the wickedest man in the world,” he had dreams of becoming Satan’s second-in-command; believed in human sacrifice; routinely tried to conjure up demons and other spirits; was a self-proclaimed drug fiend (including the use of heroin and cocaine); and regularly practised sex magick rituals. Alas, it should come as no surprise that, even if just “for show,” the involvement of Led Zeppelin with these ideas is brought into question by so many.
“The vibrations of the music can play your body like an instrument […] we listen to music, but music plays us. Those vibrations connect with the unseen world, and they can either bring positive things in, depending on what kind of state it puts you in, or it can bring in negative things […]”
Boleskine House located on the south-east side of Loch Ness in Scotland. (circa 1912)
So, was it all a big marketing ploy? Did they really perform rituals on stage? Is there a difference between a “real” ritual and a “fake” one? What is the true power of music and performance? Where do we draw the line between acting and reality? Did Jimmy Page pull a Robert Johnson-style stunt and sell his soul to the devil in return for fame and success? Most importantly, though, how real is any of this so-called magick, if any of it? Can rituals, dark intentions, and made-up symbols truly have any effect on us and our reality?
These questions, and many more, were explored during our interview with Lance, and we honestly can’t wait to have him back on the show, since this topic leaves us with a lot more exploring and digging to do!
Enjoy the full interview here:
Grab a copy of "The Led Zeppelin Curse: Jimmy Page and the Haunted Boleskine House" on Kindle. To stay up-to-date with Lance, keep an eye out for lancegilbert.net, which will be up soon!
