That Led Zepplin Devil Worship Discussion

(I named the thread like that in honor of 'That 70's Show'
- same time frame for Led Zepplin)

There is an urban legend about Led Zepplin.
Well … supposedly an urban legend.

Allegedly Jimmy Page of Led Zepplin is a devout devil worshipper. He was obsessed with Edward Alexander “Aleister” Crowley, going so far as to purchase Crowley’s home and some of his clothing. Included in that clothing was one of Crowleys long black robes in which Page would walk around the Crowley/Page home in.

Many claim that the reverse speech of Stairway to Heaven reveals the Satanism. Many also claim that the forward speech of Stairway to Heaven reveals Satanism and that the ‘lady’ is the consort of the devil.

Crowley taught this saying – “Do what thou wilt shalt be the whole of the law.” Jimmy Page had inscribed in the vinyl on the third Zeppelin Album “Do what thou wilt. So mete it Be.”

During Led Zepplin concerts, Page would do Crowleys Devil Worship rituals without the crowd knowning.

Anyways – I present to you the reverse speech Stairway to Heaven.
I LOVE THIS STUFF. I don’t believe it means anything.
But it’s still creepy fun to look into.

You Tube of Reverse Stairway to Heaven

Stairway to Heaven reverse speech

More music reverse speech
(some cuss words)

Jimmy Page was only one member of the band. However, the other members must have been aware of what he was doing in regards to what he was doing with the music and albums as well as what he was doing on stage.

So was Jimmy Page a devil worshipper?
Was Led Zepplin a band of co-horts?
Was it all just 70's style anti-establishment fun?
Was it serious or just a big joke?

Does it matter if we are all singing along to songs, and having school proms named after the songs, when the songs are songs that are demonic?

Does it matter?

Good thread.

I am a big Ledhead, I've had them in my sig and avatar before. Love the music but I will admit that that of all the devil-worship rumors, this probably has the most credance.

The "Crowley/Page" house you refer to is called Boleskein House and is on the border of the Loch Ness if I remember correctly.

He also named his eldest daughter Scarlett which I beleive is also a Crowly reference, though I don't know to what.

I do not think that ZOSO has much to do with it though. I beleive that it is actually an astrological reference that works like this:

Page's sign was Capricorn. (Jan. 9).
The metal associated with that sign is... wait for it... lead!
Long ago, in some alchemical texts, this was represented by a sign relatively close to the ZOSO symbol.
Some people also think it is a representation of the Capricorn symbol.

From what I have read they were all pretty heavily involved in the occult, especially Page and Plant. Many attribute Bonham's freakish death on a curse of sorts.

Jimmy Page does in fact own and actually lives in an old castle estate that was once owned by Mr. Crowley. Their music, album covers, lyrics all delve deeply into the occult.

And I have always heard the legend that Stairway played in reverse said something to the effect of "My sweet Satan".

If any band ever did sell their souls to the dark side in exchange for musical talent it would have been these guys. No band before or since can even come close to their skill level as a group...IMO of course

It might be hard to prove truth or debunk this. Given the fact that unless he has admitted to it, it's all hear say.

I had heard something similar but I chalked it up to a rampant ramblings of an older (I was fifteen at the time) person who hated rock and roll.

I will be interested in seeing what knowledge comes to light here!

Also this

part of the band's imagery is remarkably similar to this,
which is supposed to be a picture of Satan on the way down from heaven.

But some argue that it's Icarus.

And check out this page for more info on the ZOSO symbol.

I have provided a link in the opening post that has the entire 'Stairway to Heaven' in reverse. And yes - it's there. You can listen if you like. WARNING - it's really creepy in reverse!

Here is a picture of the house in question:

Wow have not thought about this in years.Iam huge led zep fan.I say yes it was ment to be played backwards and hear things what a great promotion to sell even more records.

Find a Grave

Aleister Crowley's on line obituary. It includes Jimmy Page information as well as information on other musicians of that era being devotees.

I'm not too surprised. To me (or the new me that sees the real 'reality') a person or group who worships the devil, satan, lucifer, etc., is simply thanking that entity for coming to the aid of our civilization. Sure Eden would have been a nice place to hang out, but there was no catalyst to get us off our comfortable arses in order to evolve our souls.

Here's a picture of his two most famous stage outfits, some people say dragons = satan worship:





MAN he used to be a nice pop tart! But now he looks like Michio Kaku's lost brother!

I have always liked this urban legend/coincidence/real satanic connection.
The bit about the little tool shed where we suffered....Gives me the creeps

YouTube Link

Edit to add.

Another short video on the subject with more reversals!

HERE

[edit on 16/12/08 by blupblup]

Really looking at seeing what pops up here. Our parents were told Elvis was Satan. Buddy Holley too. We got it with Zepp, Black Sabbath, etc. This sounds different though. Good thread.

Some people also say dragons = chinese symbology.

But from what I have been reading, Zepplin and Page himself
were not into the oriental imagery.

I could be wrong - but that's what I've read so far.

I think that that they at least knew their occult stuff very well. And by "they" I mean 95% Pag ehere.

I do not necesarily think that means selling their souls to the devil, though.

If you look into the history of the band it was almost completely Page's pet project after the breakup of the Yardbirds. It was in fact called "The New Yardbirds" until Keith Moon of The Who joked that the new band was "going to go down like a lead balloon." or summat.

In addition to being helluva talented to Page's credit he was also a perfectionist and very determined to see his projects through, and thanks to his previous musical experience he had understanding of how to market a band, as well as the connections to see LZ really well marketed.

Despite a lot of drug use he has always struck me as a smart guy, and well-versed in occult topics. I wouldn't doubt for a second that he beleived the things that he alluded to but I think he would be smart enough not to sell his soul to the devil... but smart enough also to know that it would help to sell records if people beleived that he did.

In Led Zeppelin fandom circles there is a rumor that Page is 1/4 Chinese that just will not die. So that might count as "into oriental imagery."

Keep in mind that a lot of this stuff is not necessarily "evil" but more of a rebellion against forced or narrow-minded religious upbringing.

If a kid is constantly told "You're going to hell if you dont follow our rules", chances are he's going to dabble in stuff like this or even create provocative stuff like backward-masking of songs and be a Crowley follower.

Crowley himself was an occultist...which does not equal satanist. An occultist is someone who studies hermetic arts such as meditation and yoga. The whole "satan" hype was a smokescreen of his to ward off the uninitiated. He couldnt care less about worshipping anyone...much less satan.

The real evil-doers are found much deeper underground...in child prostitution, organized crime, etc....not in a rebellious rock band, imo.

That was one of the 'questions' I had in my opening post.
That perhaps it was rebellion of the time.

Considering that Jimmy Page spent all that money on Crowley's house near Lock Ness - and that Page has one of the largest Crowley collections in the world - that would be a pretty intense 'rebellion'.


For those interested - Jimmy Page went on to The Black Crowes.
HERE is a You Tube of him on stage with the Black Crowes.

Black Crowes - part of wiccan symbology?

reply to post by Skyfloating

---

That is very true and should be kept in mind. Crowley did come off as arrogant to me, which I always find to be a put-off.

reply to post by FlyersFan

---

Let's keep this straight:

Satanism/=Crowleyana/=Wicca