|
THE DAILY RECORD AND MAIL Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland 12 April 1934 (page 7)
ARM CUT WHEN BANNED WORD USED
STORY OF LIFE AT “ABBEY OF THELEMA”
Author Approves It For Control Of Actions
INVOKED FORCES STORY
An occasion when he “invoked the forces” and some people were “attacked by unseen assailants,” was referred to by Mr. Aleister Crowley, the author, when further cross-examined at the resumed hearing yesterday of the High Court action for alleged libel he has brought against Miss Nina Hamnett, authoress of a book entitled “Laughing Torso.”
Other defendants were Constable & Company, Limited, publishers, and Charles Whittingham & Briggs, printers. The defence is a plea of justification.
Mr. Crowley alleges that passages in “Laughing Torso” impute that he practiced black magic, and he says that this is a libel on him.
Mr. Malcolm Hilbery, K.C., in cross-examination, referred to a book entitled “Clouds Without Water.” Having read a poem from the book, he asked: “Is that not filth?”
Mr. Crowley—You read it as if it were magnificent poetry. I congratulate you.
Is the meaning of it filth?—In my opinion it is of no importance in this matter. You have read a sonnet out of its context, as you do everything.
Mr. Hilbery next quoted from a volume entitled “The Winged Beetle.”
And asked: “Would it be true to say that that book, like these others, contains disgusting words?”
“It all depends upon your views,” was the reply.
POEM QUOTED Temple Which Was A Lobby
Mr. Hilbery, after quoting from another poem, asked: “On any basis, literary or otherwise, is that anything but disgusting and infamous?”
Mr. Crowley—It means, If I may say so, that even the vilest of women can, through the influence of love, become a refining and inspiring influence in a man’s life.”
Questioned about a newspaper article, Mr. Crowley admitted that he wrote—“I have been shot at with broad arrows. They had called me ‘the worst man in the world.’ ”
NEVER TOOK ACTION
Did you say “Horatio Bottomley branded me as a dirty degenerate cannibal?”—Yes.
Mr. Hilbery—You never took any action against the people who wrote and published these things about you?—No.
Did you have a flat in your early days in Chancery Lane?—Yes.
Did you have two temples in that flat?—Yes, but one wasn’t really a temple. It was just a lobby which was not used.
You said—“I constructed a temple in the flat. It was a hall of mirrors, the function of which was to concentrate the invoked forces”?—Yes.
Mr. Crowley agreed that in the article he referred to an occasion when he invoked the forces, with the result that some people there were attacked by unseen assailants.
MADE BLUNDERS
Mr. Hilbery—Was that the result of the spirits which your magic had brought to the place?—That is the theory of certain people.
“I had not the experience to control the forces then,” added Mr. Crowley. “I was trying to learn how to do something and made a lot of blunders, as beginners always do.”
Mr. Crowley agreed that in his “confessions” [The Confessions of Aleister Crowley] he had said that once in Mexico he walked in the street in a scarlet robe and with a jeweled crown without anyone seeing him.
Mr. Hilbery—Was that because of your magic?—Yes.
Mr. Hilbery—As a part of your magic you do believe in a practice of bloody sacrifice, do you?—I believe in its efficacy.
You say (in his book on magic)—“For nearly all purposes human sacrifice is best?”—Yes, it is.
Mr. Justice Swift—Do you say that you don’t approve it?—Yes.
Referring to the villa at Cefalu, Mr. Hilbery asked whether there was an altar there.
Mr. Crowley—There was a sort of square box in which were kept things, and there was a cupboard in which were kept things.
Was it an altar for the purpose of the ceremonies?—If you like, yes.
DRUGS KEPT A Dagger And A Sword
Did it have on it a book which purported to contain the laws?—I expect so, yes. There were candles upon it which were used for ceremonial purposes and incense was used at the ceremonies. There were no knives, magically speaking, but there was a dagger and a sword.
He wore an appropriate robe at the ceremony, and in some of the ceremonies was endeavouring to get concentrated spiritual ecstasy.
Mr. Hilbery—Did you keep hasheesh and other drugs at Cefalu?—There was no hasheesh.
He kept opium and strychnine.
Did you advise that drugs should be employed for the purpose of increasing or helping the spiritual ecstasy?—No, nothing would be more inappropriate at the ceremony.
Are you skilled to administer hasheesh?—Yes, I can get the desired results in ten minutes.
I suggest that hasheesh was used for the inmates of your villa?—It was not.
ONE OF THE RULES
I suggest that one of the rules you enjoined at the Abbey [Abbey of Thelema] was that nobody should use the word “I” except yourself as master?—It is not true at all.
With your approval an inmate had a razor or knife with which to cut himself if he stumbled into using a forbidden word whatever it was?—They were not gashes but minute cuts. You can see marks of them on my own arm. This is a general practice by which any man may learn to control his actions and thoughts.
Mr. Hilbery—Have you been called “The thoroughly exposed and pernicious Aleister Crowley”?—I don’t think I know that one.
“MAN OR BEAST” Judge Questions Author
Mr. Hilbery referred to articles in which Mr. Crowley was described as “The King of Depravity,” “The Wickedest Man in the World,” “The Man We Would like to Hang,” “Another Traitor Trounced,” and “The Notorious Aleister Crowley.”
Mr. Justice Swift—It is said of you “It is hard to say whether he is man or beast.”
Mr. Crowley—It was said of Shelley that he was sent from hell.
Mr. Justice Swift—I am not trying Shelley. I am only trying your case. When that was said in the public press did you take any steps to clear your character?—I was 1,500 miles away. I was ill and I was penniless.
I didn’t ask you about the state of your health. Did you take any steps to clear your character?—I wrote to my solicitors and then it was impossible.
The answer is that you took no steps to clear your character?—Yes.
SEES VISIONS
Mr. Crowley explained that he did not take any action with reference to the earlier articles because he was advised that his action would last 14 days and that he would have to find £10,000 to fight it.
Cross-examining on behalf of Miss Hamnett, Mr. Martin O’Connor suggested to Mr. Crowley that he was a “man who sees visions.”
Mr. Crowley agreed.
Mr. O’Connor—You are a “master magician”?—Yes, go on.
“And a person with supernatural powers? Suggested counsel.
“No,” replied Mr. Crowley, with some heat.
How have you been living?—Virtuously.
The hearing was adjourned until to-day. |