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Correspondence from George MacNie Cowie to Aleister Crowley
14 Glenisla Gardens, Edinburgh.
[Undated: circa 1913?]
Care Frater.
You will no doubt be in London by now. My little ten days retirement duly came off and was successful as regards freedom from interruption and the utilisation to the full of the time. The net result of the ritual was that I did not get even the minor ecstasy that would have contented me, but that it did seem to have an important and far reaching effect, I did get the feeling that a link of some kind had been formulated with the unseen, I have been working since as I have not worked since that unlucky time when I broke the world's record for pranayama and got disgusted.
The balance of my holiday got very much broken up, but I thought this not bad as it protracted the period more. I got up to doing seven hours or more almost consecutive work a day, when free, and had long week-ends of it.
I am just beginning another today, have done 7 consecutive med[itation] with some breaks of asana, but mind not under such good control, the result of having been a few days away—not alone this time but in a place where I have friends—and of a whole series of incidents that keep coming into the mind. e.g. a friend I was fond of was killed by an accident (that ended in lock jaw) last weekend and so on—Also I had really a very pleasant few days (and got some work sandwiched in, mantra and mental invocation mostly) and the mind reverts to it today.
I want to write you again, after this week (it finished my holiday) and get your advice as to the way I am using the mental invocation. The effect of the ritual was very marked as regards concentration, for one thing, it seemed that it was only my limited powers of endurance that prevented a result—I went through it mentally each day, physically 3 times in the 10 days. Have not repeated it since as I got my body in a bad state, with repeating the cuts, and using holy oil too liberally. I actually burned myself all over with it, I have a sensitive skin—There is another matter I want your advice about, but this letter will do in the meantime. Also I am not sure about one point in the ritual which did not occur till I was working it. I formulate the pylons of the visions as being at the respective places of Hoor—Pep, Asi and Tahuti—the last being where I see the illusory self—There is no formula for Tahuti in my copy of your ritual, I can hardly think that I omitted copying it, but mention it in case I have made an error as I remember there were 4 'visions' in the actual ceremony I went through in January.
Perhaps I had better send you my illumination to look over? It's not so good as I could have made it, (i) I was so stupid as to think I'd only need to use it once, (ii) it was dog-faced demon enough as it was, as it could only be done by cutting short my time for other practices for many weeks.
I hope you are very well, have a good time and that things are going as well as they can be expected to in a contrary world.
Fraternally yours.
F[iat] P[ax].
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