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Correspondence from Aleister Crowley to Charles Stansfeld Jones
An XII
[17 July 1916]
Care Frater,
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
I have just posted a long letter to you, but am constrained to write again. I have been making considerations of Aeons. It seems to me that the new set of Adepts must fit into places. E.g. Mohammed 9º=2o (on whom be Peace) did the getting of the main theses—I have Allahualazilaillahail Hua—and the Qu'ran; also a bit of the commander-in-chief part when the fighting came, and the general direction of affairs; But Omar and Abu Bekr had their own parts, and very important parts too. Now I, having my own limitations, always conceive people's Paths to be like mine, which of course they are not. The real question is: where do you fit in?
I was told once that I should have 4 men with me all in some way defective; e.g. Cowie [George MacNie Cowie], deaf; Windram [James Windram], infantile palsy; Neuburg [Victor B. Neuburg], [illegible]*; and ______ is there anything wrong with you by any chance? Also 4 women, one from each of the continents beginning with A; as Soror Άγαθα from Australia, Soror Ίλαριον from America**—there it stops at present. I seem to remember this prophecy as got by Fra L.[ampada] T.[radam] [Victor B. Neuburg] in some illumination or other. No: I've looked it up; it's in the "Paris working" of Jan 1914 E.V. with L.T. Hermes gave it direct to me, though.
Observe: the business before the meeting is this: How shall we put into affect the Law of Thelema. We have The Law all ready; I don't see that we need any more knowledge; but we need very badly the power to administer it. I think I've been making a fool of myself, thinking and talking and writing. What I need is efficiency in promulgation. Of course the War is our great chance; when the Revolutions follow it we must be on top. So we have to see to the preservation of the Occult Wisdom—that's out general duty; but our special work is evidently to get that Law started properly. I'm under fearful curses whether I break it or not; but I prefer the penny plain curse of being misunderstood to that Sevenfold Woe if I won't do it! So what is needed is a reliable Thaumaturge. I really do not know how to do miracles properly; I keep on quite successfully—in appearance—and nothing is really accomplished. Things depending on oneself, yes; on others with whom one is in touch, yes; on externals, it begins to be tricky. I believe it's a mere knack; sometimes it works quite well, even for material things. I can't make out how far the partner is important; I can't make out whether one has to do a whole series of operations to one end when that end is a big one. But I think that we ought to be very 'keen'; and I believe long series do work well. Now you have any amount of the real magical force—I spotted that at once. Your recent experiences confirm me; you evidently improved your atmosphere on quite a crowd. Therefore I say unto thee: Up guards and at 'em!
I enclose blank form for record of experiments. They must be written intelligible so that they can be collated by VH VI VI Sir J.T. Windram [James Windram] Mecurius Hon X° S. Africa later. (He's a great man at statistics.)
XXVII Jan 26, 1915 E.V. 9.15 P.M. Fig of leaves for time erected here with comments Weather—Fine. Cold, near 0°C. Light—Gas stove only.
Lola Auguste Oliviera:
Widow. Muscular masculine type. I think
Object—"The mantle of David and Solomon" i.e. power to write Phallic praise equal in literary value to the Psalms and Canticles. Operation. This was well and duly done: lightly orgiastic at the final moment, yet the Object held in a bulldog grip. Elixir. This was admirably formed; though not in great quantity, it was ample and satisfying. Result. Began Psalms on returning here and wrote 3. Woke up at 5.30 and wrote some more. 5.30 P.M. at it again. Wrote about 16; then current seemed to stop.
Please follow this scheme exactly, so as to make it easy for later editing.
Please be scientific: try definite things. Note conditions and observe. If you fail, change till you get it right. You ought to work at least 3 or 4 times a week; but it depends on the partner of course. You should begin by intensifying your magnetism and ϕ-force; let there be madness;*** then things go well.
(And oh! do supply me with secretaries and such; I've got such a lot of putting things in order to do to get Eq[uino]x III in shape! And I've no partner white, black, pink, yellow, green, or spot blue in this damned hole!)
You see, it is up to us to conquer Nature. That is the whole aim of Science, to bring Nature under the domain of Man. We have in this IX° evidently a supreme means, but it won't always work, just as motors wouldn't 20 years ago. It's clear that in ancient times the method worked as telegraphy does to-day. I think I have gone a little way along the road to the realization of this method—the O.H.O. is very vague and unsatisfactory about it, but he may be keeping something back—but I am still far from the Happy Ones. My idea has always been to make it possible for man to get Samahdi or to make gold and medicine etc just as he can now get drunk and make soup. It must be possible. Everything physical has a physical cause; it is only a question of finding out what that cause is. Samahdi is a state of mind like dreaming is; and if we can produce dreams by lobster and welsh rarebit followed by a hard bed, as we can, we must be able to do the trick for Samadhi in some similar way. So also with miracles. I can bring off my miracle in most cases, perhaps; certainly in many; but not in all. And there's always an element of fluke in success: "no one more surprised than the striker!" I can't explain to you exactly how I do it, even though I may be able to teach you to do it.
Now this is an offense to man, and it showeth in the nostrils of the Most High.
Don't let yourself be sidetracked from this great scientific and humanitarian side of your work by any thoughts of Spiritual Progress and the like.
Besides, we may be needed one day to save the remnants of civilization, or some such feat of arms. We M.U.S.T. must know H.O.W. how to do it.
Your 8º=3o motto can not be identical with any former one. Wrong symbolically, and practically against the rules. Also I think you have no business whatever with any of my private numbers such as 418 and 666. II of course you must have, as CCXX says. But for your 7º=4o you should work out your own Qabalah. All your significant numbers should be personal to you. At least, this is my personal view of it: and I don't see how you are to get Qabalistic proof of your own progress on my old work.
I want to call your attention to the disintegrating force which attracts one whenever one has got a body of people together for enough advanced to do something in concert. After the ordeals in 1900, we were left four capable people. Six months later A was in London B was in Ceylon C in China D in Mexico. Again, take the crowd at 124. Vhere vos dot party now?
You—Vancouver Windram—S. Africa Neuburg—Nobody knows where Davies—Upper Burma Ward—Lower Burma Fuller [J.F.C. Fuller]—Salonica Raffalovich [George Raffalovich]—New York Truman—Brazil Cowie—Scotland Sisman—?Cuba Sanderson—?
and so on. It is a to be foreseen and guarded against. I noted you losing your W.M. directly he seemed going to be useful. Now look after your five, or your pod will burst prematurely and the pollen be blown from diverse story places.
Enough now of this intolerably big letter
Love is the Law, Love under Will
Fraternally
Θ
* With slight spinal curvature etc
** Would the wife of a man from India, though a Yorkshirewoman count as 'from Asia' and the widow of an Englishman serving in J.A. as 'from Africa'? If so, I think I know the four.
*** I think the degree of excitement is what does it. The pot must boil. And the counter-control of cause equal and opposite.
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in
in
rising.
(Horoscope of partner should be done if obtainable) Profile
of Dante. 37 years old. Astoundingly passionate.