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Correspondence from Charles Stansfeld Jones to Aleister Crowley
P.O. Box 70. Vancouver. B.C.
Sun in Leo An XII. Jly 26th 1916 E.V.
Care Frater,
Do what thou wilt is the whole of the Law.
I am almost overwhelmed by the idea of answering all your questions; your letters raise such a large number of points of interest, and in order to deal with them fully I shall have to go very much into detail.
I have an idea that you may intend to come here in the near future, but in any case it will do no harm to try and get down as much as possible in writing, although it would be easier to explain in words.
Yours Sun in Cancer Luna in Pisces. I will go into the question of the 'Message' later in this letter.
When I said 'possibly' it was my own doubt on the matter.
Yes, the Sacred Books are clearer.
I answered Alech Chekie's letter last night.
Yours of same date. re mine July 11.
Am glad you think Lodge scheme feasible and good. We will do our best.
Hope we shall be prepared when the Lord cometh. Sooner the better, as Bacon probably thought before he came.
Have got a fair portion of your letters copies, as requested.
Yours Sun in Cancer. Luna in Aries. re my notes.
Feb 6th 1907. Had never told you this. The intention to stick to the deal and play fair so as to transmute the whole character of the lady was at first more or less unconscious and later became a conscious motive. It has remained unshaken by any other experience so far. It looks like part of a formula. Notice, no suggestion from you or anyone else has ever been able to turn me from it, and in every instance that I have thought it best to change it, something has stopped me from so doing.
Oct 12th H.G.H. should read H.G.A. likewise June 22nd (my carelessness)
May 28th. R. [Rubina Stansfeld Jones] did present me to K. [Katherine Talbot] She should I suppose present K to me. K is away just now. Whole thing very complicated. Will explain later.
June 19th. In bed in early morning. Mind quite lucid working automatically at problem. Sudden solution flashed upon me together with the words. N.B. Rather similar to the time when I got glimmer of IX° and came and told you in the morning. Force sufficient to make me get straight up and cross to City by first boat to wire you.
June 21. Smith [Wilfred Talbot Smith] in a way had almost been a Judas. He pitted his personal will up against a blank, at one time, and pretty well lost it. I explained later and he began to love me for it. He changed a good deal after that. The morning after I had claimed M.T. [Magister Templi] he came round and gave me all the money he had. (I returned it later) so on that night, knowing I was about all in, and had had an awful pain in heart all day, I think he had an idea it might be his last chance to say goodbye. Ruby had been instructed to record lines very exactly when I called meeting re M.T., she had rather failed in this. She tells me on the night of list a sudden idea came to her to go to my room and find out the time. This she did. I had an awful pang in heart, then was wide awake and kissed her. I am not sure she did not supply a certain part of her life to pull me through. Some time after she was so badly obsessed that I came to conclusion she had been taken possession of by Black Brothers. The solution that then came to me was that her life had passed over to me (Jly 9) and working on that supposition I let it flow back to her, since when she has not only got better, but is very much changed. Sol and Luna. represents an idea which came to me that the Two lives should be in the male and woman only receive the ray in order to make a perfect union.
July 11. On the morning of this day I went out with K. for a walk. Before going R. first told me that she gave me to K. freely and afterwards said she gave me in the same way to the world. My idea was that any one should take me who wanted my physically or in any other capacity, providing they returned what I gave when they no longer wanted it. This of course put me right for IX˚ providing a child was not required. When R. did this I felt Freedom for the first time. K. as a matter of fact wanted a man pretty badly I think, as most girls of her age do. She would make an ideal physical partner. I offered myself to her in any capacity, and then found while I was waiting for her answer that I registered all her feelings and emotions in my own person. She ran through the whole gamut from purely physical to the highest and chose to renew (N.B. will explain 'renew' elsewhere her relationship with me as Master and Pupil. I accepted this, and soon after realized that the tie was such that I should be bound to her as such more than to anyone else until she too had attained. Wishing to find out if she would release me from this voluntarily, I asked if she would give me to anyone else on the same terms I had suffered myself to her. She at first said no, and afterwards Yes. She evidently, however did not really release me till about 9-10 a.m. when I was on the dock waiting for tickets for boat and suddenly realized I was again Free. I at the same time realized that while anyone else sought a ticket, I must wait. Smith however was with me and seemed to catch the idea for he offered to get tickets for me, and having a personal will, butted in, and saved a great deal of time, and R. and baby from waiting about.
June 21. Sometime soon I must really try to go into all the details and record them. I seemed to be taking on new elements of all kinds to form the necessary kind of body to go on with. All this came quite naturally. For instance in case of fire ordeal, I had had a wart on right hand in back where thumb and forefinger converge just about the place where joint would come in a pair of compasses) The idea came. Have you mastered the fire! If so you may as well burn that out with your cigarette end and find out for certain. I did so and found I could feel it, but bear it easily. I went to R. and said, look at this. I was interested to convince her that I should take no harm from event that had caused burning away. Having convinced myself that I had a fear of my lungs, I was led in my wanderings to a man who had forgotten to flag a passing boat. I found he had important mail entrusted to him by others. I simply took mail from him and told him I would deliver it on boat at next stop. Realizing this was Air test decided to ‘bust’ lungs if they could be ‘bust.’ Ran inland to next pier and delivered letters. Earned great name in the district as a sprinter, etc. And so it went on, all the time.
June 14. City of Sun, only means Minerval text we were using. But it had become more than that to me, as it is written The Pyramid is a temple of Initiation and it is also a Tomb.
Other questions on this period had better be left till I get down to a full account, and the circumstances leading up to the whole thing. Other records etc.
June 29, 11-30. New meaning, dealt with in part in a recent letter.
You may be quite correct in saying that all may be part of 8=3, but the taking of 1=10, in order to be able to guard the entrance if necessary, the folding up of the Tree, the realization of K in N and N in K. and much later the Words of Liber 66 taking on new meaning with One mounteth unto the Crown by the moon and by the Sun and by the arrow etc. viz downwards, then that Motto was apparently fulfilled, then that spelt correctly it was 777 etc. are all mysteries that only time will clear up.
About communications from beyond the Abyss. It is strange you always mention the points that have recently been much in mind. As a matter of fact in 1909 I did get a certain amount of writing purporting to be of that nature. Only last night I was reading it through in an old record. It never got to Fuller [J.F.C. Fuller], or anyone else, because Fuller never had my early records (except a special one of retirement, in which he accused me of copying J St J [John St John], when in reality there were some remarkable co-incidences). However, as in your own case, I thought the writing to be rather too wild and high flown (and of course I was not a literary genius, and therefore a poorer medium) yet, on looking it over it may have some interest. I will copy it out just as it stands and send it on for inspection.
I will write to Fuller. Do you want any details of his correspondence with me. I have been much influenced by his early training in some ways.
I will do what I can to write a 10,000 word record, must wait a bit till I get all details clear and in proper order.
I will indeed be careful re IX° and 0 teachings. You don't know what a devil of a business the R.C. affair is yet. A is living with B and is in love with her daughter C. D is also in love with C, but married to E. E loves D, but is also somewhat attracted to F. F loves E. and is married to G. G is a loose end but has recently joined Lodge. H, if anything, has a sneaking regard for G. etc. When they read the Book of the Law they feel that a change would be a good thing, on the other hand certain pledges they have all given hold each back so that something tells them they have got to stick to their original contracts with their physical partners, because not having the key to the situation they cannot find an excuse for doing anything else. I on the other hand being a kind of guide post, have to lie mum and do nothink till I can find a way to arrange my own affairs without giving the game away. I don't know if you can get this, but it's the very devil.
I am afraid, however necessary, I shall have to let Robe & Rings etc wait till the Gods disclose the financial source that shall provide for our daily needs.
Your next letter.
I don't quite know where I fit in. There would seem a possibility that I may turn out to be your 'child' that depends on whether I eventually explain certain mysteries in Liber CCXX.
I cannot say I am defective (unless my train has gone) there is however a very slight and peculiar thing that seems unusual but apparently makes no difference. I will tell you of it when I see you.
I should think your explanation of the other two women was all right, if pairs count as one, and that chiefly the male.
Re Law of Thelema. What do you think of that Comment? It seems to me, simple and if in essence correct, useful. For instance it gives the one who receives a copy, a chance to look after himself, and to start NOW, free and for nothing. If he is too lazy, he must pay the O.T.O. to look after him, and take Degrees in ordinary way. But we have done all we can for him, and can turn him over to the Officers of Blue Lodge to deal with. Again, in interesting cases, they can be set to study their minds, formulate aspiration, and reduce it to say six words, the equivalent of Motto in A∴A∴ He registers it with the one in charge of section, and a Right Relationship is established right away viz. if he is in difficulty, or asks a question, one treats him according to his specified aspiration. While dealing with any particular person, one takes their motto and vibrates accordingly. Once a man had got a Central Idea fixed in his mind he is more or less independent from that moment onwards, and he that has worked on it for a bit, should soon be in a position to take charge of a new group, and so on. I think it will work.
Re. IX Experiments and Records. Please be patient a little longer, I am not holding back for fun but because things do not seem to have quite shaped themselves yet. For one thing I had already formulated the idea of taking what God provides and I find it confirmed in M.S.S. but spoken of as dangerous. I don't want to make a mess of things, but once having taken on limitations I may find the highest method is useless. I want to study the M.S.S. very carefully anyway, but since this came naturally to me, it may well be the best kind of experiment to make. Again I went to see if in the natural course of events R gives me K. and how all that complication turns out. I feel sure I could get good results with K. but don't want to make a mistake and force events by being in too much hurry.
You plan to give people Samadhi is most excellent. I have been thinking of various schemes. One should really be able to make a man attain very quickly if one wants to good a great deal of good in a short time. As far as I can see Everyone who Attains in the Aeon will remain as a God on earth, viz this is the Positive side, whereas the Old Aeon methods caused man to become absorbed in God; the Negative. Men gave up their Wills to God—God gives back His Will to Man. Now take that case when I ran through the gamut of K's feelings, supposing when she had reached the highest, her consciousness could have been fixed in that state, she would have probably have about done the trick. However I have been thinking since that if my Comment is right, a man may attain by finding his true purpose and doing it. In which case, one might perhaps attain by realizing he was cut out for a Baker, or Butcher. This would help a lot, and I have no doubt is the Taoist idea.
I will bear in mind what you say re Mottos and numbers.
On 8º=3o I will take "AchadAym"
I will remember your words re holding Lodge together. Since these few had made up their minds to hold together at all costs when times were darkest, it may be they will continue to do so now the light has come through a little bit. Let us hope so, anyway.
I think that is enough for to-night. I will go through your letters again and gradually get all the things answered more fully.
Love is the Law, Love under Will.
Fraternally,
VIO OIV A∴A∴ 8º=3o
P.S. Many thanks for M.S.S.
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