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Correspondence from Aleister Crowley to Frank Bennett
N.H.
An XII
[Written between 26-28 August 1916]
Very Illustrious and very dear Brother,
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
I have your letter of Aug. 11. I did not know about the letter which the Grand Secretary sent to you. It does not matter in any case, as I have to found a branch in the South of these states during this winter. I might be able to come over next summer; so please keep the matter in mind.
I note that you have very few members at present. In view of the social and political unrest at present in the world, the letter upon the advantages of the Order and Open letter to Professor W. S. B.[1] should be of great help to you. You should distribute these as widely as possible and hold meetings at which they are read and discussion invited. The O.T.O. should be put forward as a complete solution of the social problem not merely as an occult society. That is as far as the general public are concerned; keep the occult side of it for people who are interested in the subject.
You say you have not received a charter. Do not worry about parchments; you have our authority to work, and that is sufficient. As We are likely to be in this country for some time, it will be more convenient, owing to geographical considerations if you make all official communications directly to Us instead of through V.H.V.I.V.I. Brother Sir James Windram. It will be well for you to put this matter on a regular footing and at once. Will you therefore kindly send me a full report of what you have done so far, giving the names and addresses of all your members, with their grades, and a balance sheet showing what moneys have been received and what remitted to Grand Treasurer General. In doing this you should put everything in order to date, sending him a check if necessary to balance. It must be clearly understood that no laxity will be permitted in regard to fees and subscriptions. If this is allowed the Order cannot fulfill its Obligations towards its members, and the whole movement becomes farcical. Having got things in order it will be easy to keep them in order. You should therefore send us a report every month of what has been done during that month, and if nothing has been done you should say so and state the reason. I do not know what arrangement you made with South Africa in the matter of the disposal of the receipts. In order to simplify the matter, however, a universal rule will be made and maintained that half of everything should go to the central organization, which can then dispose of its funds in a satisfactory manner. It often occurs that funds are needed for starting new lodges and in such a case an application should be made for a grant to the Grand Treasurer General. Similarly, with regard to the literature, everything must be done through the committee of publications of which the Grand Treasurer General is in charge.
It should very clearly be understood that the most entire devotion is expected from every on exalted to such a degree as the seventh. This being so, we expect to hear of great results from every quarter where these grades are held, even if they are only honorary grades.
Please continue to address me to c/o Thomas Cook & Son, as I may be moving about, and it is easy for me to advise them of my changes of address. It ought to be possible for us to have a reply to this letter in six or seven weeks. Where distances are so great the utmost diligence should be employed in answering correspondence.
Love is the law, love under will.
Fraternally in the Bonds of the Order.
[Elevenfold Cross] Baphomet X° O.T.O.
1—The open letter was probably that later published as “Liber CLXI, O.T.O., Concerning the Law of Thelema” in The Equinox, Vol III, No. 1, Detroit; Universal Publishing Company, 1919, pp. 227-238. Although this was subtitled “An Epistle Written to Professor L- B- K-“ [this should have read L- M- K- as the initials are meant to represent those of Lindley Miller Keasbey] it is possible that in the version first circulated by Crowley he substituted the initials “W,S.B.” to shield the Professor’s identity (Keasbey already having attracted censure on account of his anti-war sentiments.)
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