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Correspondence from Charles Stansfeld Jones to Aleister Crowley
P.O. Box 70. Vancouver. B.C.
March 15th 1917 E.V.
Beloved Father,
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
I am in receipt of your letter of the 5th (re Bro. Phelps [Maurice Phelps]) and 9th last, with enclosure for transmission and Qabalah notes.
Your request has been carried out and I trust the papers will arrive safely. Bro. Cowie [George MacNie Cowie], from whom I also received a letter yesterday, speaks in veiled words of some kind of difficulty, which your letter explains.
I have told Bro. Phelps to revise his paper, and will let you have the result when complete. I B[lessed] B[rethren] should also have their transcriptions of L of L. ready in a day or so. I have also asked Bro. P.[helps] to report to me on conversations with some of his mates. We may find him quite useful. I have clearly explained to him the necessity of cleanliness while not actually at work, and he is improving, slowly.
The notes on Qabalah are very interesting. The attribution of Alphabet to Taro, particularly, also interpretation of Taro and correspondence with N.O.X. signs. I don't quite get what M ThSh P K X T, and I ThSh T etc refer to or why NOX = TZH = 31, unless they apply by the attributions you have given to the alphabet.
You will be glad to learn that we have taken an Office for M.M.M. 111 Bank of Ottawa Building, Hastings Street (nearly opposite Post Office) and there is considerable revival of interest among members, even though we shall not be able to Initiate there. We are announcing a series of Sunday night Lectures for the Public, so as to try and interest people in our work. The First Series will cover a wide field, such as "The Order of the Temple and its Work" "The Mysteries of the Rosy Cross" "The Tree of Life" "Taoism" "Buddhism" "Yoga" "The Magick of Light" and "The Law of Thelema" pointing out that the study of Comparative Religions is a branch of our external work, but summing up all with the New Law. We are hoping also to get together special classes, and of course to get new Members, who will have to be Initiated, at some expense, in the Masonic Room of Labour Temple for the present. I also hope to start a canvas of the Labour and Capitalist people in the new future, in a quiet way at first till we are sure of our ground.
Bro. Smith's [Wilfred Talbot Smith] year of Probation for A∴A∴ is now up, and he has turned in his Record. I am going through it, but in this first case I think it will be best if I send it on to you, if you don’t mind, because I need to know for certain just what will or will not pass a man to Neophyte. I will report further however, later.
With regard to your remarks re Theosophits in letter to T.R., I want to put the following report before you and to receive your paternal advice in the matter. Bro. Clark [W.C. Clark], you will remember is a Member of Lodge and was a Co-M[ason]. His attitude somewhat mystified you during your visit, and you then thought it might be caused by a leak in Aura. C and W. and I were always great friends and used to have some pretty deep discussions in the old days C. always managed to retain an air of Mystery, though I could never catch him definitely doing any practical Work. He was President of T[heosophical] S[ociety]. here, and in fact still is of one Lodge, but has always been independent in his teachings, and never inclined to join R.S., yet for some reason, I have never been able to feel he was quite sincere with regard to our Movement. The first year he acted as Second Officer, and was very useful, owing to his knowledge of Mas[onr]y. He never paid a cent, but five of the BB paid for him in full. I don’t know just how he lives, but he doesn't work at any profession more than he can possibly avoid, I think! but evidently just keeps going and devotes all the time he can to lecturing and teaching along T.S. lines. Such, would be most useful, if he would exert his influence to pull out all he could and get them to join our ranks. This however he has never done. On the other hand, at the end of the year, he ceased to attend regularly, because he said he had charge of 14 or 15 people on same night as our Lodge, and he felt his time would be best extended holding them together, since he was no longer in office (having declined the Chain). He has always appeared very friendly, but about the time of my illumination last July I rather cornered him, on points of practical experience. Since then he has seen a good deal less of me, for I remember expressing doubts of these at the back of T.S. and saying that either they knew the Secret of things, and in that case were Black, since they led people away from the truth, or they did not, and were a second rate outfit. In any case I would never personally teach any course but that of practical experience. etc Later, when our Lodge was at its lowest ebb, there was a decided revival of interest, in the other members, but he saw little of me. It would almost seem as if he intended to wean them off if possible, I thought. There were also cases when people had enquired of him expressing interest in O.T.O. and they had been 'choked off', or so it seemed. Then, as you know, I took the Lodge in hand at beginning of current year, and determined to clean things up, or let it go. C. among the rest had a copy of the letter saying that they must buck up or get out. He came round to office, say Brother Smith, and said that since the meeting was on a Wednesday night it was impossible for him to attend, whereas had it been on Tuesday, as usual, he could have arranged it. (Now Tues. was the night, he had been unable to give to Lodge, Later he came to me with a brief letter of excuse, which on reading, I thought contained a good deal of underlying sarcasm. I determined then, on the principle that "If a man is a King, you cannot hurt him" to make a sudden and unexpected shot at him, and see what happened. Being in a Qabalistic mood, I spotted some silly correspondences in his name, some of which were damnably applicable, and the latter half of which was a nasty cut a certain events in the History of the Society he is interested in, or at his own life according to how they were taken. I sent this note the day after meeting, signing it (perhaps foolishly) C Stansfeld Jones, acting R.W.M. It brought forth, a week later, the enclosed reply, from one who had never been known to be moved before by any medicine. I also enclose my reply, to which I have at present had no answer. Please give me your summing up of the matter, and return C's two letters for filing.
I shall look forward to hearing from you re my notes on F'm'ry.
With regard to the proposed G.[reat] M.[agical] R.[etirement]. I am getting things straightened out a bit, but the Lord has not yet disclosed the ways and means. On the other hand there is a new head of our Dept at B.C.E.R. [British Columbia Electric Railway], under whom I have tried to work but today he was quite unnecessarily insolent and overbearing, so tomorrow there is either going to be a change, or I shall find myself looking for other work. I don’t mind working, but I wont be a slave. It may pan out alright for a time anyway, but I shall be very glad when there is a chance of breaking bounds. I want to bring my summer holidays, for which I get paid, to about the date I intend to quit, if possible. Have you any suggestions to offer?
Have written at some length, so will close for tonight.
Love is the law, love under will.
Your devoted son,
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