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Correspondence from Aleister Crowley to Charles Stansfeld Jones
February 14, '18 E.V.
c/o Thos. Cook & Son, 245 Broadway, New York City.
Care Frater,
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
The time has come for me to write to you with the utmost seriousness with regard to the Work.
In March 1919 E.V. it is my task to issue No. 1 of Vol. III of the Equinox. I base great hopes of the Promulgation of the Law upon this, and I think that my recent experience of practical journalism will be of great service. With regard to it, I may say that I am quite sure that the condition of success is proper capitalization and energetic business management.
My mother's estate will, I trust, produce sufficient money for me to see this through, in any case; I need not say that I never want anything for myself beyond reasonable freedom to do my work. I could wish to reach the grade of Hermit, "giving only of my light unto men" but hitherto various exigencies have kept me in the world. Perhaps a Great Silence may be granted to me after this next Five Years of unremitting toil.
However, I have no hesitation in begging you to do all in your power, as I am doing all in mine, to see to it that the old stock of Equinox is released, and the new volume printed as stately as the former. Any sums that you could remit to the Chiswick Press Tooks Court, Chancery Lane, London, W.C. would be used, up to 300 pounds sterling or so, for the former of these purposes. I may say that there is now a good demand for these books in America, if we only had any to sell.
I shall of course attend to this myself the moment I can realize my property, which is still in the hands of the family lawyers.
If the Chiswick Press were paid in full, they would doubtless print Vol. III, No. 1 at least on credit, though of course I would rather pay cash; and I would rather publish through a responsible house.
I wish now to write a short synopsis of the events of my magical career since the grade of Magister Templi as recorded in Eqx. 1. That was in Dec. '09 E.V.
In the autumn and winter of 1911 came the visions of Soror Virakam [Mary d'Este-Sturges], which resulted in the writing of Book 4 [Part I & Part II]. This work was interrupted by the refusal of the Soror to obey the command of the adept communicating to go to seek an egg beneath a paintree "somewhere in Africa", as the saying is.
In September 1913 E.V. Liber Legis was published openly for the first time, and ten minutes later (really nine, as the date of the publication was delayed a month) the Great War broke out. The significance is, I think, evident.
I am not sure exactly on what date to fix for the beginning of my further initiation; the events are too recent. But in January 1914 E.V. was the Paris Working, when I gained the first hint that I was progressing. Details of this work will be communicated to T.H.T.I.T.I. [Thrice Holy, Thrice Illustrious, Thrice Illuminated] Brethren of the Sanctuary of the Gnosis at the proper season.
However, from the date of my journey to America the calculation is easy, each day of the initiation being of the duration of 73 days, and significant events occurring at the dawn of each such Chokmah-Day.
Thus in June 10, 1915 E.V. I met Soror Hilarion [Jeanne Foster]. With her my relations in Magick were not satisfactory; but I was "in love" normally, and wanted to have a child by her. To this end I performed seven operations (as taught) the last of these being at the September Equinox of this year. It is really most striking that I never did any subsequent operation of this character, as there was no sign of any success. In this work there was no idea whatever of a magical child, and in this connection I will ask you to compare Liber Legis 111, 47. Soror Hilarion, I may add, corresponds precisely to the description given in the chapter of the 'Scarlet Woman', morally and also physically to the woman prophesied pf in Liber 418 [The Vision and the Voice], Eq[uino]x V Supplement, p. 146 line 12 sqq.
Now on the Summer Solstice, 1915, i.e. nine months after the last of these operations, there was born in Vancouver B.C. the magical child O.I.V.V.I.O. [Charles Stansfeld Jones] 8º=3o.You will observe how remarkably the prophesies of CCXX are fulfilled, "from no expected house", "and that strangely" and so on. These phrases were necessarily unintelligible to one who did not know the formulae of Magister Templi O.I.V.V.I.O. knew nothing of my work with Soror Hilarion.
I must add that I only noted those concatenations after the event, so that their occurrence is most powerful evidence of the Grade of Aiwass, and of the exactitude of the whole Work.
To conclude this episode, S.H. Frater O.I.V.V.I.O. passed the Abyss on all planes at this past Winter Solstice. I believe also that a certain brother, not yet consciously in the Order, has really attained the Grade of Exempt Adept] thus justifying the elevation to M.[agister] T.[empli] of Frater O.I.V.V.I.O.
TO return, in October 1915, I received the Grade of Magus 9º=2o formally from those who have the power to bestow it, but the ceremony is an elaborate one, and after the Day of the Slaying of the Cat of Slime, led to the appearance of a Monkey God [Alice Coomaraswamy] as officer in April 1916 E.V. and Great Magical Retirement in July - October of that year, during which I discovered many great mysteries of the Grade. Dec. 31 - Jan. 1 (1917 E.V.) I wrote my formal Message [Message of the Master Therion], which was published privately in England shortly afterwards, and publicly this January, 1918 in the "International".
But I must again return in time a little for what may be the most important of all this Work for our immediate purpose. In August there appeared a certain Dog-headed God [Anna Katherine Miller] as officer, who led me to a throne whereon is seated a god whose Totem I have not yet named.
Now this Unknown God, whom I will call Soror Ahitha [Roddie Minor], was, exactly like Ouarada [Rose Kelly] and Virakam, totally ignorant of, and indifferent to, my magical Work. Imagine my surprise, therefore, when in the course of a totally mundane experiment with the Book 777 Co. XLIII Line 4 she began to have visions, beginning with the egg at which poor Virakam had stopped. I cross-examined the intelligence communicating with great severity, but he proved his authority without any trouble. I will give one instance only. He says his name is Amalantah, and specifies certain letters in Hebrew when I asked alternatives (Soror Ahitha knew no Hebrew, nor any symbols, nor my plan of calculations.) so that the name added to 729. This number was not potent in my Qabalah, though promising in itself as 36. While I added up this name, he spontaneously shewed "a queer triangle a figure 4 made into something—the segment of an octagonal column—"to her. This somehow suggested Baphomet to my mind and I said "Can you spell Baphomet for me?" This was a severe test, for I had failed, despite most strenuous efforts, to get a satisfactory orthography. He complied immediately, and after offering alternatives as to doubtful letters (aleph or ayin? and so on) he gave a word which adds also to 729.
The communications are still in progress, but I have learnt must to understand that I should go to Egypt, to be there at the Vernal Equinox of An XV (March 1919 E.V.)
I am particularly anxious (this is not in the messages, but my own judgment) to confer with Frater S.P. [James Windram] as being in the business, to oversee the production.
I now urge these Brethren to do all in their power to cooperate in the ways suggested. I hope Frater S.P. can make arrangements for me to come to South Africa, in case other plans fall through; if possible, let him do this through Cook's. It is probable that Frater O.I.V.V.I.O. and myself will be put to it to perform the central magical Work. I rely on Soror Ahitha and certain others not yet known to you to cooperate, each in his or her appointed Path.
I beg you to reply fully and frankly to this letter, in all detail, and without delay.
Love is the law, love under will.
Fraternally,
ΤΟ ΜΕΓΑ ΘΗΡΙΟΝ 666
P.S. So far from forgetfulness or displeasure, I'm writing a whole Book of History for you personally.
Θ
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