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Correspondence from Aleister Crowley to Charles Stansfeld Jones
Collegium ad Spiritum Sanctum, Cefalù, Sicily.
Aug. 18, 1921.
My beloved son,
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
With regard to the O.T.O. I agree entirely with what has been done. My P.G.M. [Past Grand Master] in U.S.A. refers to a diploma which I got from Mc. B. Thompson [Matthew McBlain Thomson].
I must observe, however, that the whole business of Memphis is unworkable and rather a hindrance than otherwise, especially in dealing with Masons. My own adventures in that country have tended on the whole to distract attention from the Law. My advice is, therefore to accept the position gracefully and do nothing about it. What we want is to work our own new rituals without reference to Masonic affairs.
With regard to your other letter, I am overjoyed with it. It doesn't matter to me that the news is bad. I am simply happy that you write as one practical man to another. Our business is to establish the Law. Any distraction from that, mystic or otherwise, is a mistake. I may say that I have been working away from the Tarot and astrology. What we have to do is to conquer the world and the way we have to do it is to talk in a language that everybody can understand; ethics, education, and the labour problem are our strong cards. If we concentrate on those we should certainly get a following of sorts which may lead to bigger things later on. We can keep the technical training in Magick for specially prepared people who want to understand the inner secrets of life but if we talk Qabalah and such things to the profane vulgar we are no more likely to get support than if we had worked out some novel theorems in pure mathematics.
The spirit of your letter is admirable. We are feeling the same, thank you, although our situation is very desperate. We are living on quarter rations and there is practically no hope of any relief for months to come as far as any one can see. If the tide should turn for you I hope you will make a point of cabling us anything available to help us carry on here. Our credit is very good here at present, only I'm sorry to say we have had to trade on it already. It would be a real disaster for the Work if we came to a smash.
I think you are absolutely right to insist on doing things first class style. I should have thought that it would not be impossible to get a quite ordinary business man to stake you to the extent of $5,000 or $10,000 on the security of the valuable stock and your general good repute.
Love is the law, love under will.
Thy sire,
P.S. The biggest rock ahead is the payment of 10,000 lire (say $6,000) on November 1.
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