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Correspondence from Aleister Crowley to Frank Bennett
COLLEGIUM SPIRITUM SANCTUM Cefalu, Sicily
Feb. 23, 1923.
Care Frater,
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
Yours of no date just to hand. I can't imagine how I came to neglect telling you about the "Drug Fiend" [Diary of a Drug Fiend]. I thought I had done so. I am glad you like it. I wish you would send me any magazine reviews about the book which you have. I haven't been able to get a single one except the Sunday Express of Nov. 26. I ordered a copy of my reply to that to be sent you but do not know whether it was done or not.
I am glad you are quite through with Deacon. If he is using our name to acquire wealth I think you should complain to the authorities. It is obtaining money under false pretenses. As you know I have always set my face against Spiritualism. I relaxed the rule in favour of one person [Mary Davies] because, though a self-deluded old fool, she was honest and enthusiastic. My kindness did me a lot of harm and resulted indirectly in her ruin and death: so you can't be too careful. I shall be glad to hear from your Jew with the ineffable name.[1] Try and get the practical part of your work into practical hands. The time has now come for us to vindicate our integrity and to step boldly forward into the limelight. It is therefore essential to have a man with a head for organization.
What about Ebeling,[2] by the way? Is he coming to the Abbey [of Thelema] for some training or is he going to send us the cost of the voyage? I mention it because we have been in a situation of the greatest privation all the winter; owing to the attacks on me in London the people who were pledged to send me money did not do so and we've got through by a series of narrow squeaks. Your fiver came like Sir Colin Campbell at the relief of Lucknow. But we need a very large sum to clear our feet to say nothing of carrying us through the next campaign. It is particularly essential for us to have some spare cash if possible to give us a chance to make a move forward. I have been working myself to death writing my Autohagiography [Confessions of Aleister Crowley] which has now been thrown into confusion. Estai [Jane Wolfe] went to London to-day and the following will explain another source of smash. I have been quite seriously ill for 6 weeks or more, only on one or two days able to leave bed. My principle assistant here, Frater AUD [Raoul Loveday], a boy of 22, the most brilliantly promising magician I ever even dreamt of, came here on Nov. 26 and died last Friday. It is an absolute knock-down blow. I had built the greatest hopes on him as a helper. He had just come down from Oxford with First Class honours in History; he understood the Law and the principles of Magick and Yoga almost, as it were, by instinct.
I admit my laxness in writing to you; you must make allowances for me having been so ill, distressed and overworked. It would give me great pleasure if you would make a point of writing me every mail, if only a picture post card to say you are well.
Alostrael [Leah Hirsig] was very ill indeed last autumn. We thought she would die. She has been getting better since her return to Cefalu but the strain of the last month has thrown her back somehow. However the Gods are looking after us.
My paternal greetings and benediction to all the Brethren in Sydney.
Love is the law, love under will.
Yours fraternally,
THE BEAST 666 (per Alostrael)
P.S. It may interest you to hear how I wrote the "[The Diary of a] Drug Fiend." I arrived in London with less than £10 in the world and no clothes but Highland dress. I had very soon pawned everything and was absolutely on the rocks. I wrote down the plot on half a sheet of note paper, the second publisher I took it to accepted it and gave me £60 in advance. I telegraphed for Alostrael to come over from Paris and she took the whole thing down in long hand in 27 ½ days. It was a marvelous performance on her part, especially as she was a pretty sick woman. I think that the extra strain helped to make her worse though she had a fairly decent holiday in the summer.
1—The reference is to Nathan Rabinowitz (who later Anglicized his name to Norman Robb). 2—Frederick Ebeling, one of Bennett's students.
Correspondence from Leah Hirsig to Frank Bennett
Dear Prog[radior],
93
Beast dictated this two days ago but has been too ill since to sign it. At present I am filled with sufficient strength to carry on—Shummy [Ninette Shumway] and I have the entire care now of the house, the children, the Big Lion and our creditors, bless them.
I hope you are fine—we never never never could forget you—so don't be a baby. Some day I'll write a long letter all about the boys and Lulu who just about runs the Abbey now.
93 93/93
Mama Lala
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