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Correspondence from Aleister Crowley to Norman Mudd
50 rue Vavin Paris VIe
Apr. 30/24 e.v.
Dear O.P.V.
93.
Your Good Friday letter is the most shameless plagiarism of Volume II of the Equinox![1] Remember that we are very anxious about you—as you. We are in particular, eager to hear of your work with the European General Storage people and of course, the Sunday Express. I put the fear of God into Mary Butts and Cecil Maitland two nights ago. Should a lawsuit be started and they want their witnesses, they will have to fetch them by force from Kalamazoo!
The really important thing is that people should begin to understand that we mean to fight. Our greatest asset is that people are afraid of me. Consider their silence while I was in England in 1922; and remember McCourt's story of the Magical Society whom he was about to join, and who, on his artless question, had they ever heard of me?, changed their name and place of meeting without warning him. Our mistake throughout has been fear—disguised as contemptuous patience or pity. It was your mistake in the Cambridge Betrayal; and it has hampered you since reaching London. From this moment we must alter our policy completely and go boldly-headed for every one, careless of consequences. What could happen worse than dying by inches of starvation, as we have been? The moment you start to live up to the letter of your letter to The Isis they will "wilt"—forgetting the "Do what thou".
Sheila Bickers is a first-rate place to begin, because there we have them caught definitely in actual crime.
Use your imagination. You are prosecuting on my behalf. Their lawyer may be foolish enough to ask you "Why is not Mr. Crowley here?" You reply that he has been sick and starving for months in consequence of the foul lies of the Sunday Express. Mention one or two details i.e. the white slave story—prison in America. That will set all London talking; and when I get money and strength to come to London it will be a number I political event.
Don't bother about my keeping silence about my real plans. Plans depend on the circumstances of the moment. Call on the S[unday] E[xpress] directly after the police court proceedings; and it's all Lombard St. to a China orange that you will find them humbly penitent, eager to repair their error.
That is your proper policy. Don't waste any time in carrying it out. The whole of AL Cap. 3 indicates this method. "Raise the spell of Ra Hoor Khuit"; and see verses 3, 11, 17, 18, 28, 38, 42, 46 and 72.
I have little doubt that the Gods have brought us to this extremity—"Man's extremity is God's opportunity" as my father used to say. He wrote a tract with that title—in order that we might demonstrate the virtue of The Law by defeating iniquity without any human resources whatever.
There's part of the Comment for you, since you seem so keen on my writing it!
Do this quickly. The moment you start, the Gods will send me such strength and supplies as are necessary. You have been using human wisdom; and the whole point of The Law is to show that human wisdom is worked-out, that the old diplomacy and finance are finished. Abrahadabra.
93 93/93.
Yours,
The Beast 666.
1—[Refers to Norman Mudd's silence.]
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