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Correspondence from Charles Stansfeld Jones to Aleister Crowley
SANCTUARY OF THE GNOSIS
August the twenty-fifth Nineteen hundred twenty-five
My Beloved Phoenix,
Greetings on all Points of the Triangle!
It is now well that we should consider some of the Good and Constructive aspects brought to view by recent events, which they could hardly have appeared so clearly.
Firstly it is written—There is no bond that can unite the divided but Love. And it was because, at the last moment, among the various rumours, there was one about your love for me, that I countermanded one of my orders yesterday.
There is one perfectly clear channel of communication open between us, a channel newly opened through which no muddy stream has flowed. I refer to the link between the Phoenix and Tantalus Laucocaphalus. There has been no obligation between these aspects of our respective beings other than one of love and trust. Upon the late Parzival's proclamation of the late Baphomet as O.H.O. the latter choose to become the Phoenix and as his first official act requested that P. choose a new title, which resulted in the name T. L.
I suggest that we keep this channel as a free means of communication, without any question of "grades" for the purpose of the exchange of mature and carefully considered thought on matters of mutual interest and importance. I also suggest that for this purpose such correspondence under these names, be considered in Tiphereth, and thus kept both harmonious, loving, and beautiful and at the same time as far as possible equilibrated. Discussion pertaining to R—C should find a fitting setting by this means.
I also suggest that any letter received by one or the other of us over one of these signatures, shall be held not less than three days before it is answered, and then, if possible, another day or so before mailing.
Further, that in the event of action of an immediate and imperative nature appearing to be necessary under any circumstances, that some other name be used in the correspondence on that occasion.
Will you kindly let me know whether you agree to, and will adhere to the above suggestions?
As a proof of my own good faith in this respect and under this arrangement. I will open my heart to you on certain matters about which you have either directly or indirectly enquired.
It is not at all hopeless to try to convince me that you are trying to help my best interests—the method alone has prevented me from possibility of explanation without doing violence to the Work itself and the High Interests at stake.
I think in regard to that I have called "my" books, you, having promised several times during the last two years, and O.P.V. [Norman Mudd] having several times made similar promises on your behalf to give me a complete and careful criticism on any points which might through my ignorance, or some other cause appear to be in error, should have done so before telling any other person they must be changed, or writing to others with the very evident intent of making me look silly and discounting the work I had done.
You have thought me very "high and mighty" merely because I have quietly stuck to my job and declined to be sidetracked while I had insufficient time to explain and no real reason for so doing.
If I had expected, or desired, these books to become "Official Publications" or had thought it in any way advisable that they should, or the work in any way worthy of that honour, I would certainly have submitted proofs to you and requested the Official Imprimatur. But, I must explain to you that one aspect of my Work has been to form a link with a number of people through what you term a "popular presentation" of truths which have never before been put into that form (for it is, as you will admit, one of the most difficult of all tasks) people who, at the start, were distinctly hostile to your Work. These represent the medium sized "logs" that at one time you asked me to fire. Have I been unfaithful to the trust?
On the other hand you talk of my rudeness to Fra. Regnartus [Heinrich Tränker]. It should be understood that I sent him free copies of my books, he had them translated for his own perusal, and then began to inquire about publication rights. I find him rushing ahead much too quickly, likely to get all mixed up, misquoting ideas, and even advertising the books before he had any definite arrangement about them. I had no intention of putting years of careful work under the official title of "Pansophia" which I knew little about and before there was any possible connection between it and A∴A∴, etc. Therefore quick action was necessary to stop things up, and this was followed by a letter, which you may have seen, in which I told him definitely that I would not allow him to do anything with the books and that I would wait one year before I considered "Pansophia" further. This, I assure both you and Bro. R.[egnartus] will finally agree was a very wise thing to do, for time is necessary in order to straighten out many things before rushing to press with either a translations or incorrect books. It must further be remembered that he was working through an agent e thoroughly trusted, I was coming more and more to the conclusion that all was not well in that direction.
Now in regard to these books I have published or caused to be published, changes, such as you suggest, in regard to the incident of the 'publisher' (which is of local interest) and of the title of the R.R. (which I should have changed in any case in the event of another edition.) could be quite acceptable. Such things as calling Hadit a devil of darkness, or rather a she-devil, I have not so far been guilty of, and I should object to them being inserted, even in error.
But, if you care to fulfill your promise during the next year while R's matter is in abeyance, and point out to me what you think should be changed in the general interest of the work, I should be glad to give your suggestions and friendly criticism every consideration, reserving of course the right to adopt such changes or reject them after I knew what they were and your reasons for them. Even then, I do not think it well to make these books "official text books" of any Order, their value lies in the interest they stimulate in the subjects so briefly treated, and in the fact that those who really want more can be introduced to official books or to the Orders concerned. No publisher is going to label books definitely with a definite stamp of a certain brand of Order because it merely has the effect of reducing the number of possible sales to just that minimum of people who like the Order and are Members of it. You must see the wisdom of this, and that my Work in Malkuth is different from yours of R's is your respective spheres of activity. Of course there are "sublime passages" from your work etc. Isn't that the way to make people inquire about is as better than my own? And by that time they are much more likely to swallow some of the less sublime parts of the books you have produced which, you must admit, turn people aside before they have begun to examine things properly. Even R. flew right off the handle at the 2nd and 3rd Chapters of CCXX and warned me to have nothing whatever to do with such things one day after reading them. How can you expect the "public" to be any more broadminded?
I think you will find the Anatomy [The Anatomy of the Body of God] more original and more carefully considered. Have I not held it 18 months so that there was no question of rushing it into print?
Now, in regard to my secretiveness. I am really not at all secretive. I tell everybody (at close range) everything, this being a sure means of preventing them from knowing anything about one's motives. But when it comes to long letters, when one is up to the eyes in work, to one who ought to understand without ought but the briefest explanation, that has so far been more than my strength will allow.
I think I must ask you to take my Word for it that I have used what for want of a better term I must call "my own means" of testing and trying the people I am dealing with. And these people, being of a different kind from those attracted to you, have needed quite different "tests". I have, for one thing a series of [illegible] through which they pass. You may hear of a lot of other "orders" sometimes—The Treasure Seekers, for instance. Or you may hear of the U.B. [Universal Brotherhood] You should not necessarily translate this as Universal Bookstore and think of Ryerson [Albert W. Ryerson], or get the idea of Point Lama and Mrs Tingley, or Lazenby [Charles Lazenby] or any of the obvious correspondences. The A∴A∴ was not used, as I deem it, to confuse the Neophyte but to prevent him as far as possible from valuing non-essentials. But, as far as the A∴A∴ was concerned I held this for the last, and for the people that gave signs of real promise. Was not the Order to train Adepts? If I, in my outer work, must go into the highways and hedges, did you want everyone, fit or unfit, brought into the A∴A∴? Who would look after them? Remember, I have never taken a cent of money for direct A∴A∴ instruction from Probationers of the Order, or for individual advice and instruction from anyone. My public work has been of an educational nature. A∴A∴ is not a group system, How could I work it in groups? But it is from groups that suitable people may be discovered, the others have to be taken care of in other ways suitable to their nature until they eliminate themselves automatically.
In regard to my "swelled head" and my refusal to fill in missing grades. The former has made me willing to place myself under one who just happened to come to my meetings in Detroit. I wanted to see if I was really ready to start again in Malkuth. And I did. I have had the experience to helping to advance my leader by pressing on from below, as well as learning much from him in the process. In fact it is surprising what a lot one can learn from one of one's own despised followers if you trust him enough to let him show you a few things you would not have thought of because they appeared so petty they were not worth the trouble to examine. That is an experience you may not have had, or if you have you will agree with me in this.
Then again, Success is thy proof. There are some points in which you have not been successful. Would you have me learn from you in such instances? I have found it best to look for the most successful methods in the partial concerns which, having tried them out, have found them workable. My "swelled head" has not prevented me from doing this. For instance your general education has been an advantage to you in some ways and a draw-back in others. My lack of education has been both an advantage and a disadvantage. In-so-far as it has been the latter, (and since I have used the advantageous aspect to enable me to contact the "popular" mind which is a terrible thing to understand) with enough success to cause you to write and any my books are of the "popular type", I had already, before I heard from you, begun to make arrangements for adding to my high-school credits some to be able to enter the university and have a look round at the modern type of thought as therein expressed. For this purpose I shall have to move my apartment to the other side of the City, and shall have to find time early and late to do this extra work without interfering with my daily living (so called).
I have a very loyal little following who believe that I am doing all I can for them considering all our limitations, and why I should go to smash in Chicago on account of anything that one of my late students does or says, I cannot see. There comes no need of it in the general scheme of things, as far as I am aware.
There is one thing you should remember. I have not been going round talking with M.T. [Magister Templi] labeled on my back except in-so-far as you stuck it there in the Blue Eq[uino]x [Equinox Vol III No. 1]. I have taken a very unassuming Malkuth attitude, and, in regard to my little following, at any rate, allowed my work to be their sole means of judgment, not anything I had to say about myself.
Of course I have talked about a lot of things to S. For instance; there was not avoiding it. But that was part of his test. I am, at present, naturally rather disappointed at his actions, which were really against his own best interest. He may, of course, turn out one of the best blooms in the Garden, in that case you will have a real grand-child someday. But he can hardly discount what has been done for him by disloyalty, not to me, but to the principles of the Order I then represented in his regard. Rules are rules after all, and I did not make them.
I believe, somewhere in your correspondence which has not yet reached me, you ask whether I have ever signed any other obligations other than to the A∴A∴—or something to that effect. Well I have, and I haven't. In one sense I have signed hundreds, but in another, and a very real one, my pledges (except O.T.O.) have all been made to the A∴A∴
I strongly advise that you let matters rest at that. I think we both know by this time that the Gods know what they are doing, and they make few, if any, errors, in regard to our affairs.
Yours in the Bonds of the Order,
Tantalus Leucocephalus,
X° 33° 90° 96°
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