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Correspondence from Karl Germer to Jane Wolfe
May 7, 1928
Dear Jane,
93
I have sent off my application for the extension of my visa to-day. Let us hope it will be granted. Otherwise I would have to leave Jesus's Country June 1 or soon after, probably by steerage.
I had your letter of April 24 Saturday, when I was in N.Y.
The fourth copy of 777 had better be sent to Martha [Martha Kuntzel]. In her last letter she asked me for two copies, to give one to a man in Berlin, who is going to edit it.
I intended to mail you the Little Essays [Little Essays Toward Truth], but had my head full & will mail them when I am back in N.Y. If possible, I will also send Heart of the Master & Master Therion & the Dossier along. But I suppose you have those? I should like to get everything back as soon as possible.
Your remarks were highly interesting, clears up a lot for me which I did not know. You say: "Is it Smith [Wilfred T. Smith] or [illegible]? or Estai [Jane Wolfe]??" Why not all of them? I wish Estai a whole lot. However, the Gods choose their own time for what they want to be done just when it suits them & that is quite intriguing for us.
You might be able to do something for me. Ever since I have been with the crowd of 93ers I have heard a lot about the "Abyss". I have—from whatever I read about it in the Book—placed this "crossing of the A[byss]" in between the 7º=4o and 8º=3o. Again from the way the thing is actually used it seems to be somewhere else, say lower down on the Tree. Furthermore, I remember Leah [Leah Hirsig] saying once: one had to cross it often (i.e. on many planes.)
Now you refer to it in connection with Smith. You say: he is approaching his [Abyss experience] etc. If such periods of fights & disagreeable times is the Abyss, why he would be on his way to 8º=3o or Master of Temple. Is that not absurd? Furthermore: if that were so simple I ought to be a 10 fold M[agister].T[empli]. for I have had such periods I don't know how often (at least 3 six month wars with Marie [Marie Wys] were high explosive, Big Berthas, poison gas etc. etc. all the modern appliance, were used). I don't think they were followed by anything extraordinary. I haven't even reached the 5º=6o stage.
This brings me to another point, just this K.[nowledge] & C.[onversation] which is supposed to take place in 5º=6o. He's variously said that the H.G.A. [Holy Guardian Angel] leads one to the Abyss & helps one to cross over it, or prepares one so that one can succeed in it. Now here is the contradiction! If a man or woman goes through the Abyss—ought he [be] insane anyhow—the usual things, [illegible], lack of money, etc., etc. [illegible]—every business man has to face similar and worse things, every few years. Actually I would have crossed than at least 10 Abysses and am still living, but got nothing from them. It seems so bombastic, so exaggerated, show offy, to use a special term for a commonplace thing. Besides it seems [illegible].
Yet, I put my above question again. If you were the woman capable of putting me wise on the various subjects referred to above, I would be grateful indeed.
Of course I realize that as long as you don't know this [illegible] H.G.A. it's all mere talk. But then it's also mere talk to call some hard time the Abyss. It seems to be like this American tendency to apply words with a definite meaning to something much more [illegible]. For instance, you say "High School" to something which in Germany would be a very low kind of a school. What we call "High School" (hoch schule) is practically the same as University (like Oxford or Cambridge). Again the term University is applied here [in the U.S.] to forms of schools an educated German would be ashamed of. "Officer" is a Cop. Lindbergh is a "Colonel" etc. etc. A Colonel in Germany must have a definite amount of military and scientific knowledge, strategic and tactic experience to lead at least a regiment of infantry with artillery, machine guns, and the other units, so that he can command actually a small army in case of need. This different organization of the American brain in the use of words may account for you and Leah using "Abyss" so often for commonplace things. Still, I would like to hear what you have to say about it.
Take your time for your reply. Don't hurry. The clearer you put it the better. I want at last to get some understanding of the subject.
All good wishes.
93 93/93
Yours fraternally,
Karl
PS Beast wrote me last, that Book 4, iii, is being printed in London. The price is $10, or for subscription. Just what that means I don't know. He does not say when it is going to come out of press. But he has been busy revising the [manuscript] for the press so it's serious. Can you get subscriptions out there?
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