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Correspondence from Aleister Crowley to Gerald Yorke
c/o Bankers' Trust.
17 May [1928]
C∴F∴ V∴I∴
93.
Yours of 13th. Nothing through yet: banks close Wednesday noon - Friday: some trouble about a Virgin again. I hear.
"Trusting the Gods". Victorian prudence is old Aeon. To-day we know that any one may be dead, bankrupt, or a millionaire within 24 hours. This is the chief doctrine of the Yi. Curiously, Goethe prophesied a condition when the gambler should prove to be the sound man of business! The moral problem is thus now to do the right thing on the data that one has. And that is devilish hard!
Also, 'Interpret every phenomenon etc'. I feel that the storm of July 17 was no accident. I could give you yards of detail about the way I am nursed to do certain things at certain times. I am a peculiarly blind agent. And I have learned to be content.
More practically, £200 wouldn't see us through publication. The one good chance is to leave me free to interest monied people. We have all sorts of ways of conducting this matter to a good issue; but all is paralysed if the King's Government cannot be carried on. A general strike ruins all interests, however indirectly concerned.
We have moved to a cheaper hotel, and are looking for a tiny corner near Paris where we can work, coming up when business makes it necessary. We hope to be able to cut down living expenses to about 10/ a day.
Apropos, I should like to know about your June visit. Is it on? If so, between what dates? I will make arrangements accordingly.
Magick [Magick in Theory and Practice]. The price question worries me. I don't think your plan is feasible. People won't pay £1.1.0 if they know others can get the book for 12/6. Again I don't believe it can be sold at that price. 8/- to the printer; say 1/- to the binder (I'm designing a special talisman for the cover) and at least 25% on to that for the selling costs. (This is figured on 1000 copies.)
I too want ALL to have the book. But: (1) people think that what they get for nothing is worth nothing; and (2) Magick is an expensive game, and it is useless to have the book without the means to do the Work.
If I were you. I would get advice from the Hon. Ralph Shirley (late of Riders) a good friend of mine and with innumerable experience of publishing books of this kind. I would agree to anything he said.
Of course, if a publisher takes on the job, our worries are over. I would take advice about this too. There are some new small publishers very enterprising; and a book like this might well make a man's name, even if he lost money on it.
Re the Vampire. I am seriously concerned. From 1912 to the War no less than 9 brethren, all of great promise and some of marked achievement went on the rocks. Your noble motive makes things worse, i.e. the danger is greater, because your 'conscience' is on the enemy's side. The only line of meditation I can suggest for you—from your letter—is this. "My idea of G∴[reat] W∴[ork] just now is to see 'magick' published. I will do all things which will advance that aim, nothing which might hamper me in achieving it". (Also perhaps, "Who appointed me to help her?" Again "May it not hurt her to interfere with their Karma?") But the first line is the safe one because impersonal.
The Word of the Law is Θελγμχ
Fraternally yours
T. M. Θ.
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