Correspondence from Aleister Crowley to Montgomery Evans

 

     

 

55 Avenue de Suffren

Paris VII

 

 

November 4th, 1928

 

 

M. Montgomery Evans, 2nd

Studio Apartment Hotel,

9 Rue Delambre, Paris

 

 

Care Frater:

 

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

 

The question before the meeting appears to concern the climbing of Mount Illiman.

     

Mount Illiman is the reality behind all the nonsense of Atlantide. It is the highest mountain in French Africa, and any patriotic Frenchman ought to put in at least one hundredth part of a sou to see it fairly climbed. If not by a Frenchman, then at least by someone who really loves France.

     

A short interval for tears and applause indicated at this stage of my letter.

     

Let me enter for a moment into the practical details of the expedition. It requires about six weeks to get the equipment. I am assuming we have all the money necessary. With caterpillar cars we ought to be able to get to Teman Rasset [Tamanrasset]. In ten days from Paris, calling at every "pub" for drinks. We should arrange for at least three weeks at Teman Rasset to make the necessary arrangements for getting to the foot of the mountain. As I am excessively old and excessively fat, we ought to allow one week to get from the foot of the mountain to its summit. You multiply this whole arrangement by two to calculate the date of the return.

     

What we want is a young bitch in need of publicity and in no need of money. I apologize for using the word "need" so frequently in one sentence, but emphasize the word "bitch." At this meridian we are excessively short of bitches. The total cost in the neighborhood of $5,000.00. It is worth $50,000.00 to any bitch of the right kind who wishes to exploit the surface of the terrestrial globe.

     

You come in as the impressario of the film. Financial details will be nailed you by the Societe Internationalè Financierè.

 

Love is the law, love under will.

 

Yours fraternally,

 

Aleister Crowley

 

 

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