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Correspondence from Aleister Crowley to Sascha Germer
London, W.1.
31st May, 1943 e.v.
Dear Sascha,
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.
I don't mind about your English, but don't you get my Irish! There's a puzzler for you for a start!
It was really bad luck that I never got to your letter sent in February. I began to think the most terrible things about you. I thought you might have been insulted by my audacity in dedicating he book to you. This is such a funny world—you never know how people are going to take things. It was cheek on my part.
Karl [Karl Germer] refers to a letter of his of February 13th and says I didn't acknowledge it, but I certainly answered some of it. The metal clips of the letter were rusty. I fancy it got drowned and was retrieved; and yet the other part of the letter shows no sign of damp. Funny.
I am sorry to hear that you have been having such a bad time with your family, but this is rather where the Law of Thelema comes in. When you are wholly concentrated upon your True Will, personal woes and worries tend to assume their real place. Everything that happens is all part of the plan; and when you can really see it as such, you become indifferent to circumstances. For instance, all the ostracism and persecution which has been my lot for so many years appears to me as part of the necessary condition for the historical view of my own times to come. Of course, even so, it is very difficult not to react in an ordinary human way to things that go wrong. In fact, you ought to react according to your nature; but there should be a city of refuge, far removed from all these tribulations, where you can see the battle in perspective.
I am very glad you liked the "Fun of the Fair". It does really give a true picture of life as it used to be in Russia; but besides that, it is one of the most complete pictures of my own character that I have ever done. I think if you read it several times you will feel that you know me quite well. I think, too, that the point of view is not without value. It does seem to give an idea of the way in which one should deal with strange and alien circumstances.
I am very glad you liked the Autohagiography [The Confessions of Aleister Crowley]. It was a dreadful tragedy that all the money was stolen by the publishers, so that only two volumes ever appeared. What is worse is that the third volume got as far as press proofs, of which I had two copies; and neither of them can be found. It is, worse luck, the most important volume of the six.
It is very nice of you to write to me at such length in English. It is very good practice for you. I don't find so many faults as you seem to think you have made. I hope you will go on reading my work. It ought to be good training for you, because my English is very correct without being stilted and pedantic. Another thing is that, however seriously I am writing, there is always a hint of laughter somewhere.
I certainly do hope that I may be able to come to New York before very long. I don't think it is a secret, but they are getting the street lamps ready. If this is true, it means that we are pretty sure that we shall not have to go through another black-out winter. Let us hope so, anyhow.
Love is the law, love under will.
Yours very sincerely,
Aleister.
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