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Correspondence from Jack Parsons to Aleister Crowley
[20 February 1945]
Dear Aleister;
93:
Yours of the 24th January received, also your cable re 132 [Wilfred Talbot Smith]. I was very sorry to hear of your illness, and hope that you are well recovered. I hate to hear of anything interfering with the Work you are doing, aside from the other discomforts involved.
I am afraid that I have been often rather stupid in regard to the relations with 132, and failed to grasp many of the points involved. Of course I have speculated on many things, but without definite knowledge. I have been unable to deal as perhaps I should have.
I can see the analogy with the Sprague Mythos [The Strange Case of Miss Annie Spragg], (an old favorite), the necessity for Taboo, the enormous value to our work implied in a successful Passion Mystery.
But so much depends upon the [illegible] which stem directly from 132, and so much upon your own traction to the developments of this deep and subtle matter, that I can do no more than try to understand 132, convey these impressions to you, and then try to understand and follow your instructions as best I can.
All this time it seems to me that he has completely lost the animosity towards you which so strongly characterized his attitude before he left 1003 [1003 S. Orange Grove Avenue], and that he appears to have a sincere desire to work with the Mass [Gnostic Mass] and otherwise experiment with and determine the forces he may have generated in the past months.
He seems much younger, stronger, and more serene than when I last saw him. There is undoubtedly a very strong and subtle force about him, and his performance in rituals is magnificent.
These forces, wrongly ordered, will undoubtedly be dangerous, and so I am on my guard. Rightly ordered, they might be of inestimable value to us.
He had not pictured any better intention to me. He expects to hear from you.
I prefer to remain passive until I hear from you, and then to follow your instructions as fully as possible. In this matter most especially I must trust to your guidance.
It is simply too deep for me.
As you will note from the reports, I have been making considerable noise in Lodge lately. I am afraid that it is mostly noise with little real accomplishment or increase in membership.
I must admit most of the members bore me inexpressibly. Outside of Jane [Jane Wolfe] and the household, there is not one whom under different circumstances, I would have in my house or introduce to my friends. They are simply tedious—not only that but I am afraid that we often frighten away the better possibilities with our showing.
I think that I have done my best with the present material. They are consolidated, enthusiastic, and loyal within the possibilities of their limitations. Only a miracle could do much more with the group at hand and I have no miracles.
But I may have it to the point where it could go on without me, which is the main thing. With a few more such groups functioning, our ideas will have a better chance of surviving, and the financial support may be adequate for your purposes.
I will have the legal incorporation papers drawn, and forward them for your advice.
I am working on several plans—one involving a stand on the American Constitution and Bill or Rights, and are involving an O.T.O. Brochure reprinted from Equinox No. II—perhaps Oriflamme, No. II. Will let you know.
Among other things I must find out more for I am out of joint. It would be a Hell of a thing to find out that I was trying to make the world straight with my own myopia.
It will take some time to get my personal record typed so I will have to take that up later.
I will forward 200 copies of Liber AL by regular mail, re Karl's [Karl Germer] request.
93 93/93
Fraternally,
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